British Brides

Under the Spotlight – Wonderland Avenue

Kat

February 4, 2011

When I got engaged back in 2007, the first thing I started searching for (well, apart from the dress!) was a wedding photographer. Now back then there were no wedding blogs in the UK to guide me and the task was a very daunting one! I had no idea where to start and in the end I found our photographer's in a wedding magazine. But you know what? Not all great photographers can (or know how to) get into wedding magazines...especially maybe newer, more budget-friendly shooters. However fret not - nowadays you lucky brides have a plethora of blogs and online services devoted to showcasing new as well as established wedding photographic talent - helping you find the perfect photographer to capture your day. In my opinion, one of the best services I've come across devoted to wedding photographer searches is the UK based, Wonderland Avenue. I'm totally convinced that your'e going to love their site and utterly adore what they have to offer. If you don't find the perfect photographer for you here, I'll eat my (pink) hat!

Olga & Jo’s Two Day Russian/British Fusion Wedding

Kat

February 2, 2011

Olga & Jo's Rye wedding makes me super happy! I chatted to the bride all about it - their style ideas and how they integrated both their cultures, Russian and English, into their super cute wedding. She explained, "As soon as Jo and I had moved to Brighton, we knew we wanted to mark our wedding day by celebrating it by the beach. It is a Russian tradition to celebrate a wedding over two days so that with family and friends, and their children, there can be one formal and one informal day. With my family being from Russia we wanted to keep to this tradition and felt an English seaside was perfect for catering for both days and the number of people who would be travelling far for the occasion." "Having searched unsuccessfully in Brighton for our perfect location, we stumbled across The Place At The Beach Hotel in Camber Sands which looked just right. Having visited the venue and seen the beach across the road, the accommodation for our families and friends and a spacious garden with a BBQ, we knew it had everything we wanted for our two days."

Olga & Jo’s Epic Brighton Engagement Shoot

Kat

February 2, 2011

I've got an epic double bubble of a feature today - Olga & Jo's engagement session in Brighton, followed by their gorgeous Rye wedding later today. The Russian couple wanted their pre-wedding shoot to take place in Brighton as it held special significance to their relationship. The pair moved to the beach resort town in April last year and a week later Jo proposed right on the beach! "My engagement ring was hand made by the family friend jeweller and it is made of platinum with rhodium plating to make it look dark and diamonds," Olga told me. "We had my grandparents came to stay with us so we had a photo session together after having a breakfast at our favorite Bill's cafe and store in Brighton. I was wearing the Eley Kishimoto skirt and top and Jo was wearing Folk cardigan."

Amy & Jonathan’s Cute, Vintage, Village Hall Wedding

Kat

January 25, 2011

Amy & Jonathan were married in May, in a cute village hall wedding. The couple clearly put a lot of love, thought and detail into their wedding as you can see from the incredible reception images! The whole thing ties together so beautifully - the bunting, the sweets, the cake, the flowers, the mismatched tea cups...I just love it all!

A Groovy Kinda Love – The 1960’s are BACK!

Kat

January 21, 2011

"The idea for a 60's inspired shoot came about after I noticed we’re seeing lots and lots of vintage 1950's style about and I figured it was about time the 1960's gave it a run for its money," explained photographer Shelly. "I had a vision of a pink bowler hat and from there, everything else fell into place." Shelly invited planner Kelly (of Boho Weddings) and Asher to model for her. "I knew I wanted mini dresses in a Mary Quant style and Debbie over at Danielle Lara Couture created these two especially for the shoot. When I went to collect them, I ended up picking up a couple of others at the same time – I just couldn’t help myself!"

Pheigi & Kiichiro’s Japanese/Scottish Fusion Wedding

Kat

January 19, 2011

Just wow. Like seriously, wow. That's pretty much all I said for 5 minutes when Pheigi & Kiichiro's Japanese/Scottish fusion wedding hit my inbox this week. I almost don't know where to begin telling their epic wedding story, luckily for me the bride explained it a lot better than I ever could. The couple actually had two weddings - the first in Japan in July 2009 and the second (pictured) in Scotland in September 2010. "My new Hubby and I actually got married in Japan (where we live) in 2009. We went to the city office and signed lots of forms to update my alien registration card, change his official address and get hitched. Which one of those forms was actually my marriage certificate I still don't know. I wore my mothers 1970's full length purple embroidered waistcoat over my purple cord flares and after we went to the crazy Japanese arcade on our street and had photos taken in the hello kitty photo booth. Much fun yet somewhat lacking in romance. We thus decided to come home to Scotland and have another celebration with my family, which we did in September. Planning my wedding from Japan was hard to say the least, especially as I wanted something a little different from the norm, and the whole thing became more of a disappointment as I spent hours trawling through ugly dresses, bland invites and over the top bling, until a good friend with similar problems directed me to your site. From then on I visited your site nearly every other day to remind myself that there were options other than white wedding package A, B or C and so in turn I am sending you my wedding in hope that it may help other brides in the UK realise the same and give them a wee break from the monotony of the wedding industry. I hope you like."

Sally & Vyv’s Stylish London Wedding

Kat

January 18, 2011

Sally & Vyv's stylish London wedding took place in November. The ceremony at Islington Town Hall was followed by a party at 06 St Chad's, Kings Cross. Sally told me all about their day, "My dress was from a vintage fair at Chelsea Town Hall, I don't know the designer/era but I was talking to a fab lady who runs a vintage shop in Camden Passage and she thought it might be late 50s. I didn't plan yellow but wanted a bright colour and when I saw it I knew it was what I was looking for. I got it altered by The Lady That Does who is as much fun as she is talented, I spent a good few evenings laughing over cups of tea at her house with her partner - they are both very into their vintage and run swing nights in Walthamstow, but that's another story... oh yes and he runs dance classes! I almost forgot that I was there to get the dress pinned they were so much fun! Shoes were unimaginatively from Topshop."

Victor & Tori’s Dramatic Deep Purple Wedding

Kat

January 17, 2011

Victor & Tori's dramatic, slightly gothic - totally fabulous British wedding totally hits the nail on the Rock n Roll head. As soon as these landed on my desk I was instantly smitten with Tori's wicked deep purple, handmade gown by Janice Whitehorn of Uptight Clothing, "My bridesmaid sent me the link to Janice’s website and I loved her styles," explained Tori. "I went for a consultation and I told Janice what I liked and didn't like, and she came up with the most amazing dress/corset that made me feel like a princess, along with the headpiece which was modified from her original design and all the jewellery." The couple were married in October at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire and the deep purple theme was carried throughout the day and the details. Victor and his groomsmen wore a tailed morning suits with brocade waistcoats hired from Moss Bros, but their cravats were also handmade by Janice from the same material as the dress to match.

The Editor of WEDDING Magazine’s Very Own Rock n Roll Wedding

Kat

January 13, 2011

I am totally thrilled, excited, over the moon, honoured that my editor at WEDDING Magazine asked if I wanted to feature her Rock n Roll wedding. As the editor of a national wedding magazine, you might expect her wedding to be the super traditional kind but not this chick! By working in the industry for so long, Catherine knew exactly what she did (and didn't!) want for her big day and the result was a fabulous and eclectic one.

Abbie & Steven’s Snow-Capped, Twitter Inspired Wedding

Kat

January 12, 2011

Abbie & Steven found a lot of their wedding day inspiration online, including Rock n Roll Bride, which makes their wedding a very special one indeed. I've followed the bride on Twitter for the last few months in fact so I do feel a little bit like I've been along for the ride of their wedding planning! "I don’t think we ever set out to be different just be ourselves. We never liked the ideas of themes as it can often just become gimmicky and lose sight that it’s actually a wedding and not some theme party," Abbie told me. " Ensuring it felt like a wedding was really important to us but we didn’t believe that meant keeping it traditional. This is not an easy balance to strike, it’s not about rebelling for the sake of it but picking and choosing the things that mean something to you."

Debs & Richie’s Budget Friendly, Crafty & Vintage Wedding

Kat

January 6, 2011

When photographer Emma Case emails me with "eeek's!" and "wooohoo's!" when talking about her latest wedding I stand by and prepare myself for greatness. I am SO EXCITED to share Debs & Richie's wedding as not only did I blog their fabulous engagement session just before Christmas, but they used Rock n Roll Bride as inspiration for their awesome vintage wedding. "When Richie & I got engaged we did not have a clue what we wanted our wedding to be like, all we knew was that we wanted it quite small, with only close family and friends, good food, good music, and wanted it to reflect on us as a couple as much as possible. Our budget was small and we began to panic! How are we going to manage to create a wedding on such a small budget, that's when I turned to the Internet and found a number of wedding blogs (Rock n Roll Bride was one of the first) that gave me loads of inspiration on how different weddings can be, and how much of your own personality you can add to your special day! I became obsessed with the blogging world, I had bookmarked hundreds of images made folders upon folders and my inspiration began to expand."

Mark & Fiona’s Snowy Steampunk Kinda Day

Kat

January 4, 2011

Mark & Fiona's Steampunk inspired wedding took place at the Signet Library in Edinburgh in November. "We chose a Steampunk theme after Mark told Fiona her general day to day style was slightly Steampunk when he bought her a watch for Christmas in New York," the couple explained. "Fiona had not heard of it, but looked it up and realised it was exactly what she was in her choice of films, clothes and even her writing (she's an aspiring novelist)."

Nicola & Steve’s Intimate New York City Wedding

Kat

January 3, 2011

Happy New Year! I'm starting 2011 with a bang, and the wedding of loyal Rock n Roll Bride reader Nicola to Steve. The couple, from Northern Ireland, were married in New York and Nicola spent a lot of her planning time on Rock n Roll Bride - in fact when she emailed me her wedding submission, I actually recognised her name from all the comments she'd left along the way. It was almost like we were old friends, so of course I I said yes to featuring her gorgeous Rock n Roll New York wedding on these pages.

A Bonus Thursday Treat – Anna and the Ring’s Snowy Wedding

Kat

December 30, 2010

Thursday treats may officially be finished for 2010, but I couldn't let this year conclude without sharing the fact that my gorgeous friend - blogger and regular Rock n Roll Bride guest poster, Anna and the Ring got married! Anna's snowy wedding to David took place in November and was perfectly captured by the epic Emma Case. For the full set of glorious image and all the juicy details be sure to pop by Emma Case's blog, and Love My Dress.

Amanda & Stu’s Multi-Coloured Balloon, Sphynx Cat-Loving, South-Bank Graffiti, Charlie Chaplin Look-a-Like Engagement

Kat

December 21, 2010

Amanda & Stu's gorgeous engagement session is special for two reasons. Not only did the couple find their photographer Shell de Mar on Rock n Roll Bride, but it's the groom that is the big Rock n Roll Bride fan. I love that I have (a few, carefully selected and super special) male readers who can see past all the pink and glitter and enjoy the wedding fabulousness. So it was Stu who excitedly told me all about their shoot with Shell. "We first came across Shell via an engagement shoot featured on Rock n Roll Bride. We loved the way she managed to capture colours, fun and love (all the important things in life!). After we got in contact with her, she asked us to provide a bit of info about us and, looking back at the emails I got verbal diarrhoea and listed of a whole heap of stuff. I mentioned our love of bright colours in everything (clothes, art, movies, music and animals. I mentioned our Sphynx cat (Uzume aka Zoomy – named after the Japanese goddess of joy and happiness) who we obviously wanted included in the photos as she’s part of the family! I mentioned that we got engaged in Venice; that Amanda makes colourful glass jewellery; that we ski… and the list carried on. Thankfully this didn’t scare Shell off and she seemed as enthusiastic as

Farley & Niko’s Hippy-tastic Rainbow Wedding

Kat

December 17, 2010

The thing I love about all you Rock n Roll Bride's is the diversity of all your weddings. Every morning my inbox is flooded with so many different wedding visions that it my days are never dull! Farley & Niko's wedding was planned in only 8 weeks. They explained, "We decided to go for it when Farley's Dad was diagnosed with pancreas and liver cancer. We therefore hadn't saved for it and had to cut corners where ever we could. We did have some very generous donations form family members which made it possible. I think we did it all within £4000 (that's 120 guests all fed)."

Kate & Jeff’s City Chic Circus Wedding

Kat

December 16, 2010

After attending a countless weddings over the years, Kate & Jeff knew that they wanted to do something different, something daring and something exciting for their wedding day - and different they did! I mean, how many weddings have you seen where aerialist and trapeze performers dangle over the reception!?

Polly & Stuart’s Wartime Wedding

Kat

December 10, 2010

Polly & Stuart's wartime inspired wedding was held in a marquee in Polly's parent's back garden. "We love vintage style from the 1930's-1960's. We wanted to incorporate our love of 1950's Rock n Roll into our wedding and combine it with the aesthetic of a wartime garden party," explained the bride. "We furnished our marquee and gentleman's smoking room with pieces of furniture, decor and paintings from our home. I can safely say that I don't think that anyone else has ever had a 1940's waxworks dummy in their wedding marquee! We also wrote our own 'hymn' for our wedding service. We put sticks of rock on all the tables.We combined stylistic references and it worked- We backed the stage with 1950's style working men's club red curtains and had Victorian birdcages stuffed with ivy and pearls suspended from the ceiling. We turned my parents' summer house into the 'gentlemen's smoking room' complete with pipes, silk smoking jackets and a drinks cabinet. We had our dog Enid Mouse as our whippet of honour. Our magnificent nautical cake complete with Marzipan octopus tentacles was by Annie at Yummy Nice. The cake was topped by a sculpture of us in a boat made by my husband Stuart. We didn't want to be constrained with any particular rules!"

Ted & Nina’s Purple-Themed, Internet-Sourced, Gothic Wedding

Kat

December 9, 2010

Ted & Nina's wedding was put together by the power of the internet - that is, they saved money as best they could by buying everything online! Nina's dress was bought from Dark Angel and really set the tone for the whole day. The striking purple & white theme was everywhere they looked, from the bride's gorgeous coat from eBay and her fabulous hat from The Black Cat Boutique to the flowers, the groom's outfit and even the bride's hair!

Leslie & Ben’s Rowing Club Wedding

Kat

December 8, 2010

Leslie & Ben's rowing club wedding shows perfectly why I adore my readers! Such utter gorgeousness without conforming to anybody else's idea of what makes a wedding...plus the whole thing was DIY. I approve! "We called in a lot of favours to make the day; partially because we had a limited budget, but also because by using friends the day would be more special. Luckily we have a lot of talented friends who include a graphic designer (who did our invitations), a chef (catering), a musician (band), ex-florist and so forth. The favours, peanut butter fudge, I made myself 4 days before. It was all gone before the main course at the sit down dinner, so I'm guessing no one minded it was made by the bride!"

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