Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

British Brides

Chi Chi Revolver’s Tattooed Bridal Shoot

Kat

March 31, 2011

"I was really inspired reading the winning entry to your Knot Couture dress competition recently," photographer Bethan of Haywood Jones Photography told me. "It was hard to picture how it would feel to be made so uncomfortable in a shop who were clearly disapproving of you, thinking we live in a properly modern society (!) until it happened to me last weekend (not because I have beautiful body art sadly, but much more because I was dressed a bit scruffily and went into a very posh art shop. They actually got another member of security to stand in the shop while me and my friend walked around!!) It suddenly became clear that you really can't judge a book by its cover and that even though the *mainstream* wedding industry is becoming more accepting of the *alternative* side of peoples wedding creativity and gorgeousness, there are still many blinkered people out there who wont look past stereotypes and make you feel less than worthy of their attention."
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Emma & Pete’s “Enchantment Under the Sea Dance” & A Big Fat Surprise Wedding

Kat

March 30, 2011

I honestly don't know where to begin describing Emma & Pete's wedding to you all. From the reaction to just the sneak peek post (epic) that I put up last week, I know pretty much the whole of blog-land has been eagerly awaiting to see this wedding too and so I'm pretty flipping honoured that not only was I invited (and let into the secret that it was a surprise wedding!) but that Emma & Pete have allowed me to share it with you all. I have the best job in the world.
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Leah & Peter’s Red + Black Rockabilly Wedding

Kat

March 29, 2011

Leah & Peter had a red & black themed rockabilly wedding. They kept the fact that they had got married earlier in the day a surprise from a lot of their guests but made sure all the most important people were in attendance...including their two (very well dressed!) pugs. "We were never officially engaged (Peter bought my my black pug Ziggy instead of an engagement ring!) we just always knew we would get married and with both of us turning 30 in June 2010 was as good a reason as any," Leah told me. !We never wanted to be the kind of people who let the real reason for getting married to be overshadowed by stressing about table placings etc so we focused on what would make us have a good time at the party and turned the tables so people were leaving with things that we had bought!"
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Amanda & David’s Stonehenge Handfasting Wedding

Kat

March 28, 2011

Photographer Penny McKinley-Rodgers told me about Amanda & David's Stonehenge handfasting wedding when I met her a few weeks ago. Quite apart from the location, one of the main things that really made me fall in love with this wedding was that the couple got married at 8am and had an actual wedding breakfast - pancakes and all! I am so excited to share this one with you today because Amanda & David really did do things their own way, making them perfect for Rock n Roll Bride! "Our wedding was incredibly informal but was honestly the nicest most relaxed and meaningful wedding" the bride told me. "We also only invited 20 people, who were all our nearest and dearest and that made it utterly special. We both wish we could bottle the day and go back and live it again whenever we wanted as it finished too soon."
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A Sneak Peek – Emma & Pete got Married…and it was AWESOME!

Kat

March 20, 2011

It's a bit unconventional for me to do two posts on a Sunday, but I just had to pop by and share a few sneak peeks of where I was last night. Emma & Pete got married! The whole wedding was a surprise. We were invited under false pretences (it was also Emma's 30th Birthday) Half way through the night, the couple disappeared, got changed (Emma into a stunning vintage dress from Fur Coat No Knickers) and got married right in front of us. I cried like an actual baby. I can't wait to see the rest of the professional photos from Steve Gerrard & Joanna Brown, but for now...
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Annette & Chris’ Fancy Dress Victorian Circus Themed Wedding

Kat

March 17, 2011

Annette & Chris had a fancy dress/steampunk themed wedding in Liverpool. The bride wore a corset purchased from Corsets UK and a skirt from MTCoffinzUnderground on Etsy. "My dress wasn't technically a 'dress' as it was a Corset and a separate skirt," the bride told me. "I bought the white and black steel boned corset for around £60 and the skirt, which was described as a 'Victorian Lace Gothic Ball Gown', cost around £100." She also wore Victorian-style black ankle boots which she hired from a fancy dress shop! Chris hired his unique outfit from a fancy dress shop too.
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Star & Kane’s Adorable Floral Engagement

Kat

March 8, 2011

I'm a sucker for adorable florals. Who isn't in fact? The concept of the shoot was formed by Thaoski, who told me all about Star & Kane's gorgeous photo session came about. "The first time I met Star was at a Christmas party last year. It was the first time I had seen her with Kane and I remember thinking she had this old fashioned vintage sweetness about her. Kane is actually a guitar player in a rock band so together they just formed a ridiculously gorgeous 'rock-vintage' couple."
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Debbie & Jamie’s Tattoo Themed Rockabilly Wedding

Kat

March 7, 2011

Oh Debbie & Jamie how I heart thee! This Belfast couple had their very own rockabilly wedding at Belfast City Hall, followed by a suitability rockin' reception at The Printers Café. "My name is Debbie and I run a vintage nail salon in Belfast called Dazzle Me With Your Tips," the bride emailed me. "In my spare time I sell vintage clothes, accessories and homewares at vintage fairs and arts and crafts markets and also work as a stylist with several photographers. Jamie my now husband is a Maintenance Manager for a cleaning services company and his passions outside of the 9 to 5 are Skating, and BMX and Metal Sculpture. We both love getting inked going to rockabilly nights and festivals and most of all touring around Ireland in our beloved VW camper van Burt with our daughter Ellie." I loved them already.
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Tommy & Katie’s Bunny Engagement

Kat

March 4, 2011

Photographer Lisa Devlin told me about her plans for this shoot when we met up to discuss my initial ideas for The Big Fat Wedding Blogger's Photo Shoot. She was keen to use the Hasselblad that we'd been lent for the shoot with one of her couples, and Tommy & Katie (and their bunny suits!) were the obvious choice. "I saw some pictures of these two on Facebook dressed in big fluffy bunny suits at a fancy dress party and that sparked the idea for this quirky shoot," Lisa explained. "Tommy is the singer in the alternative rock band Slaves to Gravity and Katie is a gorgeous 50's chick so we were aiming for something a bit vintage and a bit dark. We shot a day in the life of them as this fantasy bunny couple and had a lot of fun. Well, it is the Year of the Rabbit!"
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Rock n Roll Bride Prize Winners – Ashley & Ray’s Old School Glamour Wedding

Kat

February 25, 2011

The eagle-eyed amongst you might remember Ashley & Ray. Ashley was the lucky Rock n Roll Bride reader that won all that lovely booty for filling out my reader's survey over the Summer. Needless to say I was pretty excited to then see how it was all used in their wedding! The couple were married in January and had their photographs taken by friend of the blog Kim Hawkins. The venue they chose was The Mayfair Hotel in London and their theme was old school glamour. Ashley was keen to tell me all about their big day and I'm thilled to share it with you here - espcially as a lot of the suppliers they used are my friends!
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“The Pirate & The Stripper got Married” – Ed & Torie’s Quirky London Wedding

Kat

February 24, 2011

When Ed & Torie's beautiful wedding landed in my inbox last week, I was immediately drawn to the bride's beautiful ensemble - in particular her stunning vintage dress from my favourite girls, Fur Coat No Knickers. The couple were married in November at The Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich, London and Torie was keen to tell me all about their quirky and fabulous wedding day, "On November 20th 2010 I got to marry my best friend, my pirate, Ed. Ed and I met 4 and a half years ago through his workmate / my flatmate at a pirate fancy dress party at our house – hence the nickname. Ed turned up, breathed fire (seriously) and then mysteriously left. As it turned out his appendix had burst and he went home and then to A&E. After recovering we got in touch and the rest, as they say is history."
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Peri & Ryan’s Snow-Drama Wedding!

Kat

February 22, 2011

Spring may be on it's way (apparently!) but I'm still lusting over the prettiness of snowy winter weddings...although would you believe, there was actually some snow in parts of the UK this weekend!? Ridiculous. There was quite a bit of snow-induced drama surrounding Peri & Ryan's wedding. The ceremony was supposed to start at 3pm, but due to the weather the bride didn't arrive until 5pm. Also, a lot of guests couldn't make the day for the same reason and after the ceremony they couldn't physically get from the church to their reception because of the snow dump and road closures. However a lovely local pub opened their doors to the couple and provided an impromptu reception to remember! I have to say, from these gorgeous shots by Shell de Mar I'd like to think they made the best of it (and I personally LOVE the pub venue - what great 'art' on the walls!) "I can’t really say I am really a quirky person because I’m not but I have always liked to be a bit different in the way I dress," explained the bride. "Nothing to crazy but just not like most of my friends, I don’t do brands and If I like something I will wear it! I love all things vintage and always have done! When we were planning I had originally wanted a vintage bunting, candy floss, ice cream type wedding in May but Ryan bless him couldn’t get his head around it so when he said how about a winter I thought it sounded lovely. However I still really wanted all the polka dot and vintage feel to it, so instead of doing the traditional long dress and winter colours we went for red and white colours
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Jennie & Mark’s Country Casual Wedding

Kat

February 18, 2011

Jennie & Mark's country casual wedding took place at St. Andrew's Church, Prestwold and Quorn Village Hall in Leicestershire in January. Jennie found her perfect dress at a boutique that was closing down so she got it for a great price. The couple gave their guests the loose dress code of 'country casual' for the men and 'tea dresses' for the ladies. I've heard both sides of the story when it comes to asking guests to dress to fit a theme, but I do think the overall result is quite a beautiful one! The majority of the reception décor was a DIY effort. Jennie had spent the week before decorating with birdcages, wild flowers, chinese lanterns, paper chains, handmade cushions and vintage knick-knacks which she'd collected herself (Jennie is now hiring out her beautiful collection to other brides, if you are interested in hiring any of the items for your own wedding, be sure to drop Jennie an email to jennie.preece@monsterenergy.com)
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Jazelyn & Darren’s Modern Vintage London Wedding

Kat

February 17, 2011

Jazelyn & Darren's modern vintage wedding took place in London in November. Their inspiration came from the fact that they are a young city couple, who somehow fell in love in London through chance. "He's originally from Nottingham, England and I'm from the other side of the pond in Seattle, WA USA," explained Jazelyn. "Our invitations had a London skyline and the top of it read: "Northern Lad and West Coast Lady". Darren bought my engagement ring from Bentley and Skinner. And it's a beautiful old-cut platinum solitaire from the 1920's. Very vintage and unique. So that really was the start. We wanted a wedding that was very "us". We planned it ourselves, down to every detail. Even the guest book... We wrote down personal questions on index cards and had friends answer them (ex: where do you see us in 10 years? what's your favorite memory of us?) We wanted a mix of vintage and modern, mix of British and American, because that is us!"
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Emmaline & Guy’s Two-Day Cross Country Wedding

Kat

February 11, 2011

Emmaline & Guy had a 2 day wedding – the first, a modern urban ceremony, which took place in London at The Soho Hotel and the second, a more classic and countryside reception, at Gayhurst House, Milton Keynes. “We had contemplated getting married close to where we live in London, but Gayhurst was too much of a beautiful location to miss out on, so I think this made us love our civil ceremony at Soho House even more”, explained Emmaline. “Since the hotel opened we have spent many evenings there with friends and because of my job in PR I have been to lots of private screenings in the cinema there too. With just our parents and ourselves, we had a really special day, carrying out all the legalities of the marriage before Guy and I boarded a flight to Dubai for a 5 day 'mini-moon', making sure we had time to relax in the sun just before the big day.”
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