Any couple planning their wedding can exercise control over the napkins, the choice of wine, the four different flavour combinations of the cake. But, how can we properly prepare ourselves for one of the scariest monsters a couple can contend with at their wedding… the nightmare guest? According to the countless weddings I have observed as a wedding singer, the many I have attended as a guest, and the one wedding I have planned myself (my own) … these gargoyle guests come in many sizes, shapes and forms. We could be talking about a ghoulish grandmother, who gnashes her teeth and shows her cla ..read more

Kevin and Larissa’s wedding was held in Wambacher Mühle, an old mill museum, in Schlangenbad, Germany. Rescheduled three times due to COVID, third time was certainly lucky charm for this pair and they eventually tied the knot on the 23rd June 2023. “Each postponement, while disheartening, only strengthened our bond and our desire to celebrate our love with all our dear ones,” shared Larissa. “In Germany we say ‘all good things come in threes’ and so it was with our wedding. We decided to let this be the slogan of the day”. They even ended the night by both getting a 23 tattoo! Their theme h ..read more

The Asylum Chapel is one of the coolest alternative ceremony spaces in London, and as soon as they walked in, Elisa and Will knew it was the place for them. The day was relaxed, personal, informal and intimate. However, their main inspiration was to create an inclusive day. “Our goal was to create a day that was inclusive and personal, where everyone felt part of our journey, regardless of their beliefs, “Elisa shared. “We wanted to celebrate without relying on religion but not at the cost of excluding any of our guests who were religious, or otherwise. We tailored the ceremony based on how w ..read more

With a total budget of just £2,000, Riley and Liam’s wedding is a masterclass in how you don’t have to spend a fortune to get married! They had a small ceremony with just a couple of guests, at York Register Office followed by dinner at Fancy Hanks, an American bar and kitchen in the city. “We wanted as little chaos as possible”, Riley told us. “We’re quite laid back people, so we wanted a no fuss wedding! Also, as it was a small wedding, we didn’t want to create a theme or a huge amount of work – we originally had a larger wedding booked with a theme and colours involved, however we later o ..read more

Your wedding should be a reflection of you and your partner, that’s step one when it comes to planning a rock n’ roll wedding! One of our favourite ways to do this is to look to both of your heritages and pull references from both sides, creating a really personal, perfect blend of the two of you. That’s exactly what Pietro and Ilaria, who got married in Parma, Italy did. Creating a day that was a fusion between India and Italy, meant they had incredible food and wedding style from Italy, paired with all the colours, dances, and vibes from India. “We wanted the wedding to really represent us ..read more

Photo by Bohemian Rose Photography The bridal shop experience can be a stress-filled time for a lot of nearlyweds, but if you’re plus size, disabled or don’t fit into the standard ‘bridal mould’ then it can feel like a herculean task to find somewhere to go. Dress shopping should be one of the most fun and exciting parts of the wedding planning process, but for a lot of brides, it’s anything but. In a perfect world, every nearlywed would be able to walk into any boutique and be greeted by rows and rows of dresses in their size, at their price point, by stylists who know just the right thing to ..read more

The Connemara Country Lodge, in Awhitu, New Zealand, its dramatic natural backdrop, played host to Whitney and Chris’ spring wedding. The day encapsulated the essence of what Whitney describes as a ‘Fairy-Party-Chic’ theme, with bright and festive details and lots of lush florals. Even the bride and their guests dressed in floral patterns, really bringing the theme to life. “Drawing inspiration from her childhood garden and Shirley Barber fairy illustrations, Whitney wanted their day to be filled with the brightest hues and, of course, lots of love and joy. “I wanted everything to be bright ..read more

Choosing Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, MA as their wedding venue, Melissa and Derek celebrated their love in disco meets 1980s themed wedding with a black tie dress code. The day was filled with neon lights, disco balls and colourful flowers. The fashion designer bride customised her Berta dress and made her veils (a long one for the ceremony, a short one for the party) herself. She also customised her Sola Wooden Flowers bouquet by adding plastic holographic flowers (they were also on the cake!) “From the beginning, we were inspired by 1980s music videos and neon colours”, she told us ..read more

Inspired by the rebellious romance of Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian, Kristan and Dylan eloped in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Riding to the ceremony on their motorcycle, this day was only about one thing – them! The bride’s entire outfit came from Amazon and as they had no guests and no reception, they were able to get hitched without much expense at all. In fact, the only thing they splashed on was their photographer who got some great shots of them outside the courthouse after the ceremony. “Our wedding was a free spirited, run away to get married type thing”, the bride told us. “We were in ..read more

Submit a question for Alysia to answer in a future column by emailing magazine@rocknrollbride.com and using the subject line ASK ALYSIA.How do I wear a colourful dress but still feel bridal? The beauty of a modern-day wedding is how much freedom we have to make them our own. I might sound like a broken record here, but weddings can truly be whatever you want! So, in order to make sure you feel ‘bridal’, investigate what that means to you. The white dress and long veil combo has become a quick shorthand for bridal, but that doesn’t mean it’s what feels right to you. And if you’ve already starte ..read more