• Back to Lo Tales Home
  • Mia Mai

Tag Archives: best friends

Lo Fest 2017

29 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by lotales in Things I do, wedding

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

best friends, Boho Hen Do, Campfires, hen do, wedding

So…. it’s time to tell you about my amazing, once in a lifetime, unforgettable Hen Do…. Lo Fest.

I should start by telling you that I wanted a low key affair, a few of my best girls, a few pretty things to photograph and definitely no typical pink fluff/willies/L plates etc etc.

Onion (MOH) and I started a pinterest board way back when with some ideas; boho dinners, flower crowns, tipi’s, henna… you get the feeling…

Luckily a few of my other best girls got involved too and the secret squirrel club was born. These ladies, took my ideas and ran with them… what they created was a weekend I will never forget, one that I will treasure forever, one that was SO PERFECT I just can’t describe.

So instead… I’ll show you…

The weekend started before I even arrived; Anna, Chloe & Mumma Lo headed down to our awesome base, Brickles Camp, loaded with more bohemian goodies then you could find in a gypsy bazaar. Borrowed, brought and loaned treasure was crammed into 2 small cars all set to transform Brickles Yurt Camp into the bohemian oasis that was Lo Fest. 

For me, the butterflies set in and my Hen Do officially began as I sat front seat, blindfolded in my best buds car, the chinking of bottles and excited chatter of directions being whispered down the phone. Car honking and giggles from Nat in the back seat we clearly turned off a main road and onto a bumpy dirt track… I’m not gonna lie, at this point I was getting a little nervous… As the car started slowing down ‘I wish I was a Punk Rocker’ started blaring out, a song that always gives me goosebumps (Uni Fashion show moment) I was helped out of the car and led, still blindfolded along a definite dirt track… At this moment, my blindfold was whipped off and before me stood the most gorgeous gaggle of babes in front of a HUGE Lo Fest banner tied amongst the trees….

At this moment butterflies flew away and excited eagles took their place, emotion and the biggest grin know to man took over and it sunk it that it was finally here, my hen do!!!

After tears, the biggest of bear hugs all round and being handed my VIP festival lanyard, my Lo Lo Girls took me on a grand tour of our camp…

Our home for the weekend consisted of 3 gorgeous yurts… 2 bedrooms and a lounge/kitchen/commune. The centre piece of the camp was a campfire surrounded by handmade wooden benches… Nestled out the back was a little outdoor kitchen and open air bathroom. Yay! The girls had set up two chill out areas, a cosy plush cushion and throw strewn snug under a gazebo and a beautiful bohemian gypsy tea table set up surrounded by vintage rugs and cushions… heaven!!!!

Once I’d got my bearings and had explored the camp it was time for the celebrations to begin… Homemade cake, mini tambourines and champagne a go go…

Once we’d indulged in some Hen Do treats we headed over to the Gypsy Table set up, goody bags in tow and all got a few more treats… Mumma Lo had made the most gorgeous goody bags for everyone… Inside were all the camp necessities you could need… a torch, a pop up wine glass, hand sanitiser, chocolate willies (haha) There was also little dream catcher rings, candy bracelets, nail polishes…. super super cute and so thoughtful… I also got a chance to finally look at and take in my lanyard… which hinted at the most fun weekend ever, at this moment in time, off ran Chloe and Anna and they returned moments later with the biggest most gorgeous looking pressies you ever did see…

At this point I need to stress again how blooming wonderful my friends are… I sat there surrounded my the best girls ever, all with the biggest smiles on their faces, all gathered together, friends old and new, to be with me, to send me off in the best way possible! Also… they may be creative geniuses… A present from Chloe came first, labeled with cryptic clue and a nod to one of our favourite cult films… inside nestled the most gorgeous hand painted leather jacket… WOW!!

Next up was a grown up version of pass the parcel… except I won every time… and I really did win… An embroidered Lo Fest fringed kimono, my own customised festival booties, the most gorgeous embroidered ‘Lo to Hyde’ sash (like seriously beautiful… Judi, Ann’s mum is amazing) a handmade macrame Veil and a hen do book overflowing so much love and happy memories. 

So…. goodies given, already feeling utterly overwhelmed it was time for the activities to begin… and boy did they begin… First up was the lovely Manraj who spent 3 blissful hours giving up all the most sensational henna designs! I have always adored Henna and have been doing it myself since I was about 13… it was such a treat to have a pro do the honours though!!

Amazing huh?!? Straight after Henna it was time for another activity and another surprise….  Out popped my gorgeous second cousin (who also happens to be getting married a day after us) and Chloe took the lead on another activity I was really wanting to do…. Gathering all the fresh flowers from around the camp Chloe helped us all design and make beautiful fresh flower crowns. Busy hands and talk turned to upcoming nuptials and comparing to-do lists and exciting times ahead…

Flower crowns in place and it was time for some lunch and the hen do classic of ‘Mr & Mrs’… Cue hilarious answers, tears of joy, bunny hop demonstrations, tears of emotion and SO much laughter!!!! haha

Shortly after that the girls sneaked off one by one for some top secret squirrelling behaviour…. about 5 minutes later…i was called outside and apparently my love of indian culture was set to continue… gone were my festival boho babes, in their place were gorgeous sari’d colourful queens ❤


Gifted with another parcel, containing my own beautiful Indian dress, Sophie then announced that the real reason for her joining us was that she was going to lead us in a Bollywood dance class!!!!!!

I’m not gonna lie… we were pretty good! haha…

Post dance class I was poured a drink and told to chill and get dressed for the evenings shenanigans… I was instructed to dress in a long black floral dress and so I busied myself getting ready. Once dressed, I was again blindfolded and lead into the commune which had been transformed into our own glitter bar!!!

The girls joined me, all looking stunning and ready for our very own white party!!!!

We got stuck in with the glitter and suddenly in walked a girl, Miss Mathis had officially joined the party!!! ❤ Fast forward 5 minutes and in walks a boy!!!! Fret not, our Hen hadn’t been infiltrated by the groom-to-be, oh no… this boy was wearing a dickie bow and was carrying a tray of bellini’s… Any boy like that was welcome to stay at my Hen Do!

By this stage, no secrets left to unveil I was allowed back outside and could admire the most gorgeous sunset, lanterns lit, candles flickering, campfire burning and the dinner table set…

First things first it was time to take some selfies… this was a hen do after all!! Out come the selfie stick, the pouts and the cocktails started to flow…

Soon after, we headed to the dinner table to enjoy a sensational Moroccan Feast cooked by Mumma Lo… For starter we enjoyed a beetroot and goats cheese stack with warm flatbread and dukka…. seriously… it was like we were in a 5* restaurant not in a field in the middle of the Dorset country side. For main course there was cous cous, spiced carrot salad, lamb kofta and Chicken tagine…. Seriously, I know every girl thinks their mum is the best cook, but this would take some beating!!!

Plates cleared… its was time for the White party to really get started….

We decamped to the campfire and what turned into the best night ever truly began.

Picture the scene if you will… take the best girls you could ever imagine, dress them all in white, a bevy of angels if you will… slightly drunk angels, but everyone knows they’re the best kind! Dress them up in glitter and flower crowns. A continuous flow of cocktails, a clear night sky full of twinkling stars, a roaring campfire, music that makes you want to dance blasting from a speaker and more love then you can cram into a campfire circle.

With no neighbours the music was turned up loud, inhibitions were cast aside and like wild women we danced in circles around the flames. Feeling utterly free and so unbelievably happy we danced until the bar packed up and went home, we danced until we’d sung our hearts out, till our clothes were infused with smoke and knickers were burnt in the flames!

The night ended how any good campfire should end… With toasted marshmellows in the embers…

And there you have it… Part one of my hen do… of Lo Fest… I’m going to split the Do into two.. (as you do) and save the rest for another time… Till then, I’m going to go over what was the most perfect day!!!  ❤

 

 

 

A Harry Potter Hen Do Part 2

22 Monday May 2017

Posted by lotales in Places I go, Things I do

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

best friends, Harry Potter Hen Do, hen do, Liverpool, The Cavern Club, The Shankley Hotel

So now you know everything we had planned / prepped before hand…. Let’s talk about what happened on the actual Hen Do!

On the Thursday night on the eve of the hen do, I headed over to Becs after work & joined our bride-to-be for a chilled night in and a bit of advice on packing.

No one tells you that being a hen is an odd experience… with my hen do approaching I can completely appreciate the bizarre feeling of excitement and feeling left out! Haha… I reassured our girl and we went over what to pack, making sure she had lots in her case that made her feel amazing!

The morning of the hen and we woke excited and nervous… and made our way over to Euston to meet up with the other girls and grab some brunch. We met with another few girls and began some hen fun!!

Once on the train the fun really began, we popped some corks and played some games and started with the hen do selfies!! Be sure to check out #SnitchAndSnatch17 if you wanna see some of our shenanigans…

We arrived in Liverpool and headed to a cheap & cheerful pub for some lunch and a few more glasses of bubbles! As soon as the bridesmaids were done off we headed and set about decorating he hotel room in preparation of the arrival of our gal ❤

Fast forward 45 mins or so and after a whistle-stop tour to Ruby Blues (haha) the girls arrived and still I am overjoyed when I see the photo of Bec seeing the room for the first time!!! Yay….

First things first the sorting had to take place… as you can tell by the pics the gals found the whole thing rather amusing and after being sorted into teams the fun could really begin….

Armed with goodie bags and plenty of prosecco it wasn’t long before the bikinis were on and girls were in the tub…

The evening was spent in true hen party style, lots of alcohol, dancing, pizza, laughing, selfies, fun and shenanigans.

We stumbled into our beds happy and smiling and ready for a new day of fun!

Saturday morning and it was time to get about and about in Liverpool. Divided into our houses, a list of tasks and missions to attempt in hand, and off we headed for an hour and half of fun and hilarity.

I think it best the evidence stays a hen party secret so instead I shall move onto our Saturday afternoon activity potions making, ahem… cocktail making!

We headed to the Alchemist, and it was amazing…. We spent hours and hours making different cocktails and enjoying them too! Our lovely barman Eric was amazing and very patient with this huge gaggle of gals! The cocktails were all delicious and so was the food! If you’re ever looking to do a cocktail making session I cannot recommend The Alchemist enough…!

After that we headed home and readied ourselves for the evening… The hotel was perfect for getting ready for a girls night out! First destination on our list was Wildwood for some dinner! Delicious!!

After that we headed back to Ruby Blues, an amusing old mans bar and music spot, I think we were the youngest people in there by about 20 years but it was so funny and we had ourselves a little boogie!

After we had our fill of Ruby Blues we headed to the only destination that was on our books, The Cavern Club!! We had so much fun, it was literally the best night out I’ve had in ages!!!! We befriended the house band and got up on stage a few times to badly belt out some classics like Valerie and Proud Mary…. A pretty surreal and special moment I must admit! After a few hours dancing the night away and singing so loud we nearly lost our voices it was 2am and we were being asked to leave. A burger and a slow walk home and another successful hen do day was had!!

Sunday and it was time to pack up and head home…

The rest of the girls left after checking out but the bridesmaids hung around a little longer to enjoy a bit of indulgence. We headed down to the docks and had ourselves a lovely little lunch then went on to enjoy an afternoon relaxing in the Efora Spa.

A few hours of pampering later and a quick dash to the train and it was home time… We finished off the rest of the Hen Do book and reminisced over the best moments of the last few days!!

So there you have it…. The perfect weekend for my beautiful bestie! We literally had the best time ever…

Blurry Drunken Thursdays and London Adventures

22 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by lotales in Places I go, Things I do

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

best friends, Blogger, Blurry photos, Culture, drunken nights out, friends, fun times, London, Redemption, Uk Blogger, Undressed, V&A, Vegan food

It’s not often that I go out and have a drink (or in this case like 18 drinks…) on a school night anymore. Rewind 5 years and school night drinking was a weekly occurrence. But these days… not really (blame my lightweight fiancé or my old age if you will but either way it hardly ever happens)

Which is why this night was so very fun and I had to share. These pics have been hiding in the back of ‘My Pictures’ file for a few months now but better late then never hey!?!

So I was up in London for a conference for work, but stayed on a few days to see some friends and check out the Undressed exhibition at the V&A. Let’s get the sensible grown up stuff out the ways first shall we!?

Drunken shenanigans don’t seem so bad if you’ve also enjoyed a vegan lunch date and a bit of culture! 😉

The first treat of my little break was a lunch date with the beautiful Lacey! She took me to the most amazing little vegan restaurant in Shoreditch called Redemption and we had the most delicious meal!

dscf3558 dscf3559

I also took myself to the V&A to see the awesome Undressed exhibition. Any one who knows me knows I’ve got a thing for lingerie so this exhibition was amazing. Unfortunately you couldn’t take photos so you’ll have to make do with my sketches and a sneaky peek!

dscf3672 dscf3673 dscf3675 dscf3679 dscf3680

Obviously whilst at the V&A on a sunny day you have to have lunch in the courtyard and take the obligatory blown glass chandelier photo….

dscf3670 dscf3676 dscf3678But it’s what happened on my Thursday evening in London that I really wanted to share…. I met up with my beautiful best friend Kel and her now fiancé in a bar in Clapham and we had ourselves a, well quiet a few bottles of Prosecco…

The photos need no explanation, just good friends, even better times, befriending strangers, dancing on tables, silly posing and a whole load of drunken blurry photos! Here’s to you two babes… I felt awful the next day but looks like we had a super fun evening!! xx

dscf3591 dscf3592 dscf3594 dscf3597 dscf3598 dscf3602 dscf3607 dscf3610 dscf3615 dscf3618 dscf3620 dscf3623 dscf3624 dscf3627 dscf3632 dscf3634 dscf3640 dscf3643 dscf3644 dscf3652 dscf3657 dscf3658 dscf3660 dscf3661 dscf3663 dscf3667

Photo-a-day Dairy 5/52

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by lotales in Photo-a-day Diary

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2013, 2013 in photos, beard, best friends, boyfriend, burgers, craft, Make, peacocks, photo-a-day, photo-a-day diary, skype

And now for your second dose of Photo-a-day…

5/52

Jan 28

 

28/1 – Beautiful Peacock… one of the reasons I adore working at Staunton!

Jan 29

 

29/1 – I adore waking up next to this one

Jan 30

 

31/1 – Some times the most simple of dinners is the best!

Feb 1

 

1/2 – Opening night of ‘Make’ (more on this later!)

Feb 2

 

2/2 – Staying in is the new going out.

Feb 3

 

3/2 – Birthday tradition with Auzzie best friend, we open pressies together! 🙂

First time experiences…

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by lotales in Rambling Words

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

baby swimming, best friends, First time experiences, swimming

I am so excited…

I am going swimming today with my best friend, and we’re taking her teeny baby girl, Miss Edie Jean for her first time in a swimming pool!

Ekk… It’s bound to be cuteness overload!!

Happy Friday all, hope it’s a good one…

Lotales

face square

Welcome

Ami Lowman is a maker, blogger & owner of the creative brand Mia Mai who lives with her fiancé in the seaside town of Southsea, Uk.

Ami is currently planning the wedding of their dreams, loves all things vintage, takes too many photos and has a thing for the old, weird and forgotten.

Pages

  • About
  • Links
  • Contact

Join 200 other followers

Categories

  • 10 Most Wanted (16)
  • Art of the Week (32)
  • Craft (16)
  • Eat | Recipes (26)
  • Events (17)
  • Family (23)
  • Fashion (17)
  • Holiday (18)
  • Make (22)
  • Mia Mai (16)
  • Photo-a-day Diary (52)
  • Photography (11)
  • Places I go (36)
  • Rambling Words (53)
  • Shopping (27)
  • Show & Tell (37)
  • Southsea (26)
  • Things I do (78)
  • Things I like (54)
  • Uncategorized (3)
  • wedding (42)

Search

All content owned by Lotales unless otherwise stated. You may not take images or content from this site without written permission.

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • lotales.wordpress.com
    • Join 200 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • lotales.wordpress.com
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...