Rock n Roll Bride - The ultimate guide for alternative brides

Wedding

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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Quirky English Summer Festival Wedding

Kat

June 19, 2010

This quirky, laid back British wedding with a cool festival vibe was sent over to be last week and you guessed it, I couldn't wait to feature it. Rachel & Dan really did it their own way and I love the idea of a chilled out party in a tent to celebrate a wedding. The couple were officially married at a registry office but has an 'unoffical' church blessing at St Peter's Church, Weston, Suffolk. They didn't make a big deal about the registry office part as they didn't want this to feel like their actual wedding - in fact Rachel was still at work half an hour before their appointment! The reception was held at Marsh Farm which was just a holiday property when they found it. However since the couple got married there and Rachel published an article in The Guardian newspaper about the wedding, the owner decided to change it to a wedding venue.
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City Hall & The Seaport

Kat

June 17, 2010

Courtney & Jon got married at New York's City Hall in February with just their baby with them. Afterwards they headed to The Red Lion in Greenwich Village for a few drinks and some photographs. However this month they decided to have a big reception at Bridgewaters by the South Street Seaport to celebrate with all their friends and family. Courtney looks incredible in her modern ruffled dress - in fact so much so that someone stopped them in the street and asked if they were models or if they were actually getting married! The reception looks like it was a lot of fun - fake glasses, moustaches and lips never get tired!
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Music, Poetry, Green Balloons & Love

Kat

June 16, 2010

I always wonder, when a photographer gets married, how the hell do they decide who to shoot their own wedding? Well Laura & Dave of Blissed Photo had just this conundrum when they got married recently, but chose the amazing One Love Photo as they knew Heather & Jon would capture it perfectly. Being surrounded by all things wedding in their day to day lives, the couple had seen loads of brilliant ideas (and knew some to avoid!) in their own planning. However they still knew what was important to them, music and poetry, and wanted to make sure this was brought into their day. "Dave plays sax in a few bands, so a trio of his best friends played during cocktail hour, and we hired an amazing funk band, Emerald City Throwdown, that had everybody dancing" Laura told me. " We also wanted everyone to mingle, so we skipped the seating assignment and also had couches (from Bella Rugosa) to make the vibe more casual and open. I'm not really a poet, but I LOVE spoken word poetry, so I asked my 3 favorite poets if they would read at our reception. Everyone went nuts because these poets are some of the best in the world (truly- they constantly travel and compete internationally). I surprised Dave with a poem I wrote, and then he surprised me by having a good friend of his perform a new Pearl Jam song, Just Breathe, for our first dance. "
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A Laid Back Brighton Beach Wedding

Kat

June 15, 2010

Becky & Jon wanted to have a laid back wedding with all their closest friends and family at one of their favourite posh restaurants in Brighton, The Ginger Pig. Originally Becky didn't even want to wear a wedding dress but after falling in love with this gorgeous David Fielden number, she soon changed her mind. It even disguised her baby bump pretty well! She paired this with some vintage shoes that had belonged to her Mother. The ceremony was held at Brighton Town Hall which was followed by some quick portraits on the beach - complete with the iconic Brighton beach huts and champagne in plastic glasses!
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Retro Rockabilly & Heart Shaped Sunglasses

Kat

June 15, 2010

I've got yet another bit of retro rockabilly lovin' for you today, in the form of Nick & Jamie's Santa Barbara wedding. The ceremony and reception took place at The Rockwood Womens Club which proved to be the perfect backdrop to their day. Jamie looked stunning in her Maya dress by Michelle Roth, but it had a bit of a story behind it! ""Ohhhhh the dress....it was almost a nightmare! It was a Michelle Roth "Maya" that I bought used on Oncewed. I took it to a local alterations lady who cut it too short and messed up the top! Luckily I have a dear friend in the fashion industry, Denice Dir who saved the day by not only adding the black tulle underneath, sewing in a petticoat and took 45 minutes to carefully seam rip the top and fix what the other lady had messed up. She even made my dog's collar piece out of my dress trimmings and surprised me on the day of my wedding with the special stitching she did inside!"
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Tamanna & Tanveer’s Muslim Wedding Celebration

Kat

June 15, 2010

You don't see enough Asian weddings in blog land which surprises me really as they are so colourful and full of love that one would think they were perfect blogging material. Luckily for me, photographer Tapas Maiti, who specialises in these weddings, send me this gorgeous Muslim wedding last week. I have a couple of Indian friends and I am always intrigued to hear about their epic wedding celebrations and how different they are to the western wedding. They are all about colour, family and fun!
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“You and Me are Awesome” – A Kick Ass Independent Elopement

Kat

June 14, 2010

I loved Matt & Brandy as soon as I read their email to me last week. "We are f***ingrock n' roll because we had the balls to call off a wedding. We originally got engaged in April 2009 and shortly thereafter set the date for April2010. We wanted a simple affair which of course spiraled out of control. It became about every one else. We lost sight of what the day meant to us as a couple. The guest list kept getting longer...which meant more money...and more problems. In November it hit us...wtf are we doing???? We ended up calling off the wedding...and calling off our engagement. We became a bit disenchanted by the whole wedding planning and wondered if it was something we ever
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Ted & Tamara’s Budget-Conscious ‘Tree of Life’ Wedding

Kat

June 11, 2010

There ain't no one that 'did it their own way' as much as Ted & Tamara. "Our budget 'tree of life' themed day was filled with love" they began their email to me last week. "With a limited budget, I set out to make our special for us with simple tree stumps found along the Mississippi River. Our bridal party wore simple summer-loving attire that are so 're-usable'. My J Crew dream dress was found on ebay for $80. Orchids sang, yellow petals danced, willow branches waved all around us. Pure bliss." The couple only spend $2000 on their perfect wedding day. "When I started dreaming up my wedding," Tamara continued "we were going to be starting a new life together. I always think of trees as representing life and when Ted found the perfect pieces of driftwood from the Mississippi River for us to use we knew that was what sort of wedding we wanted. We wanted a ceremony to be sweet, meaningful with a fun casual atmosphere."
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Purple, Green & Everything in Between – Stunning Australian Wedding

Kat

June 8, 2010

OK so this was the Australian wedding that I'd planned on posting yesterday but me being a bit pink (as apposed to blond) I forgot about the crazy time difference between here and Oz so when I was emailing the photographers to get the info I needed, unsurprisingly they weren't replying because it was like 3 in the morning or something. Aaaanyway it matters not because NOW my babies I am able to share this fan-bloody-tastic wedding with you...and I'm so pumped to hear what you think. I literally wet myself with excitement when I saw Madeline's purple and green dress! Madeline & Nic decided very early on that they didn't want a traditional wedding - the bride's two sisters had both done the white wedding thing and although their days were beautiful and perfect for them, it wasn't quite right for this couple. "We are non-traditionalists (hence no white/ no flowers/ no favours/ no wedding cake/ no sit-down dinner) and we wanted a wedding that reflected our personalities and relationship. Bit crazy, lots of fun, different and unique" the pair told me.
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Incredible Victorian Steampunk, Corset Heavy & Generally Awesome Diy Wedding Day…with Masks!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the Australian wedding together on time to take us over to Oz for our final wedding of the day today (I want to make sur that when I put it up it will be perfect and have all the info you might want on the event so pweease forgive me!??)...however I have managed to secure a pretty damn shaaaweeet Steampunk wedding which took place in San Francisco to round today off nicely. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with this babyin fact I am so in love with this wedding that I appear to have titled this post will the longest, most over-excited, rambling header ever! Violet & Eric are certainly going to being some much needed spice to Rock n Roll Bride today. I had an amazing chat with the super creative bride (who also makes her own Steampunk inspired jewellery - you can see some of her designs here) where she told me all about their wedding.
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Fabulous Chicago Town, Quirky & Creative Wedding Fest!

Kat

June 7, 2010

Stop number two on our whirlwind tour takes us to the windy city - aka Chicago. I have always been a massive fan of photographer Jeremy Lawson so when I saw this latest wedding, in the same antique/salvage shop that we all fell in love with from his last wedding that I blogged, I couldn't wait to get him on board for another feature! Denise & Mark are both self-confessed quirky and creative types - she is an art director for a music and diy magazine and he runs his very own 'nerd blog' Wolf Gnards - so of course their wedding was going to be a super special one. "When it came to the wedding we wanted to create a fun, unique experience for our friends and family" the couple told me. "Our venue was an architectural salvage / loft space which ended up being the inspiration for the whole event-- everything from my dress to the centerpieces took on that unique, vintage, diy feel...Expect for the cake-- that was straight from the future! But it definitely was a crowd pleaser."
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A South African, Eclectic, Red-Infused Spectacular

Kat

June 7, 2010

I didn't plan today's post this way but when I was uploading all the images for the weddings I selected I realised we're going to be taking a little trip all around the world - starting with this amazing red themed wedding from South Africa! Philip & Jay's wedding took place at Le Franschhoek Hotel and Spa, overlooking the spectacular South African landscape. The location made for some really unusual and fun places for their portraits. The incredible decor was all organised by Andene of Aleit Wedding Planners who was able to perfectly capture their vision of a eclectic, red-infused spectacular! I am totally nuts about those red glasses hanging from the roof and the ornate chandelier lying on the table - just amazing and so so original!
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A Non-Traditional, Family Central, Urban & Industrial LA Wedding

Kat

June 5, 2010

Shannon & Os are both part-time photographers so their wedding photography was really important to them, they found Australian Annevi who came to LA to shoot their informal wedding. They decided to hold their ceremony and reception in Barbara’s at the Brewery, Los Angeles. The Old Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery is known as the world's largest live-work art colony and offers amazing industrial landscapes and interesting backdrops. So, of course that's where they decided to shoot all their portraits. They decided to skip a lot of the traditional stuff they didn't have a lot of meaning to them so they didn't have any catering in favour of a more casual Sunday picnic, where the guests brought food, cake and dessert dishes to share. They also abandoned the idea to have flowers as they felt they didn't really suit them or their industrial setting. The bride wore a non traditional dress, a yellow number from Arthur S. Levine teamed with white converse. She used her jewellery as a way to represent the people that couldn't travel to be at their wedding - her bracelet was designed by her mother, her earrings and necklace were from her mother-in-law and an antique handkerchief from her great grandmother (price tag still on it: Famous and Barr 25 cents.) The groom dresses in a similarly non traditionalfashio - his jacket was from a charity shop, his shirt and jeans were items he already had in his wardrobe and his braces/suspenders where from his father in law. He also wore red PF Flyers "guaranteed to make a kid run faster and jump higher."
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One Night Only – Beautiful Bali Wedding

Kat

June 4, 2010

I challenge you to find anyone who's heard of Jonas Peterson and doesn't love him. His meteoric rise to 'rockstar photographer' status has been quite frankly ridiculous but with the credentials and talent he has behind him,I can't help but know that this success is nothing short of deserved. So popular is Jonas now that I usually don't even ask if I can blog his weddings anymore because more often than not they are snapped up by other bloggers quick smart but when I saw Sian & Barry's beautiful Bali wedding I knew I had to give it a go...and what do you know, he said yes!
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Victorian Sci Fi & Steampunk Love

Kat

June 1, 2010

Following on from yesterday's Steampunk-esque wedding, I wanted to share another - and this time, an all out authentically styled Victoriana wedding fest! Stacy & Eric got married in April and had one of the most incredible weddings fitting this theme that I have ever seen! The whole wedding was filled with circles - from old type writers, clocks and top hats to that truly incredible (and fully edible!) cake (made by Let Them Eat Cake in California - seriously go check out their website, they have cakes and designs like you've never seen before!) You are going to go nuts for these details - I am loving the typewriter/flower combo. It's like nothing I've ever seen. The centrepieces consisted of flowers, old books books, typewriters, gears, light bulbs, test tubes and had a real authentic Steampunk vibe. Stacey collected all the props throughout their planning and then gave them to florist Debbie Fields who put everything together on the day. The place names, which were made of old-looking train tickets (found at a craft store) had individual keys stuck to them that with significant words on them like 'life' and 'dreams'. The keys and gears on the place cards were found at a local craft store-they come from a scrapbook line by a guy named Tim Holtz.
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Sue & Shonagh Whimsical & Wonderful Wedding – A Touching Tribute

Kat

June 1, 2010

Sue & Shonagh actually got married in May 2008, however following the sad passing of Sue's Mum Hilary to Cancer just recently, with the full co-operation of the couple, both myself and photographer Caroline thought it would be a fitting tribute to share their whimsical and wonderful wedding with you today. Sue (in the tartan dress) and Shonagh (in the blue dress) were neighbours of Caroline and as soon as she heard the couple we getting married she jumped at the chance to photograph it. Another friend, who also lived in the same building, Vonny Mullock, made both the brides' dresses. Sue got ready in their flat and Shonagh got married in Vonny's flat. The couple met on the landing between when they were both ready and headed out together to get married.
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Victorian Steampunk & Fancy Dress Fun

Kat

May 31, 2010

Caroline & Connor's wedding had a distinctly Victorian/Steampunk vibe. As well as the bridal party, all the guests really got into the spirit and dressed up for the occasion in vintage dresses and attire which was practically much all put together by the amazing Trish Roush at House of Nines Design. Not only did she help out the guests with their outfits, but she dressed the bride and groom - including making those incredible hats!
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Pink, Bows, Music & Radical Wedding Love

Kat

May 28, 2010

So I was going to blog this next week but I literally can't wait. I saw Annette & Brian's totally gorgeous wedding on my friend Micheal Antonia's (aka the dj extroidinate behind The Flashdance) blog and like the lightning bolt that I am (when I come across something that's as awesome as this) I was straight in there with my request to feature it. So, alongside Micheal, the photographers Our Labor of Love and Annette & Brian themselves, I am more than ecstatic to share this way-too-rad wedding with you today.
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