A Masquerade Wedding: Zoe & Chris

Kat

April 25, 2012

Many couples shy away from heavily themed weddings, but I have to say when they're done well they can be darn right incredible. Zoe & Chris' masquerade wedding is testament to that! The Australian couple met before the ceremony with their closest family to have some quiet time, as well as time for photographs, before the festivities began. "Chris collected me from the hotel and we went to meet our close family at a beautiful inner city garden to crack some champagne and make a toast to the rest of the night," Zoe explained. "This was a beautiful opportunity to spend some time with those closest to us before the party began. We got some beautiful photos in the afternoon light as well."

A DIY Beach Wedding: Jaq & Patto

Kat

April 23, 2012

A Picnic Wedding: Alex & Denise

Kat

April 23, 2012

The inspiration for Alex & Denise's Brighton wedding was for it to be "just like a big picnic". They used local suppliers (including the caterers who used local produce and supplied locally produced champagne) where possible and DIY'ed the rest! "Our inspiration was for it to be like a big picnic - although without having to sit on the floor!" Denise told me. "I found mini picnic baskets that were used as the centrepiece on each table. These were filled with chutney, pickles and breadsticks. We wanted the wedding to be really relaxed – I've always disliked formal situations. I also wanted there to be lots of colour. For the meal we had a blanket set up on the floor for any children that got bored of the adults. We also did a play area with a wigwam, dress up box and colouring books. Although on the day they mainly opted for running around the field like lunatics."

A Private Residence Wedding: Ruby & Emmanuel

Kat

April 20, 2012

Ruby & Emmanuel's sweet wedding took place on a private residence in Adelaide. The bride wore a 1930s vintage wedding gown with a vintage headpiece. Even her bridesmaids wore vintage dresses. The couple locally sourced things where they could including the food their served and the flowers the used to decorate the marquee. The bride's sister made all their stationery and paper goods. The wedding was a really personal and intimate affair. "Our focus was really just on our family," the bride explained. "We handcrafted our wedding with, of course, some true vintage touches."

A Royal Blue Austin Wedding: Erica & Rick

Kat

April 19, 2012

I. die. No seriously. How beautiful is this bride? VERY! Dear Erica you make my job easy. Erica married Rick last November in Austin, Texas. After an outdoor ceremony at Chapel Dulcinea, the newlyweds headed to the surrounding areas for a portrait session with their wedding photographer Rachel Sumner.

A Book-Themed Glasgow Wedding: Jane & Mike

Kat

April 19, 2012

They met while they were both working for their University newspaper, and although Jane said she only joined for 'the hot boys', it would appear her joining was worthwhile! The couple planned their wedding for March 2012 and were married at Ubiquitous Chip, Glasgow. Their love of writing inspired their wedding decor, particularly the ammmmazing book vases. I had to know more...

A Rustic Australian Vineyard Wedding: Richard & Eleanor

Kat

April 18, 2012

When Richard & Eleanor's wedding landed in my inbox I was sure there was some sort of mistake. Photographer Lakshal Perera must have meant to send this to one of the more glamorous wedding blogs surely? But before he could realise his mistake I'd replied with a 'oh hell yes I wanna feature this' and he was trapped with Rock n Roll Bride.

A Vintage-Inspired Walled Garden Wedding: Carina & Chris

Kat

April 18, 2012

Carina & Chris chose The Walled Garden at Cowdray, West Sussex as the venue to host their March wedding. "It was a fantastic venue where we were really able to personalise for our day," the bride told me. "They were very relaxed and the venue's informal spaces were perfect for us and our guests." "We spent the last year since getting engaged planning all of the details of the day", she continued. "We spent our weekends rummaging in charity shops collecting china and glassware. We spent a long time making all of the bunting, menus, paper flags and lots of other items ourselves and needed someone to make it all look pretty on the day so that I could relax and enjoy getting ready! For this we worked with Lucy at Love Lane Vintage. We met her at the venue and she worked closely with our plans and our items, as well as my many sketches to style the venue! We also hired her vintage china teacups and cake stands to style the table and serve our mini afternoon tea – in place of canapés – for the drinks reception! The macaroons and mini scones looked stunning, as did the piles of teacups and teapots for guests to use!"

An Eclectic London Wedding: Kate & Jon

Kat

April 17, 2012

Kate & Jon were married in March in London. After a ceremony in Battersea Arts Centre they headed to Balham Bowls Club for their eclectically decorated reception. "The most important thing for us when planning the wedding was that it should consist of things that we normally like to do - reception in the sort of pub we would normally drink in, the style of dresses both I and the bridesmaids would normally wear (although a bit nicer of course!), the sort of food we would normally eat," Kate told me. "This was also reflected in the ceremony, with a reading from Captain Corellis Mandolin (one of my favourite books) and everyone singing along to 'Sunshine of my life' by Stevie Wonder rather than a more traditional song. Also, our first dance was 'You never can tell' from Pulp Fiction - a favourite film of Jon's. It was important to us that it was in London, which is where we and the vast majority of our friends and family live. Like most of the couples on Rock n Roll Bride, we didn't concern ourselves with what was expected of us traditionally and instead thought of it more like we were just planning a big party!"

A DIY & Foodie Wedding: Kathryn & James

Kat

April 12, 2012

Kathryn & James' wedding is one of those beautiful events that just prove to me that the details, the fluff and the stresses of making your wedding 'cool' just don't matter. Simple personal touches, friends, family, laughter and love are what make the world go round - why should it be any different for wedding? I fell in love with this couple as soon as I saw the first photo in their wedding set. The love that oozes from these two is palpable and I'm seriously honoured and thrilled to share that love with you all today.

A DIY Church Hall Wedding: Zoe & Richard

Kat

April 11, 2012

Sometimes I see a wedding and I literally can't wait to learn more about it and (hopefully if the photographer and couple agree) write it up to share it with you lot too. Luckily for me, in this instance both parties were more than thrilled to share this wedding with us today, particularly because newlyweds Zoe & Richard found wedding photographer Joanna Millington on this very wedding blog. Hurrah! Their DIY, family-central wedding was held at Christ Church in St Albans. "When we were first engaged I asked Richard if he knew where he wanted to get married," Zoe explained. "He said he didn’t want to get married anywhere but Christ Church St Albans. It was my childhood church on the estate where I grew up and where Richard and I went to school. We knew it wasn’t exactly the idyllic wedding venue – a flat-roofed, slightly tired and drab looking carpeted church with very green curtains – but it was home. We had our reception in the same place. Luckily they had just built a shiny new hall attached to the old church building, which was very handy. No one (apart from us) had to venture out into the rain!"

An Alabama Cave Wedding: Melissa & Greg

Kat

April 10, 2012

Yes you did read that correctly - Melissa & Greg got married in a cave (and instantly went into my 'coolest ever wedding venue' mental checklist). "Greg and I picked up the love of spelunking (caving) during our 4 ½ year relationship and wanted to show our families what we found so beautiful about underground," Melissa explained when I asked them about their unusual choice. "The ceremony felt very romantic; low lighting, candles everywhere, glowing stalactites and the silhouettes of the people who love us the most. My stepfather Mark became ordained and performed our ceremony. It was very special to have him be such a huge part of my wedding since my father refused to attend for his own personal reasons. One of the more emotional moments of the day was when I danced with my stepfather. I hate crying but there was no holding back my ugly crying face! Greg walked me down the aisle, which was a perfect way to begin our marriage. I was much less nervous than I would have been otherwise. We broke a few traditions that I used to think were important, but now I understand exactly what a wedding is all about; it’s about man and wife and everything else is too insignificant to worry about."

A Barbie & Breakfast at Tiffany’s Inspired Wedding: Anna-Marie & Paul

Kat

April 6, 2012

Anna-Marie & Paul had a simple, down-to-earth and beautiful wedding. Barbie pink accents sat perfectly with their eclectic styling ideas and Breakfast at Tiffany inspiration. The reception was held at The Grand Café in Oxford, as the bride explained, "We went for a high tea affair in a beautiful 1920s style café. It is a special place for us as we started our dating years visiting Oxford and The Grand Café. In fact Paul proposed in Oxford too. We were aiming for a relaxed and informal atmosphere. No cutting of the cake, no first dance - just tea, cake and friends. We created a playlist of all our favorite songs and put it on shuffle throughout the night. It isn’t a wedding venue, partly why we picked it, we didn’t want anything typically wedding style. We aren’t crazy party animals so we only hired it for 4 hours, (5pm – 9pm). We wanted maximum impact, and minimal drunk people (the latter bit didn’t work out, It seems people cram more in a short space of time!!) All in all, it was the perfect choice for our wedding reception."

A Dramatic Alpine Wedding: Brie & Leonard

Kat

April 5, 2012

With a penchant for the dramatic, is it any wonder that I went a little gaga over Brie & Leonard alpine wedding? The black wedding dress, the intimate ceremony, the epic mountain top photographs...I love it all! The bride even had a rams skull (yes really!) instead of a bouquet. "Basically our story goes like this," the bride began, "Leonard and I are not really conventional people and despite a few failed ideas to do things more traditionally we quickly discovered that your wedding is not the time to be what you are not. So we followed our hearts to our dream wedding in New Zealand. Leonard proposed to me on the top of a New Zealand mountain in the snow, which was just magical, so we decided that a snowy mountain would make the perfect place for our wedding. We had no guests so we decided to use a helicopter to travel to a completely isolated place with no road access."

A Low Key, Family-Centric Wedding with a Bowling After Party: Daniel & Zara

Kat

April 5, 2012

Daniel & Zara wanted a really low key wedding that focussed on family, friends, celebration and laughter. The ceremony was held at Camden Town Hall (where the bride's parents were married 35 years earlier). The reception kicked off with drinks at The Gilbert Scott or Cider Tap (the guests went to either or both!) and finally Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. "Over several bottles of wine on holiday last summer we drew up lists of things we did and didn't want as part of the day," Zara told me "Over-formality was a big no-no and fun was a big yes! We fell in love with the Kingpin Suite at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes as soon as we saw it so that became our after party venue. It was as close as we could get to running off to Vegas without sacrificing having our friends and families there. Dan and I are both terrible at bowling, but he did propose outside a bowling alley (with a ring in a packet of hula hoops) just before we went in for a game - so it all seemed to fit into place. We managed to keep the reception venue a secret from guests until they turned up. No-one had a clue and it was brilliant for Dan and I to greet people with massive surprised smiles on their faces."

A Dusky Pink Wedding with a Touch of Vintage: Louise & Paul

Kat

April 4, 2012

Louise & Paul were married in London on 11th February, just a few days after their 12 year anniversary. "Our 12 year anniversary was the Thursday before our wedding!" Louise told me. "This is the reason why we chose this date. We got engaged two year’s previously on our 10 year anniversary! We were lucky enough to find our photographer Annamarie Stepney through a wedding blog and we just fell in love with her pictures. They are so romantic and unconventional. Her photos just tell a story of the day - people who were there can re-live every fab moment and fill in the gaps on the moments they couldn't remember or missed. And those who weren't there, get transported to the day. I've been blown away by all the amazing comments on them!"

An Alice Wedding in Australia: Stew & Ali

Kat

April 2, 2012

The Australian wedding of Stew & Ali was held at Leaning Church Vineyard in Tasmania. "We knew even before we were engaged that we wanted to be married in a vineyard," Ali told me. "We love to visit the amazing vineyards in our area of Tasmania, which is famous for its Pinot Noir. We’re known for our somewhat overzealous love of said Pinot Noir….So a vineyard screamed Stew and Ali. We chose Leaning Church because of its rustic charm, hills full of vines, a quaint little lake, long yellow grass and absolutely fabulous wedding coordinator!"

Katie & Eoin Got Married

Kat

April 2, 2012

Something a little different for you this afternoon because these photos were taken by yours truly! Wedding photographers, fret not, I'm not considering a career change(!) but how could I not take photos of two of my best friends getting married?!

A Leap Day Wedding Planned in Just 10 Days: Jennifer & Michael

Kat

April 2, 2012

Jennifer & Michael were married in The Candy Factory, a warehouse in Lancaster PA, on February 29th this year. They picked the venue as Jennifer loves the space (she's a model and has shot there a few times). They also planned their wedding in...wait for it...TEN DAYS! Jennifer told me all about it, "Our wedding was planned in under 10 days. I went to my seamstress with a 7 day window, and the desire for a 50s style, tea length wedding dress and she pulled through. The venue is one of my favorite shooting spots as I am very fond of putting pretty things in old, ugly places. This spot just matched us so well. Even though there was no lighting or heat, my husband fixed all that with his all-knowing sensibility. We picked a very rainy day, so the roof leaked horribly and we had buckets everywhere, but I guarantee no one will forget this wedding!"

A Country Vintage, Festival Inspired Wedding: Nichola & Jay

Kat

April 2, 2012

I'm loving the fact that the gorgeous country vintage/ festival-inspired wedding of Nichola & Jay is brightening up Monday morning on my blog! Talk about heading into a brand new week with some gusto! The August wedding was held at New House Organic Farm in Derbyshire. The farm is not a wedding venue (the couple were legally married at the resister office after their handfasting ceremony in the field) but they chose it to host their celebration here because it's a place that's very special to them. Their theme was chosen to not only compliment the farm setting, but because they love Glastonbury music festival - they met there and were engaged there (not in the same year!)