If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you’ll know that I got engaged, after my fiancé proposed last year, on a beautifully magical winter’s day in Paris. Ever since, I’ve been on a anything-wedding-related binge, spurred on by my mother-in-law-to-be, showering me with bridal magazines & natter about ribbons, favours and anything, as well as absolutely everything! The same style of invitations, typical black & white photos and colour schemes seem to appear on every double-page spread though, which is why I was so excited when I stumbled across Rock’n'Roll Bride— it’s edgy, daringly different and shows you that you don’t have to have the same polished, carbon-copy wedding as every other loved-up twosome. In fact, even if you’re nowhere near this stage in life, you can adapt this girls philosophy & buoyancy to your every day existence!

Photo of Kat Williams by Marianne Taylor Photography
Hi Kat!  For those people out there who don’t know about the Rock’n'Roll Bride, who is she and what does she do?
The Rock n Roll Bride is obsessed with kick ass photography and unique and inspiring weddings. On my blog www.rocknrollbride.com I combine both these loves by sharing the very best alternative weddings and photo shoots from all over the world!

How would you describe yourself in just three words?
Pink, feisty and weird!

What 5 tracks would be essential to the Rock’n'Roll Bride soundtrack?
Contrary to popular belief, being rock n roll is nothing to do with music – it’s a state of mind, it’s your personality and your individuality shining through in whatever way it might manifest itself… And Oh God I have such bad taste in it! Eclectic is the word. My favourite songs right now are probably Rage Against the Machine Killing in the Name Of, Britney Spears Toxic (oh yes, rock n roll? me?!) All you need is love by the Beatles (our first dance song) Tiny Dancer by Elton John and…The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News. I told you it was a random mix!

How might a typical day in the life of Kat Williams go?
Well I still have a full time job where I work evenings. So on a usual day I get up at 9 or 10, check my emails, read my Google reader and write some posts. I schedule my posts throughout the day and try and plan and write everything at least a day in advance. If I have time I get going on some of my other writing commitments like if I’m guest posting for someone or writing for one of the magazines I work with. Then I have a bath, some food and get ready for my ‘day’ job. I work as a television producer for a shopping channel here in the UK so I head of to work, plan the show and produce 3 and a half hours of live tv! I head home at either 7, 10 or 2am (depending on what shift I’m on) When I get home I either go right to bed (if it’s 2am) or otherwise I eat, give my husband a kiss and turn my computer back on. The emails have undoubtedly built up so I get cracking on them and plan the next few days’ posts before heading off to bed!

I love seeing so much diversity, uniqueness and inspirational work and weddings! No two days are ever the same!

You got married a few years ago.  When and where did you meet your husband?
We met in a bar actually. He was 21 and I was (shh!) 16! We didn’t actually get together until I was 18 though as I played hard to get! He texted me on my 18th birthday and asked if I wanted to go out for a drink and after much discussion with one of my girlfriends (as we do!) I agreed.

Is there anything you’d change about your own wedding day?
Yes! Living and breathing weddings it’s inevitable that I’ll look back and see what we could do differently. I’ve had pink hair since I was 16 – I had pink hair when I met my husband and it was pink when we got engaged, but I went brown a little while before the wedding. Looking back, I wish I’d gone back to pink, because it’s pink again now and probably will be for the new few years. Brides often tell me: “I thought my ideas were weird, but now I’ve seen weddings that do things differently, it makes me feel more comfortable about having what I want.” I asked my florist for pale vintage colours. The reality? Bright Purple. It didn’t matter on the day, as I was so excited about getting married, but looking back I think, “Urgh, they’re not what I wanted,” and I wish we’d done them ourselves.

A lot of weddings take place in July- September time.  Why did you choose April?
April 12th was our anniversary of getting together. Gareth proposed on the 12th April 2007 – our 5 year anniversary. We wanted to keep this special date for our wedding day too.

Photos of Kat Williams by Marianne Taylor Photography

Which is better— Winter or Summer weddings?  Why?
Oooh difficult! I wouldn’t say either was necessarily better, it’s just what’s right for the couple. We personally would have never got married in the height of summer as neither of us are great fans on the sun – I’m so pale that I actually melt! The longer days do have their advantages of course especially photography-wise and you can do more outside and have less stress about the weather. However there is something so romantic about the winter – being all bundled up in the cold and dark, candlelight, snow and moody photography. It’s really important to have your wedding at a time that suits you.

Describe the most inspiring wedding you’ve ever seen.
That is even more difficult! I literally couldn’t pick just one. I see so many amazing, unique and different weddings everyday. What I adore about what Ido is the diversity of the weddings and couple’s I see. I actually wrote a round up on some on my favourite weddings of 2009 this month so be sure to check these two posts out for some of my faves.

What top 5 tips would you give to a bride who’s stressing about planning and budgeting for her big day?
1. Stop, breathe, chill!
2. Get organized – write lists. Lists are good and very therapeutic and having stuff written down will stop you mulling it over so much as you know it’s all there. Writing all your tasks down will give you a sense of relief.
3. Ask for help – friends and family are there to support you
4. Take a day off, go shopping and meet a friend for a no-wedding-chat-allowed coffee
5. Don’t forget that at the end of the day it’s the marriage that’s important not the wedding!

What do you enjoy most about the niche blogging that you do?
I literally adore writing! Not only is it therapeutic but I end up finding myself more intelligent when I write things down – weird huh? I am also obsessed with pretty pictures and so I get to combine both of these things. I have always liked to pride myself on my individuality. I’m impulsive and controversial and I love it. The best thing about Rock n Roll Bride is how different it is to all the other wedding blogs out there. Not that I don’t adore them (because I do and spend hours of my procrastination time reading them!) but I find by standing out from the crowd I have drawn a very specific reader base and so I not only get sent the most unique weddings (that don’t crop up on all the wedding blogs) but I have been able to offer a very niche readership base to anybody to gets their work or company features on my site. Quite apart from that I’ve loved meeting so many amazing and inspiring people though the blog, both in real life and online and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do that if it wasn’t for Rock n Roll Bride.

Is Rock’n'Roll Bride your full time job?
Not yet no, but I am hoping that 2010 will be my year!

Would you ever go into wedding planning?
Definitely not! My passion is imagery and writing. Although I adore weddings, I wouldn’t want to have to directly deal with the madness that can be planning a wedding every day!

You’re a photographer too, right?  Who’s your fav?!
Nope I’m not, not unless you count me playing around with my Fuji Instax! I have been lucky enough to model for some of the best UK photographers but I haven’t taken any of the shots on my site myself.
Again it is really difficult to choose a favourite photographer out of the hundreds I see, but some of my favourites include David McNeil, Tinywater, The Sloans, MangoRED, Steep Street, FeatherLove Photography and Jonas Peterson.

Besides weddings, what makes you jump-in-the-air happy?
My husband, my new pussy cats (we get them on the 7th Feb!), Mac make-up, finding the perfect new dress and a tidy house (yes I’m a total geek!)

What’s next for the Rock’n'Roll Bride?  Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
I would love to still be doing what I’m doing. Oh how I love it so! I’d also really love to expand my freelance writing avenues so to write for some more magazines both here in the UK and abroad.

And finally, a quick fire round: What’s your fav…
Shop: Topshop
Book: I’m a rubbish reader! I don’t have time for fiction really. The last great-countn’t-put-it-down book I read was probably The DaVinci Code!
Website: www.galadarling.com
Season: Spring
Band / Artist: Michael Jackson
Food: Sushi
Cupcake flavour: lemon or carrot
City: Tokyo

Thank you for your time, Kat!

---

Remember, you too can feature in the Aimee Marie Loves series. If you think you’ve got what it takes, let me know!

05/01/10

Myself & my fiance are trying to eat healthily this year (isn’t everyone?!), but these arctic conditions that the UK has been left with, really is not the best time for chicken salads & the like, so I whipped open an extra thick tomato & herb cup-a-soup, to fill a little hole. Yum!

06/01/10

I’ve not been able to go very far this week at all, on my GENUINE non-snow-day week off of work, which is gutting! I have spent a lot of time looking for new jobs though & even succumbed to moving my entire iMac from the study to the sofa, so I could get cosy. I miss having a laptop sometimes!

07/01/10

I took a well deserved break from all the housework that I seemed to have done over & over again this week, & had a little home pampering sesh!

I know, I know— we’ve all heard it a million times already this decade, but this really is a great opportunity to start a fresh!  (Yeah, I’m still on a big ‘new year, new you’ kick.) If you haven’t already thought about setting goals, it’s never too late & I urge you to do it! It’ll give you some direction & help you make your life as sparkly & amazing as you dream it could be!

Image by Hanakoyo

Cleanse
Have you still got your Christmas decs up? Empty boxes from your Chrimbo presents scattered on the floor? Draft blog posts unfinished? You can’t start a fresh if you’re still living in 2009! Stop dwelling on the past, pull your finger out & have a tidy up. Trust me, you will feel so much better after it. If you’re feeling really motivated, you could not only tidy up, but clear out— your wardrobe, make up, paper, CDs & DVDs, & anything else that’s cluttering up your life. Read this article I wrote in December 2008(!) for some tips.

And the same goes for people. If there are individuals in your life that you feel are holding you pack, putting down & generally making your life a misery, then cut them out. Either completely (delete them from your phone, Facebook & any other kind of contact you have with them), see them less frequently or have it out with them— tell them what they’re doing & how it makes you feel. Perhaps they don’t even realise they’re doing it.

Focus
Once all the chaos around you has been sorted out, you can zero in on what it is you want to change or improve. Have a really good think about this one! Sure, if you stop biting your nails, they’ll look lovely by the end of the year, but is it really going to have a big impact on your life? Dwell on one or two things that could really ameliorate your being— perhaps a new job, or a new home? Increase traffic to your website? Make them challenging enough that they’re not undemanding, but remember they must be achievable too. And of course, they don’t have to be dull— resolutions aren’t there to make your life boring or stressful! They should be fun, exciting & magical. Pressing. Stimulating. Invigorating. Intoxicating!

Deliver
It’s so easy to lose sight of your goals once they’ve been set. The key to success, is setting yourself small steps to reach your aim— for example, if you want to move out this year, strive to view potential properties by the end of February. Chip away at it & you’ll get there! I find it a lot easier to write my goals down in my Moleskine, as it’s somewhere I look every day, but if you don’t use a journal, decorate your living space with post-it notes, write on your calendar or use an application on your phone.

So what are you waiting for?!

If you’ve set goals this year, what are they? And if not, why not?

04/01/10

I’m loving planning my wedding!  Cutting out photos of beautiful dresses, looking at colour schemes & thinking about my guest-list, taking inspiration from blogs & day-dreaming;  Do I want a small ceremony & a big party?  What should we have to eat during the wedding breakfast?  Do I want a classic car or a horse drawn carriage?  Where should we go on our honeymoon?  I wonder what the speeches will be like?  Who should we get to photograph the wedding?  What kind of music will we have?  I’m an obsessed woman!  It may not be for a few years yet, but I don’t want to to leave anything to the last minute or miss out any minor detail.

I don’t know why I do it to myself.  I’m certainly determined, if not completely insane & stubborn.  I first started on my birthday, back in 2008, but gave up shortly afterwards.  I did try again this time last year & once again on my birthday, vowing that it would be the last time I took part—- & yet, here I am again.  Another 365 project!  (I’m a perfectionist & if I miss a day, I feel the need to start all over again.)

So here it is. 365 days, with a photo each day.  Not necessarily a portrait of myself, a groundbreaking image or even a photo that particularly represents that day.  Project 365 // Twenty-Ten, is about picking up my camera more regularly again & just getting back into the habit, once more.  I’ve become a bit nonchalant, lazy & sluggish about photography more recently, but now I want to make time & claw back my zest & passion for the art— & this is just one little stepping stone!

01/01/10

02/01/10

03/01/10

Read more:
How To Take A Photo A Day & See Your Life In A Whole New Way at photojojo.com
If you can’t commit to a photo a day, maybe you can still post 365 photos this year?
Learn How To Plan a 365 Project with Lifehacker

Are you taking part in Project 365? I’d love to see your entries!

Image by Brandon C. Warren

Organisation.  Planning.  Focus.  Positive-mental-attitude.  Photography.  Writing.  Simple.  Happiness.  Fun.  Holidays.  Friends. These are just some of the buzzwords flitting around my head like a butterfly, to make 2010 just as good (if not, better) than 2009!

My Moleskine is at the ready, with my 101 in 1001 list at the back, so it’s never out of my mind & dates, goals & events scrawled across each page. I’ve simplified the blog, so I can focus on my writing, again. I’m tidying up my living & working space, so I can get stuck into my photography & not get distracted. The Wii fit is set up & ready to go! I’ve started collecting pictures, colours & leaflets to plan my wedding. The beginning of a new year is fantastic. I love it. So refreshing!

Plan your 2010 with Gala’s guide to getting organised
Create your own 101 in 1001 list
Read the Definitive Guide To Sticking To Your New Years Resolutions at zenhabits

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & you’re going to celebrating the New Year, in style!

I am ready for you 2010.

It might be a week or so early to be looking back at 2009, but this has been the best year of my life so far, for all the amazing little things I’ve done, to the big life-changing decisions that have been made. Here’s a quick recap (mainly for myself), thanks to my Flickr & blog archives (drop down menu to the side):

January: Recovered from a great New Years party; had bright red hair (which I miss, a lot!); invested in a fisheye lens for my DSLR; started documenting What I Wore (& unfortunately, soon forgot about!); attempted to take part in a 365 project; started my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days; won £200 on bingo; wondered where my job was going.

February: It snowed, like I’ve never seen snow before!; co-founded the UK Lady Bloggers network; indulged in chocolate fondue at Harrods; my faithful Macbook died— but I got a brand new 20″ iMac!; started blogging for my local newspaper.

March: Answered your questions in Ask Me Anything; dressed up as Minnie Mouse for Comic Relief & did some facepainting, which I loved; started the Make-up Manual series; gave blood for the first time; gave up chocolate for lent; wrote an article for Green My Style.

April: caved in to my hair growing plan & got it all chopped off; indulged in one too many curries at my local Indian; wrote the third installment of Photo Coach; went to Paris & celebrated 4 amazing years with my boyfriend!

May: did some house-sitting for the majority of May with my boyfriend, while my parents were away; shopped in the lanes of Brighton; revamped my portfolio; was interviewed by The Sassy Minx; got my journalism fix by writing articles about Living & Studying in London, London Style & the Art of Revising.

June: turned 22, in (fancy dress) style!; went to the farm; hiked across the common for a birthday picnic; reviewed items for ModCloth; kitted out my camera with a whole bunch of new stuff; listened to your feedback from the survey; went to a great dub-step house party; interviewed Kim of Cupcakes & Mace; did a fun photoshoot with Fleshrot.

July: baked loads of things from my Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook; started writing 100 facts about me; went to the very first UKLB meet; enjoyed the sunshine!

August: my beautiful niece turned 1!; interviewed Youtube phenomenon Thea-Kate; moved out with my boyfriend, into our lovely little flat & spent a lot of time just chillin’!

September: went to the amazing Private Shopping Blogger Event at Joy, with Kate & had the best time; realised I never want to go on a typical girls, clubbing holiday; boycotted Fashion Week; passes an assessment for promotion at work!

October: became an Aussie Angel; wore NO make-up outside of my house, for the first time since I can remember; dressed up as a gore-nurse for halloween!

November: blogging became a little sparse, while I concentrated on my job & lack of sleep!; won jewellery from Rock ‘n’ Rose; got a new car!

December: Got engaged to my gorgeous fiance!

& here’s to even more amazing 2010!

What have you loved about 2009?

Snow! Yes, the magical white stuff that all the UK bloggers have been writing about. We had a couple of inches where I live, before the sun came out & unsuccessfully melted it— It’s all turned to ugly brown mush, or ice now— no snowmen for me! I love the idea of a white Christmas, but it’s completely impractical when you have places to go (bah humbug!)

I’m so disorientated right now, after working nightshift, last night & crawling in to bed at 7am, on a caffeine come down. One night down, three to go & then it’s time to celebrate!

This gets me in the festive spirit every time:

I love hearing it on the build up to the big day. In fact, I’m even more excited now about Christmas, than I was when I was a child— I tend to get excited at the end of November, when I’m present buying! However, if the festive outdoor town centre lights, decorating the Christmas tree & carol singers haven’t quite put you in the mood yet, here’s my guide to getting festive over the remaining week(!) until Crimbo:

Friday 18th Dec:

If you haven’t finished (or worse still, started) your Christmas shopping yet, then get on it! Today! You don’t want to be panicking over the next week— you should be enjoying the season. Head out as early as you can, as every town centre will be busy, let alone your Oxford Street, Fifth Avenue or Champs Elysees! Have a precised list (presents as well as wrapping paper, cards, festive movies & CDs) of what to buy & where to get them, so you can do it all in one swoop. Returning at the weekend is not really a viable option (unless you want to be queueing for hours!) If you’re lucky you’ll be able to order from some online merchants still such as Amazon, & you might even be able to find yourself a bargain. If you’ve got toys to buy, then online is the way forward— Toys ‘R Us & the like are super busy at the best of times, let alone in December! Just remember to make sure you’re in when your parcel is being delivered— queueing up at the Post Office is even more hectic.

If you’ve finished your Christmas shopping, then have a mosey around a Christmas Market to end the week & start the weekend!

Saturday 19th Dec:

So, you have your Christmas tree up, right? I sure hope so! How else are you meant to feel Christmassy?! Remember, decorations aren’t all about the tree— put lights around your window, garlands on the ceiling, a wreath on the door, tack your cards to the wall & drape tinsel around photo frames! I like my Christmas to be a colour explosion, but even if you have a theme, make sure there’s lots of decs!

Chuck on your favourite festive CD or create one on Spotify to listen to, while you dress up your house and adorn yourself with glitter & sparkles for a night out! (If you’ve got Spotify, you should be able to listen to my playlist, here.)

Sunday 20th Dec:

Sunday is a day for chillin’. Even the big G himself says so. So curl up on the sofa, infront of the log fire with a cup of mulled wine or candy cane cocoa & have a Crimbo Movie Marathon! If you’re in the UK, you can catch:

• The Nightmare before Christmas – 11:30am – 12:40pm (BBC2)
• The Brady Bunch Movie – 1:00pm – 2:45pm (Film4)
• Scrooge – A Christmas Carol – 1:40pm – 3:25pm (Five)
• Matilda – 3:30pm – 5:30pm (Five)
• Jingle All The Way – 5:25pm – 7.05pm (E4)
• Miracle on 34th Street – 5:15pm – 7:25pm (Channel 4)

Ah, cheese at it’s finest.

Monday 21st Dec:

I worked for 6 years on the checkout / Customer Service dept. of a supermarket, so I’m telling you now, it’s gonna be busy. Today is around the time that the fresh turkey’s will be coming in & you can afford to buy fresh veg today too— & every other Tom, Dick & Harry has the same idea! Get to the supermarket before it opens, as there will be queues & you want to ensure you get the best dates / goods available. Make sure you have a list so you can get to the checkout asap! Be prepared for battle. It’s each customer for himself! One year, we ran out of Brussel Sprouts. Complete anarchy commenced.

The 21st is also the last day for 1st class post, so pop any last minute cards into the postbox on the way.

Tuesday 22nd Dec:

Some people like to leave presents out under the tree for weeks, but I like to keep that air of mystery, by putting them out just a few days before, especially if they’re easily recognisable shapes like CDs / DVDs & I don’t have another box to hide them in! Listen to your Christmas playlist or the radio while you wrap them up beautifully with bows & ribbon, & nestle them under the Christmas lights.

Wednesday 23rd Dec:

Little baked treats are a great gift, as well as indulgence for yourself! Make cupcakes, fudge, shortbread, sugar cookies, truffles or whatever your heart desires. Yum!

Thursday 24th Dec:

I once worked with a woman who took 4 hours to set the table for her Christmas dinner. She wouldn’t let anyone touch it, or even be in the room. I never saw her in action, but that’s somethin’ special, right there! If you’re like her, get out your finest silverware, bone china & butter dishes today, so you don’t have to do it tomorrow. (Or, if you’re like me, chuck out a few Ikea plates & cutlery!) My sister & myself used to make centre pieces for the table every year, with ribbons, candles & anything we could find— why not try making one too?!

Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas! Put on the turkey! Open presents! Pour the wine! Eat chocolate! Be Happy! Have an amazing time!

Photo by amb.photography

9 months ago, I invited you to ask me anything & now, that lovely idea (over)used by bloggers worldwide, is back on aimeemarie.com— & it’s bigger & better than before!

Maybe you want to know more about my personal life, have a make-up related query or you’d just like to ask something completely random? Either way just use the form below to send me your questions (anonymously if you like) & I’ll answer them just as soon as I can! I’ve placed a widget in the sidebar, so you can ask me whatever, whenever, in this permanent feature!

(You can see the results here.)