It’s been tough 18 months, hasn’t it? And I’m not just talking about the wedding industry. We’ve isolated, we’ve furloughed, we’ve worked from home and businesses have gone under. Even worse we’ve seen family members struggle with illness and we’ve lost loved ones. Times are still fragile, but July brings hope of restrictions eased and life returning to normal – albeit a new normal from the one before. The good news for Simply Devine is that weddings are back on without restricted numbers, though currently there’s no dancing at the reception! (Not sure how you can defend thousands packing into the stands at Wembley to watch a football match, but you can’t have a boogie with your cousin!) Hopefully by the 19th (my wedding anniversary!) that rule will be consigned to the history books. So what’s new at Simply Devine? Well, we have an abundance of hats, hatinators and fascinators this year, due to the fact that we were closed for so many months. Pinks and blues remain among our most popular colours, and we have just about every shade under the sun. Greens too are popular this year, especially emerald and dark forest green. The weather, however, has been very unpredictable. From glorious sunshine to torrential rain, and now a promised heatwave, knowing whether to wear sleeves or a jacket is a common issue for mothers of the bride or groom. We have a solution! Not only do we have hundreds of hats, but we also have a very large collection of beautiful pashminas to solve the problem. Wear your pashmina draped gracefully over one shoulder, use as a shawl, or even tie at the back like a bolero, and your problem is solved. And if it’s not needed, just leave it folded up and use as a pretty scarf in the winter. Once again, we have pashminas in just about every colour to match your outfit. And finally – remember our three brides who were victims of the wedding restrictions? Caroline and Tom did get married as planned, albeit with a smaller number of guests. Lavinia and Jack also tied the knot at the register office, and had a much-slimmed down wedding – though sadly for Lavinia, it meant her close family from the Netherlands were unable to attend. She plans a bigger party and blessing later in the year. And finally, Fiona and Andy are happily making plans for next year, in the hope that everything will be back to normal by then. So just a reminder that we are now open for business and look forward to seeing you, and helping you to look amazing!
It's been a very very busy hat year, and to celebrate we have once again been shortlisted for The Nation's Wedding Awards (to be held in Birmingham in November). We have been selected as a Finalist too for The English Wedding Awards in 2025!!! How hat exciting is that! We will be celebrating our 21st birthday in 2025, so hopefully we will have lots to celebrate! A great big thank you to all our hat customers all over the world, including all our local customers who obviously know where the Simply Devine Hat Shop is in Tadcaster. We have been very hat blessed for nearly 21 years!!!