Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

British Brides

Laura & Harry’s Locally Sourced, Eco-Friendly, Midsummer’s Nights Dream, Vintage & Totally Rock n Roll Wedding

Kat

July 26, 2010

Excuse me one second while I scream "EEEEEEEK!" at the top of my lungs, because that's exactly how I felt when I first saw Laura & Harry's eco-friendly, vintage-heavy, Rock n Roll inspired backyard wedding. Oh yes, I really do love to feature true Rock n Roll Bride weddings - ie weddings of those that I was able to help and inspire with my little blog. Laura & Harry actually found their fabulous photographer Rosie Parsons and Laura's gorgeous vintage Fur Coat No Knickers dress after seeing them on the site. Yey!
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Nick & Hannah’s Game Playing, Fancy Dress Celebration

Kat

July 20, 2010

Nick & Hannah had a 3 day wedding at Christian retreat and conference centre Lee Abbey. The celebrations started with a day of fun activities for all their guests including archery, mountain boarding and zip wiring through the forest. Not only that, but all their guests were invited to wear fancy dress. That sure made for lots of laughs and some awesome photographs. The couple made an extra special effort, coming as Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Hannah had even worn her Grandmother's own wedding dress in memory of her.
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You Rock My World

Kat

July 19, 2010

Alex & Lisa met 13 years and discovered a mutual love of music, books & film "We met nearly 13 years ago and the one thing that brought us together was music. He was wearing a t shirt of my favourite band and I fell for him" Lisa told me. "When we started dating we would wander around London checking out music shops, flicking through CD and vinyl to add to our collections and then head to a local cinema to catch a film. We probably spent more time in the records shops in Soho and a cinema than anywhere else. Many of those films we saw are now our favourite films and we probably know them inside out. I read books like there is no tomorrow and Alex is slowly coming round to that after having spent a lifetime reading comics and graphic novels. I bake cakes every weekend and while I enjoy making them, Alex enjoys eating them so when we are out I always take him to a cake shop so we can have a treat. I am also the official photographer in our relationship and I have the cameras and stacks of photo's to prove it. Alex helped me buy my first SLR and he sat in front of the camera on many occasion to help me with college projects"
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The Glorious British Summertime

Kat

July 19, 2010

How much do I love Hayley & Lucas' adorable English countryside engagement shoot? Almost makes me proud to be British! The ever-lovely Lisa Devlin captured the couple in Sussex as they wanted a countryside location and with the yellow flowers, Hayley's outfit and the glorious British summertime light (yes, it does happen sometimes) the scene couldn't have been more perfect. Over the last year or so props have been massively popular in weddings and photo shoots however Hayley & Lucas wanted to keep their shoot simple - just them. They did opt to bring some flowers though and Donal at Pollen came up with the spiky posy of zingy yellow chrysanthemums to contrast beautifully with their rural, natural setting.
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Retro Art Deco Kitsch

Kat

July 13, 2010

I LOVE a bit of retro kitsch and Caroline & Jim couldn't be more perfect at pulling this off if they tried. The shoot took place in their own Art Deco apartment in Brighton (just check out the exterior shots!) which has been decorated with an eclectic mix of bits and bobs collected from all over and ranging in era from the 1920's right through to the 1970's. I adore everything from the authentic mirror, clocks and Princess Anne collectible mugs to the incredible wallpaper and all the retro furniture. Jim is 'Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer' , a brilliant musician playing all over the country at gigs, weddings, parties and festivals. Caroline has a complete passion for fashion as she works in the fashion industry in London. The pair both embrace everything retro and nostalgic in fashion and styling, so their style was spot on for this style of shoot. The couple both wore all their own clothes to give a completely genuine portrayal of themselves and who they are as a couple.
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An Irregular Choice – A Wonderfully Theatrical British Wedding

Kat

July 12, 2010

I woke up this morning to the news that the Rock n Roll Bride Mad Hatter shoot had been blogged by Irregular Choice shoes! Seriously, how glad am I that Vivienne Westwood didn't deliver my shoes on time and Irregular Choice saved the day? I feel like all famous and stuff... I thought then it only appropriate that I blogged this gorgeous Irregular Choice bride that I'd been planning to blog this week. I saw a few pictures of bride Sophie-Jayne in her amazing Ian Stuart dress and Irregular Choice shoes on the Schuh facebook page (they blogged about our shoot too!) and knew I had to find out more about this wedding. Sophie-Jayne & Jason got married at Sophie's old College by a Reverend who used to be one of her teachers. After the very personal ceremony, everybody was transported to Sophie-Jayne's parent house for the reception in her Dad's Old Route Master Bus!
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1950’s Diner-Style Charm

Kat

July 8, 2010

Holy 1950s wedding awesome Batman! I love it when a couple really get into a theme and do it so well - so well in fact that their photographer Al Overdrive even dressed up as a 1950's style reporter (photo below) Michelle & Craig got married in style at Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Everything screams 1950s retro rockabilly charm - from the pink Cadillac and the diner style grub (giant hotdogs, create your own burgers, fries, waffles, pancakes, ice cream sundaes, Oreo cheesecake!) to the Vivienne Westwood shoes (of which I will never tire) and Michelle's custom 'Beverlywood' Dolly Couture dress.
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Stevie Wonder played at our Reception!

Kat

July 8, 2010

I don't often post weddings that aren't shot by a professional wedding photographer as I am so passionate about everyone having amazing wedding photography, however there are definitely some instances when I'm happy to make an exception. I am proud to make the 'wedding' of Stacey & Dave one of these exceptions. The pair were at Glastonbury music festival last weekend (actually I think it was the week before, man I am behind with my blog posts!) and got engaged, hurrah! Their friends suggested they get married then and there as Glastonbury is famous for people rocking up and getting married in wellies, surrounded by mud and music! This year however it was 30 degrees and although the 'wedding' isn't a legally binding one (silly UK wedding laws) this is certainly going to be an awesome memory for the couple.
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Primrose Hill Pretty

Kat

July 7, 2010

Olivia & Mark's pretty and quirky London engagement session makes my heart sing! The pair actually said that they found the Primrose Hill location (where they live) a little twee so their photographer Lisa made a real effort to find some none puke-worthy spots including a cool graffiti wall ( "I was a bit 'been-there-done-that' until I saw it, if graffiti could ever be vintage, this might be it. Mostly heart themed with a chalky quality, I LIKE!" Lisa explained) a Banksy mural, the front door of Gwen (Stefani) & Gavin and Jamie (Oliver) & Jules' houses (shh!) the canal and the top of the hill.
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Scottish, Vintage Loveliness

Kat

July 1, 2010

I'm not one to go back on my promises, so here's the gorgeous Scottish wedding to follow on from Sean & Nicola's 'Great Outdoors' engagement session that I posted last week. The pair wanted a really laid back, family-orientated day and they chose Mugdock Park for their ceremony and The Local Town Hall for their reception. "We only really considered one option for a ceremony venue, which was Mugdock Park" they began. "It is an amazing place at the beginning of the west highland way, and we loved going there for mountain-biking, having barbecues or just strolling around. We met up with the park manager and we had to prove ourselves as fans of the park before they let us go ahead with it, as they have only 2 weddings a year there. Our wedding was set around the old castle ruins, and my younger cousins provided the uplifting music by playing the violin and clarinet."
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Bunting, Cupcakes & Chickens – An English Village Fete Wedding

Kat

June 24, 2010

OK so I feature a lot of weddings photographed by Emma Case...but the thing is, all her weddings and all her couples are so RAD that as soon as I see the photographs I'm like "Emma Emma Emma send these to meeeee!" You get me right? The event I got so excited about this week was Kelly & John's wedding. Their inspiration came from the traditional English village fete, "where Nan brings an apple pie and auntie Brenda brings the coleslaw" Kelly explained. I love that!! The couple wanted a laid back, casual, relaxed and informal wedding which they pulled off on a budget. "We had two things in mind when we planned our wedding" Kelly told me. "We would not spend silly money and we would do it our way. We wanted a relaxed, informal ‘village fete’ wedding with no formalities and in general, a big knees up! Practically everything was done on a budget but I think it makes you more creative anyway! I think having a wedding with a difference in England is hard work – finding the right people to work with and in particular, sticking to your guns, but it really is soooo worth it. Our wedding couldn’t have been ‘more us’ and it went beyond both our expectations – and the comments we’ve had about the day have been very touching. I just wish we could do it all again!"
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Fabulous 50’s & Multi-Coloured Tulle

Kat

June 22, 2010

As soon as a saw Catherine & Kev's fabulous 50's style wedding, my attention was drawn to one thing - that amazing Stephanie James Couture dress! I have been a superfan of the designer ever since I found and fell in love with this amazing multi-coloured tulle creation and OMG Catherine's had a similar underskirt. She too fell in love with this dress when I featured in a while ago. "My maid of honour, Kirree, found a dress on Rock n Roll Bride made by Stephanie James Couture" Catherine explained. "It was the 'Lustful' or 'Tame Fifi' dress you featured a while back, as soon as she sent me a link to the pictures I knew that was the dress I needed to get married in! I quickly got in touch with Stephanie and asked if she could make me a similar version and she said yes!"
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A Non-Vanilla, Love-Filled, 1950’s Delight

Kat

June 21, 2010

An excitable email from a newly married reader always brightens my day and LeeAnn's may have been one of the most excitable I've received in a while! I just had to share the story behind her and husband David's gorgeous 1950's influenced wedding with you today. "After gorging my eyes on a ga-jillion bridal mags and internet images, I felt I was living a white-out groundhog day" LeeAnn began. "I quickly became downhearted about organising my own BIG DAY, the no-fun casting my eye over "traditional" gowns (this one? no, that one? no, repeat), the vanilla-ness of invites, pink-and-white themes to the power of 42,000! Where did the love go?"
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