Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Wedding

Vivienne Westwood, DIY Décor & Pink Plastic Flamingos: Mads & Nick

Kat

September 2, 2011

Mads & Nick are one seriously cool couple and I'm so thrilled to share their wedding with you today. I just know you're going to love it! "Our wedding was a hot mess of all-things-wedding and us," Mads explained. "I don’t think we did anything revolutionary, all the traditional parts of the wedding were there; we just made sure we took the time to think everything through and make sure it was right – for us. From the pre-ceremony music being a collection of our favourite film scores (How to Tame your Dragon anybody? Ahh just me and Nick then), to the inadvertently weepiest of readings; eight dreamy looking bridesmaids and nine hot groomsmen and our tables being named after ‘Our favourite things’ (inc Midsomer Murders and Arnold ‘The best activities for your health are humping and pumping’ Schwarzenegger – we had no shame!). We had our friend on guitar after dinner, photos in front of an abandoned concrete barn instead of the lake, pink flamingos, a Lulu Guiness corsage bridal 'bouquet (instead of a traditional bouquet)', funk and films on in the evening – who doesn’t want to watch Predator in a deckchair under a blanket with a Pimms on the go? Then at the end of the night we stole a taxi, ate cake and I got to take my spanx off. Rock n Roll!"
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An Anti-Princess, Nerdy & Eco-Friendly Wedding: Josh & Jaclyn

Kat

August 31, 2011

Josh & Jaclyn were legally married on July 13th but had their reception on the 16th at Smith & Wilson Winery in Cedar Springs, Ontario. "We decided to have the reception and the ceremony were on separate dates," Jaclyn told me. "On the Wednesday before the Saturday reception Josh, I, our parents and two close friends went to city hall for a justice of the peace ceremony. It was really relaxed - we didn’t even dress up in our fancy wedding attire. I wanted this because wedding ceremonies always bore me to tears and didn’t want to put our guests through that. It is also a good thing because I got a case of the giggles so bad that tears streamed down my face and we had to pause so I could catch my breath. That would have been so horrible in front of 100+ people!"
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Bunting, Cupcakes & Fizzy Pop – A Rooftop Wedding in Copenhagen: Lara & Thilde

Kat

August 30, 2011

Lara & Thilde were married in Copenhagen City Hall, Denmark followed by a laid-back reception on their own roof terrace. "We bypassed the usual registry office and managed to get married in the council chamber, where we were married by the Mayor of Environmental and Technical Affairs, Ayfer Baykal," the couple explained. "Choosing her over the registry office meant that we could be married anywhere in the City Hall, and that we had more time for the ceremony, making it more personal and intimate. We had always wanted an different day and to avoid the usual wedding clichés. We really wanted the day to reflect us, and who we are, so we had decided to hold the reception at our home. That way, we could really relax, and our guests could feel at home. Of course, the spectacular view over Copenhagen didn’t hurt!"
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A Relaxed, Boho Wedding: Laura & Graeme

Kat

August 26, 2011

Laura & Graeme were married at Marle Place, Brenchley which perfectly suited their laid-back boho wedding. "It is a peaceful, privately owned Wealden garden, ten acres of formal planting and many more acres of woodland and orchard," Laura explained. "None of our guests had ever heard of or been to Marle Place, before and neither had we. I didn't find it on my original wedding venue searches, eventually I found it by searching for something like 'secret garden'. It has been described as a hidden gem and I totally agree."
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A Brightly Coloured Floral Explosion of a Wedding: Sam & Dave

Kat

August 25, 2011

OK so don't hate me...but there's no Thursday Treats or Post it Notes this week or next week as I'm off galavanting in the US of A. However I hope I can make it up to you with today's beautiful wedding (and the promise of a MASSIVE bumper edition of Treats and some extra special wedding and business tips on my return!) Sam & Dave were married in London in July. After a church ceremony the couple and their guests all walked down the road to Wanstead Golf Club. "I wouldn't say we were that Rock n Roll really. We just did what we wanted and tried not to think about what we 'should' be doing and people's expectations," the bride explained. "We tried to do it on the cheap and make what we could ourselves. I even just called a cab to take me to the church as I didn't see the need to waste money on something that was just dropping me up the road!"
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Colourful & Modern with a Heavy Dose of Whimsy: Brandie & Ede

Kat

August 24, 2011

You're going to love Brandie & Ede's wedding...and not just because the bride has pink hair (although it helps - I'm totally biased towards my pink haired brides) But because it's well...awesome! "Everything was different," Brandie told me. "We wanted stuff we loved and stuff we would want to enjoy at our own wedding. Everything down to the food was thought of. Our venue, The Parker was a perfect setting because of the fabulous design that is already there. We just brought in our personality. I never felt like we had to include anything traditional. We did the parts we wanted to do. Owls were a huge part of the invitation suite and birds in general. I think we approached it like our home design - colorful, modern, with a heavy dose of whimsy. All the centerpieces were a random collection of white items from animals to the Eiffel Tower. Where ever you looked the was something to put a smile on your face."
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A Beer-Swilling, Handfasting, Freak Show Wedding: Heather & Tyler

Kat

August 23, 2011

Whoa Whoa Whoa...old onto your knickers as they are about to be blown off! Heather & Tyler's wedding is quite simply and all out freak-fest (and I mean that entirely as a compliment!) "Yeah I would describe our wedding as a Red, Black, Moustaches, Beer, Victorian, Wild West, Freak Show" Heather told me. "We wanted to get married in place with a lot of history (and liberal liquor laws) so we chose Virginia City, NV becasue it still has the Victorian beauty, but has decayed a bit to make it spooky and they welcome rowdiness. The ceremony venue was The Mackay Mansion and it is thought to be haunted. For the Ceremony, the wedding party (bride included) walked out to 'Hysteric' by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We had a gender-blind wedding party with both guys and gals on both sides."
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Candy Coloured Cuteness: Lucy & Michael

Kat

August 18, 2011

Lucy & Michael's candy coloured cute-as-hell wedding stole my heart! The pastel colour palate is so fresh and totally perfect for their DIY wedding. Lucy & Michael actually found their photographer, the fabulous Shell De Mar, through an engagement shoot featured on Rock n Roll Bride too so it's really cool that I'm allowed to feature their gorgeous wedding too. "We knew that it was important to have a wedding photographer who understood the style and inspiration for our big day and would capture all of the details we had so painstakingly created," Lucy told me. "We wanted a fun and creative record of our day rather than a set of stuffy portraits. We discovered Shell De Mar when we saw a seaside engagement shoot that was featured on Rock n Roll Bride. We immediately fell in love with her use of light and colour, and the way she captured her couples."
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A Carnival Destination Wedding in Trinidad and Tobago: Erin & John

Kat

August 17, 2011

"The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is not your usual destination wedding location... Then again, we're not your typical bride and groom," wrote Erin & John. "First of all, we wanted to base our wedding and honeymoon around Carnival that happens every year in Trinidad. It's one of the world's largest Carnival celebrations - and we wanted to be dressed in sequins, feathers, and not much else for our honeymoon celebration. We invited our friends to come to Tobago the week before Carnival for our wedding. We rented out all the villas at The Palms Villa Resort - and partied for a solid week leading up to our big day. The following week, our friends followed us on our honeymoon...and danced with us in the streets of Trinidad! How nice of Trinidad to throw us such a lovely wedding reception!"
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A CMYK Themed Wedding: Rebekah & David

Kat

August 16, 2011

When Rebekah & David's wedding landed in my inbox a couple of weeks ago I just about let out a 'whoop' of joy! Colour colour everywhere, what's not to love? Their CMYK theme is just perfect....perfect! "Shortly after our engagement, David suggested that we have a CMYK wedding" Rebekah told me. "Graphic design is a massive part of our lives and to base our wedding on the colours that make up a lot of printed design work (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key Black) made so much sense to us. It was so much fun applying CMYK theme to our day, from table numbers, to my wedding dress to our bridesmaids."
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Bohemian England Meets Mexican Fiesta: Francesca & Iain

Kat

August 15, 2011

This time last week I blogged a wedding at the beautiful Fforest Farm Campsite in Wales. I loved the location so much that when Francesca & Iain sent me their wedding at the same venue I didn't hesitate to want to share it too! I think it really interesting to see two different weddings at the same place actually and to see how different a venue can look with a different couple's aesthetic and vision stamped on it. Francesca described her wedding theme to me as "Bohemian England meets Mexican Fiesta." I just love how they brought this out with ideas such as the decorations from Lisa Piercy, the paper goods by Thunderwing Press and the amazing screenprinted napkins personalised by Leonie Flower. I'm also swit-swooing over the flower garland head wreaths worn by Francesca and her bridesmaids. This is a wedding trend that I hope doesn't go away any time soon. I love it!
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Barbie & Ken Finally Get Married

Kat

BdG

August 12, 2011

When this photo shoot landed in my inbox this week with the description "Barbie & Ken's wedding" I thought oh christ...what's this?! However I've got to say that as soon as I saw the photographs my initial sceptism and preconceptions were totally irradicated. I laughed as I looked at each photo, set up to show Barbie & Ken getting married and photographed in the way an actual wedding might be. The quality of the photos are totally brilliant - and there lies the hilarity.
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An Organic Farm Wedding: Elisha & Russell

Kat

August 11, 2011

When I saw Elisha & Russell's wedding I knew they'd made the perfect choice in their photographer Joanna Brown. If you follow Joanna on twitter you'll know that she loves her garden and grows her own veg, so the fact that this wedding was held on Magdalen Farm on the Dorset/Somerset border...well she must have been in her element! "The staff of The Magdalen Project at Magdalen Farm are amazing and even joined us on the dance floor and around the campfire at the end of the evening," the newlyweds told me. "We loved that our wedding was helping to support the Wessex Foundation who encourage active learning in and about the outdoors."
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A Laid-Back Beach Wedding at Camber Sands: Fiona & Rob

Kat

August 11, 2011

Fiona & Rob were hitched right by the beach at The Gallivant in Camber Sands. The style of the beautiful hotel suited their beach theme perfectly. "I was quite keen for it not to look too wedding'y - or formal or too orchestrated" newlywed Fiona told me. "We didn't consciously go with a theme but it kind of happened! We live on a beach and both my husband and I are kitesurfers so it had to feature strongly and in the end it made it easier to have a focus shaping our creative decisions! I think always try and make stuff, not only to save money but to make it more personal and make your loved ones feel involved."
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Regula & Bruno’s Abandoned Fairground Wedding Portraits (Part Three)

Kat

August 10, 2011

So part one was spooky, part two was cute and part three is just...well...a whole other level! Could an abandoned fairground in Belgium possibly be the coolest photo shoot location ever? "The day after our tea party reception we went on a adventure to an abandoned fairground that I used to visit as a child when it was still open," Regula told me. "I suddenly thought about it a few months ago and wondered what had become of it. I have some vivid childhood memories of it. Bruno and I wanted to go there as we love the creepy and romantic forgotten world feeling about it. We have a thing for the strangeness of old fairgrounds and fairs, hence the rock candy and candy apples at our reception. When I told our photographer Sassy of it she was so excited we decided to make a trip together."
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