Oh my gosh I ran out of blogs! The last two weeks I've been working on making veils alongside a garden renovation (and enjoying a week off from teaching for half term), so blogging was put on the back burner for a bit.
Last week I shot some new content which turned into a spontaneous IGTV episode. Although I sell veils I aim to not do too many stereotypically 'bridal' shoots. I like to mix it up with daywear, high street finds & even some un-wearable things to really showcase the vibe of the W Collective brand.
I shot some veils alongside some outfits I've been yearning to wear since lockdown began (not that I went out much before the lockdown). But it was nice to dress up for the day and have some fun.
After the shoot I thought the outfit & veil combos made for really cool hen do looks, so I figured I'd spin it to become a inspo video for your hen do outfits. I know a lot of brides are postponing their weddings, and therefore their hen do, so maybe use this time to re-think what you really want to do.
I felt obliged to have a 'night out' for my hen, and tbh it really wasn't very me and I wish I'd done what I wanted, not what I thought was expected of me. I did have a lovely time, but my fave part was the getting ready, having my makeup done (we doubled it up as a trial with my wedding makeup artist) and getting to wear a pretty effing fabulous dress for once. The thing I (don't want to say hate, but...) erm, hate, about hen do's is expecting people to spend a lot of money. I didn't want to force people into a hotel or Airbnb, or go somewhere far away, so I kept it local to try and appease my guests (there were still some grumbles but hey ho, you can't please 'em all). I wasn't very flush at that time either - alongside getting married that year, I'd bought a house, I was studying my Masters, working part time, starting my business, and was also a bridesmaid at my sister-in-law's wedding - so that year involved 4 hen do's and two weddings, as well as two trips to Paris and a honeymoon to pay for. Anyway, my hen do was in May and I'd bought this dress the January before, so the anticipation of actually getting to wear it spurred me on to not cancel.
I had a second, more civilised hen do (a mom friendly one) just before my wedding, and that one was really what I'd expected my hen to be like. We made some cocktails, had a cute afternoon tea, and then a few of us young'uns stayed out for drinks after - it was low key, no pressure, full of genuinely lovely girls and there was no forced fun or shoving me into the limelight (not my jam at all). I felt so much more relaxed and got that giddy bride-to-be feeling I'd been waiting for.
I'm not sure why I'm sharing this now - one of my bridesmaids reminded me last night it had been two years since my first hen do, it had totally passed me by (isn't time weird during lockdown?), but it's pretty cathartic to pour it out into a blog, and I hope it helps you if you're feeling pressured to do a certain thing or act a certain way to prove your hen-ness (is that even a word?). I find it a strange concept, mixing all these women from different parts of your life too - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, so it's ok to do separate things with separate bubbles of friends if that feels more comfortable for you. Hey - you might have to do that anyway if there are still social distancing is still in place for years to come! So, here are my top hen do looks, let me know which one is your fave and enjoy!
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