Under the Spotlight – I Do Cake Toppers

Kat

February 2, 2010

Have you been looking for that perfect cake topper? One that's funky, cool, original and suits you down to a tee? Well my dears I have the answer! I'm sure you've all heard of custom cake toppers before, but I think the ones by I Do Cake Toppers are by far the best yet. You simply send a photograph of you and your beau with your order and Christina will make a custom cake topper which is a perfect reflection of you. You can even add accessories and details to suit - for example tattoos, flowers to match the ones you'll be holding, wacky hair dos (I'd be in that category then) or signature props (I'm loving the dude reading the paper on the loo!) Go check out the gallery of past examples and you won't be short of inspiration. I am also totally crazy about her super kawaii 'Originals' series. How can anybody not fall in love with the adorable milk & cookie or coffee & doughnut set?!

Under the Spotlight – CandySnaps Weddings

Kat

January 29, 2010

Who are you and what do you do? I’m Caroline Weiss, the photographer behind CandySnaps Weddings. I’m originally from Germany but have been living in the UK for the last 12 years I am a reportage wedding photographer, which means that I blend in unobtrusively and record a couples special day rather than direct it. I will take care of the mainly always required group shots too, but I won’t take my couples away for 2h for a photo session. I believe that there is no need for set up images and that the best pictures are always of the bride and groom enjoying themselves with their friends and family. It also means that they will look back at their photos and remember their special day how it really happened. I’m one of the few Scottish photographers who have been selected as member of the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to for work in? I am based in Glasgow Scotland but am happy to travel anywhere in the UK and Europe, or in fact anywhere you will take me. Who/what are your biggest influences? Who do you really admire? Oh my…. There are sooooooooooo many wonderful photographers out there. One of my favourites has to be Robert Frank. I just love photographers who ‘play’ with photography. Black and White images always excite me – they just have such an amazing atmosphere about them and I always think that everyone looks like a film star in b/w. What or who made you get into photography? Photography and the idea that you can capture those precious moments has fascinated me for a long time. I think moving to London when I was 19 really inspired me to become a photographer. It’s such an amazing colourful and vivid place with so many different people… I worked as an assistant with a lovely photographer called Simon Denton who really inspired me to go and study photography and take my passion for photography further. What do you love about weddings? I love being part of a couple’s happiest day of their life… I LOVE a good party and I get really excited when you can just feel the love between two people and it’s my honour to capture this with my photography ( I always get a wee tear in my eye at every wedding ceremony and am the one who laughs the loudest at a good Best man speech)… It’s great meeting couples, who stick to fingers up to wedding traditions and just do their thing and have a really individual wedding not following any rules. I love the excitement on their faces when I show them their wedding photos, when I get a hug and tears of joy because they love my work so much. That is the thing I love most about my job making my clients happy! What do you hate about weddings? I wouldn’t say I hate anything about weddings, but I’m not particularly thrilled by very traditional weddings. Thankfully, I am not photographing many of them. Tell me a little about your favourite wedding ever and why? (include pix if you want) ARGH, I can’t decide,…. I think there might be 2 wedding so far that really stood out for me. One was a very small intimate affaire. The couple got married at the registry office and then went on to a wonderful restaurant. They are both really into their cycling so instead of having a wedding car, they cycled with a tandem from the registry office to the restaurant. Oh what fun. And it was a complete surprise. Their friends organized the tandem for them and decorated it with a cute ‘just married’ sign. The looks on their faces when they saw the tandem was just brilliant. The other wedding was much bigger and set in a family garden. It was a super hot day in May and the couple were just sooooo much fun to work with. Super relaxed. They held their speeches outside in the garden and it was just an amazing party with lots of wonderful people. The bride wore bright red heels and bounced on the trampoline with about 10 kids in her £3000 wedding gown. Very cool! What advice would you have for couple’s on the wedding photographer hunt? What is a sign of a good/bad wedding photographer? First thing to think about is what you want from your wedding photography, as there are many different styles available. Ask your venue if there is someone they would recommend or your friends who are already married might be raving about their photographer. If wedding photography is really important to you, make sure you book your photographer as far in advance as possible. The popular photographers get booked out a year or more in advance! When a company has more than one photographer make sure you meet and see the work of the person who will take your photos. I personally think that it is important that you like the person who photographs your wedding so you feel relaxed in front of their camera. A good photographer will show you samples of full day weddings they have shot so you get a feel what your photos will be like. I would also recommend that you don’t book your favourite photographer because they are over your budget. Your wedding photos will be what is left after the wedding. The photos will be your memories and that is priceless. And last but not least, trust your instincts! I always compare choosing your wedding photographer with choosing your new house - you often know as soon as you walk through the door that this is the one. What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer so far? Having my work published in leading Scottish Bridal Magazines. Being selected as member of the prestigious WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association) and collaborating with Scotland’s finest hair and make-up artists Leigh Ferguson and Ainslie Currie to offer my clients a complete hair, make-up and photography package for their special day. What role (if at all) have wedding blogs played in promoting you and your work so far? This is the first time that I’m promoting myself on a blog and I’m really excited about it as rocknroll bride is fantastic and being features will be a great way to make myself known to the kind of clients I like to attract. I’ve been looking everywhere for a blog like this in the UK and am thrilled that Kat likes my photography and is happy to have me on board! So all you lovely brides get in touch – I’d love to hear about your wedding plans. Do you have any advice for budding photographers out there who want to get into weddings? I would say to them that wedding photography is very different to studio based work. In the studio you are in control of everything. The lighting, the background etc. With wedding photography you get rain, bright sunshine, dark venues… You just have to adapt to whatever is thrown at you. But if you find the idea of that exciting rather than nervewrecking, give it a go. I am just utterly in love with photographing weddings and can only highly recommend it. Anything else you’d like to add or info about yourself that you’d like me to include? And other questions you would like to include? One thing I would like to mention are my beautifully handmade wedding albums. I don’t use storybook albums but am working with a Japanese bookbinder who lives in Munich who makes these to my clients specifications. There are lots of different colours (bookcloths) and patterns (Japanese paper) available and they are just so different to what other photographers offer. I will attach a few photos for you to choose from. I don’t really like the story book albums because I think they are a fashion trend and in 10 years time they look outdated and will fall apart. I wanted to give my clients something no one else has. A totally unique album for every totally unique wedding, that will last forever and can be handed down to their children and grandchildren. The albums also contain ‘real’ photographic prints, so the photos aren’t printed onto the page like they are in the story books. Please include a number of your favourite images that I can use in the post. There is no set amount and I will choose which ones I think will suit the post the most. Thanks for taking part! If you could also please include a photograph of yourself for use in the post that would be fantastic!

Under the Spotlight – Royal Steamline

Kat

January 27, 2010

Something a little different in Under the Spotlight today. I'd like to introduce you to Aerin & Jeremy of Royal Steamline. They specialise in wedding invites with a gothic/steampunk/retro/vintage vibe and I think you're going to totally dig what they do! I can't wait to get going... Who are you and what do you do? Royal Steamline is Aerin and Jeremy -- a husband-and-wife design team based in Portland, Oregon, USA. We create wedding invitations that have a dark, clockwork or otherwise retro/vintage flavor. Through a subtle and sometimes anachronistic combination of shadows, textures and vintage illustrations, we aim to convey a sense of eras strange and forgotten. Sea monsters mingle next to robotic ravens, and gentlemen scientists have tea with rockabilly rebels. Simply stated, we offer unconventional invitations for unconventional people. Who/what are your biggest influences? Who do you really admire? We primarily create designs that aim to capture a theme or mood. Our influences vary wildly -- from vintage fashion & science journals to odd finds at antique stores. Now, if you mean visual artists that we follow and appreciate, here are a few names off the top of our heads: EMEK, Alex Gross, George Tooker, Gregory Crewdson, Joe Coleman, Irving Norman, Guy Burwell, Wayne Douglas Barlowe, Michael Michael Motorcycle, Toni Frissell, Chris Ware, Guy Colwell, R. Kenton Nelson, and Jeremy could stare at Todd Schorr's "The Spectre of Monster Appeal" for hours. What is the ethos and idea behind your business? We want weddings to be cool. We want to change the way people think about weddings and offer alternatives that speak to their personal tastes. About seven years ago, a number of friends who were getting married began coming to us to design custom invitations since they couldn't find anything that epitomized their rockabilly, goth or other non-traditional wedding themes. So, we started to make invitations that were outside of the normal, plain, anemic styles that we were (and still are) seeing everywhere. More and more couples are insisting that their weddings reflect their personal styles instead of conforming to traditional wedding styles, structures, colors and attitudes. We want to contribute to their big party and help them have the weddings they want. How do you come up with invitation ideas? Often, our designs are sparked from a book or artifact on our shelves like a first edition of H.G. Wells' Star Begotten, an Edwardian glass eye, or Liz McGrath curios. Jeremy's been deep into Victorian pulps and I'm obsessed with mourning buttons and early 20th century advertising and science imagery. We're inspired by the stories of retro technology, old movies, textures of old paper...the look of outdated fonts...some crazy ornate border flourish. The combo of the different worlds usually leads to some interesting aesthetics. What is your most popular design? It seems to change every month, but 10/6 is always up there. I think that's because it's so versatile and has its own interpretation for each couple. Do you offer custom work? Of course! We offer unique "from scratch" custom designs, as well as custom design changes to our readymade invitations. Tell me a little about your favourite invitation you created and why. Hmm…I like Coney Island 1896 because I'm a big fan of old sideshow posters and I've got a soft spot for cephalopods. I think it just looks great printed -- and it really sets an undeniably quirky and fun tone. Jeremy likes Vintage Rock because, well, it's a symbol of vintage rock: Viva Gene Vincent and Wanda Jackson! Do you have any advice for people looking for invitation ideas? Really spend some time and look around for the right invitation for you. Your wedding invitation is a great way for your guests to get a peek at all the fun that's to come. And if you don't see what you're looking for, it never hurts to ask! What has been the highlight of your career so far? Really, just doing this full-time is a blast for us. But if we had to name a single client that we were flattered to work with, it might be Voltaire. We were so honored he chose us to create the invitations for what looked to be an awesome goth wedding. Name a couple of bands/songs that are on your stereo at the moment? Music plays a huge role withregard to who we are and what we do (or, maybe, just how we do it). We actually met when we were both living in San Francisco and our first date was basically one big argument about music (but it was great!). We genuinely enjoy a huge range of music: I grew up loving bands like Bauhaus, Ministry, Joy Division, Clan of Xymox, and The Smiths while J listened to stuff like the Misfits, Neurosis, Hawkwind and Einstürzende Neubauten. These days, we're still all over the place! Recently, shows we've seen include Earth, Stereolab, Marissa Nadler, The Raveonettes, Vagabond Opera, King Khan and BBQ, the Horrors, Thrones, Atlas Sound, the Ghastly Ones…We haven't even mentioned Jeremy's love of early Americana (Harry Smith is a big influence) and my collection of hard bop and sad bastard vinyl. What can we expect from you in 2010? We're always working on new designs and will soon be offering matching programs, table numbers and other wedding accoutrements on our website (currently only available by special request). Also, our New Year's Sale is still going on: we put 5 designs on sales the week of New Year's. To contact Aerin & Jeremy about your wedding invitations, go check out their fabulous and inspirational website and drop them an email to hello@royalsteamline.com If you are a photographer or wedding vendor and are interested in being featured in a future ‘Under the Spotlight’ post then drop me an email for all the info.

Under the Spotlight – Jodie Chapman

Kat

January 26, 2010

Oh you lucky lucky things, I've got another amazing photographer to share with you again today - and it's yet another one from the UK. I have to say, hasn't the UK being storming it recently!? There us so much talent out there, I just wish I knew about all this lot when I was getting married! I've been lucky enough to feature Jodie Chapman's work on the blog before, and with features in national wedding magazines and all over Blog Land she is certainly one to watch. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Jodie Chapman and I’m a wedding and portrait photographer who strives to create beautiful and timeless imagery that will still look fantastic ten years from now. Where are you based and what cities/countries are

Under the Spotlight – Shan’s Photography

Kat

January 22, 2010

Who are you and what do you do? I am Shan Fisher, a photographer. I specialise in wedding photography - I’m really passionate about photography and I absolutely love my job! I founded Shan's Photography in June 2007. Where are you based and what cities/countries are you available to work in? The beautiful Isle of Man is my base, central to the UK. Although I am a pretty new photographer, I have already had great experiences shooting a wedding in Germany and various parts of the UK. I'm happy to travel all over the country and abroad for photography work.

Under the Spotlight – Jordan McLachlan

Kat

January 20, 2010

I've got a true Rock n Roll photographer to share with you today! Jordan McLachlan's music business background certainly gives him the credentials worthy of shooting your Rock n Roll wedding. "I’ve worked in the music industry for more than 10 years as magazine writer/editor and photographer," he told me "Plus I've run a PR/marketing agency looking after music clients. So over the years I’ve written for most of the big specialist titles like Guitarist, Total Guitar and Rhythm magazines (I still do odd bits for Rhythm - the most recent interview is a cover with Dominic Howard from Muse that hits the shelves next month)." With the gorgeous texture, tone and subtle hues throughout his documentary styled images, there's certainly a lot more than guitar riffs behind Jordan McLachlan. Let's get on with learning more about the man behind the music shall we?

Under the Spotlight – Shelly Love Photography

Kat

January 13, 2010

I'm over the moon to be able to introduce you to yet another amazing photographer this week. This time it's Arizona based photographer Michelle Love-Myers of Shelly Love Photography. Some of my long-term readers will be well aware of Michelle's work as I've featured her a number of times before, but to many of you she may be a relatively new talent. However I guarantee you're going to love her raw, edgy and seriously kick ass attitude and imagery.

Under the Spotlight – ErinLeighHeart & Bridal Bliss Designs

Kat

January 12, 2010

I have two amazing Etsy stores to share with you today. They are run by sisters Erin & Jane and both have some seriously great things to offer us Rock n Roll Brides. Erin Leigh Heart's speciality is the Convertible Satin Jersey Wrap Dresses - one dress that can be worn in a variety of different ways! It is perfect for everyday casual wear but can be dressed up as an awesome night-out outfit and could certainly be used as a bridesmaid's dress. How great would your bridesmaids look in the same dress but all different colours? Or in the same colour but each dress set up in a different style? "I try to keep the dresses affordable and I also offer wholesale discounts for 4 or more dresses purchased of the same colour...for bridesmaid dresses and retail shops" Erin told me. "The dresses are made from HEAVY MicroFiber Jersey Satin and the fabric has a slight sheen. 94% Polyester 6% Spandex for the perfect fit" You may recognise some of Bridal Bliss Designs' dresses from weddings I've previously featured on Rock n Roll Bride! "I specialize in custom design reproduction" Jane tells me "My goal is to help the bride get her dream designer dress with custom changes at a much lower price tag than retail stores provide. The bridal shop I worked at for the past 6 years recently went out of business for lack of work so I opened up my own Etsy store to continue my passion on my own terms."

Under the Spotlight – Rosie Parsons

Kat

January 11, 2010

I love sharing the work of photographers and wedding vendors that not only really really rock, but who I definitely think you need to use for your own wedding! Rosie Parsons not only fits into this category but is someone I consider one of the best friends I've made since starting Rock n Roll Bride! Not only is she kicking some serious ass in the UK wedding world at the moment (she was featured in the same issue of Cosmopolitan Bride as me this month - with two of her weddings being used and with her taking part in a feature about how to love the camera) but she was also the genius eye behind one of my favourite ever photo shoots (so much so I use one of the images as my profile picture everywhere!)

Under the Spotlight – Buy Our Honeymoon

Kat

December 1, 2009

So you're almost ready to tie the knot and you're getting into that fun bit amongst all the stress where you decide what you want to do for your gift registry. With many couples already living together before getting hitched, not everybody wants or needs new pots and pans plus in these cash strapped times, we can't all afford the honeymoon of our dreams. The solution? Well I'm really excited to share with you the awesome Buy Our Honeymoon who have all the answers you need. The UK based company (although they do serve happy couples from all over the world) are the perfect antidote to the mundane registry ideas - your guests can pitch in for as much or as little as they want and buy you fabulous treats ranging from breakfast in bed and bottles of champagne right up to a first class flight or a room upgrade!

Under the Spotlight – Whirlingturban

Kat

October 30, 2009

Have you been dreaming about a gorgeous vintage style gown but have been afraid of the potentially massive price tag? Well Katherine Robinson of Whirlingturban has the answer! From a career in Hollywood making glamorous outfits for superstars, Katherine relocated to Bali (!) 8 years ago where she designs and makes vintage reproduction dresses. Her stunning ready made creations for example start at just $400 in her wedding boutique and for a completely custom dress you'd be looking at prices from only $800. As everything is done online she will even ship out a loaner dress to you to make sure the cut and fit are perfect before she makes your dress.

Under The Spotlight – Erica Berger

Kat

October 14, 2009

As you are probably all well aware, I have a bit on an obsession with amazing photography and sharing fantastic undiscovered talent with you all. I first came across Erica Berger very early on in my blogging career and have continued to be blown away by her innovation, style and use of colour ever since. I am honoured to bring you this extra special edition of my ‘Under the Spotlight’ feature. Be sure to go check out her website and flickr - she has one of the BEST streams on Flickr I swear!

WIN ♥ A Gorgeous One of a Kind Brooch from WristieLove

Kat

October 8, 2009

Let me introduce you to WristieLove, an online store selling beautiful organic, vintage or repurposed jewellery pieces that have that mix of intrigue and curious design down to a tee. Owner Sana describes her little shop as Your source for Wedding & Everyday Casual Pretty which perfectly sums up her ethos. This lass from California has always been put on edge by over-formality and she’s right you know, I wouldn’t limited these pieces to just your wedding day – in fact I wish I could wear one everyday! I think anyone can be well dressed and look 'pretty' if they OWN their style, casual or not. She told me I specialize in one of a kind accessories and metalwork. This includes etched copper tags, corsages, brooches and bags that feature curious and sometimes quirky design elements. All of my pieces are hand crafted incorporating organic, vintage (eco in its original form) or repurposed materials.

Under The Spotlight – Lara Jade

Kat

August 12, 2009

So I don't usually post a selection of photographers work, preferring to focus on one wedding, engagement or photo shoot instead of a bit of a mish-mash. However I believe I am able to make an exception for Lara Jade. The twenty year old (yes I know!) fashion photographer from Tamworth, UK is quite frankly so inspiring and talented that she really deserves every single image of hers to be posted. Lara's fashion and editorial style is second to none. Just check out these images and tell me you're not in love with them? Unfortunately with her being so fabulous and all, her work is often stolen and used illegally (and yes I did get permission for this post!) If you fancy hearing more about this then I just found this fab BBC video all about it. Thanks to the gorgeous Lara for working with me on the post, and if you are a photographer or vendor yourself and are interested in being a subject in an 'Under the Spotlight' feature then get in touch for all the info! Credit: Lara Jade Photography

Under The Spotlight – The Flashdance

Kat

May 22, 2009

Under The Spotlight – Ari Rosenfield

Kat

April 29, 2009