Seoul Photographer Captures My Bachelorette Weekend

Hello, hello! I’m so excited to be sharing with you guys a few photos from my recent trip to Seoul, Korea!

When I got engaged last year and asked my sister to be my Maid of Honor, I also requested her not to plan a bridal shower anymore. Instead, I wanted us to travel together with my cousins, who all happen to be my bridesmaids. We ended up choosing Seoul, because we wanted to experience the sights, food, and culture—not to mention the skincare shopping! As soon as we decided, we booked our flights and our Airbnb, which was conveniently located in Yongsan. (You can check out the listing here.) We stayed for three nights, and tried to maximize our trip as much as possible, with my sister taking charge of our itinerary.

We had our own mini shoot in our Airbnb

On the first day, which was the day we arrived, we took a train from the airport to our Airbnb, and ended up checking in past 3pm. Our hosts, a local married couple, welcomed us warmly and briefed us on their unit—which had three bedrooms and two bathrooms that comfortably fit all six of us. We had a very late lunch at a Korean BBQ restaurant nearby, and to be honest, this was probably my favorite meal of the entire trip because of the large servings at a very reasonable price! We also had time to explore Dongdaemun, before heading back home.

We spent most of our second day in Nami Island, before heading to Myeongdong where I practically went crazy shopping! This was where I bought most of my pasalubong for my family, as well as all my skincare hauls—including the cult-favorite Missha Time Revolution Treatment Essence and Ampoule.

On our third and last full day, we went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, where we got to experience wearing a Hanbok! This was also the day we met with our Seoul photographer, Changbok, who we booked via Sweet Escape. I mentioned it on my Instagram, but it’s worth mentioning it here again that not everyone is lucky enough to have their sister and cousins as their bridesmaids. Our age gaps aren’t exactly the closest—I’m 11 years older than my youngest cousin, and I grew up carrying them, playing with them, helping change their diapers, and taking care of them. I watched them transform from ugly ducklings to beautiful swans, and though we’re no longer on the same wavelength as compared to when we were all still studying (I guess work has a tendency to age you and make you a cranky, old lady. Haha!), and they now have their own world full of things I can’t relate to or have a hard time appreciating, it’s nice to see them developing their characters and carving their own paths. I can only hope that I’m setting a right example as the eldest, and being there enough to guide them. This trip really meant a lot to me, because I don’t know when we’ll be able to do this again. We had a lot of epic fails and misadventures from the moment we left, up until we got home. But these are exactly the kind of stories and experiences that make you look back and appreciate everything even more—which is why I had to book Sweet Escape to document it!

Check out some of our photos below:

If there’s any special moment in the Philippines or out of the country that you want to capture, download the Sweet Escape app and use my code GRETCHEN to get $50 off plus extra 30 photos when you book a photographer in your country of destination!

To see or read more about our trip, you can search the hashtag #SeouLongSinglehood on Instagram (hashtag credit belongs to my sister. Haha!). Feel free to also comment down below if you have any questions about our trip or Sweet Escape. I’d be more than happy to answer them!

Seoul Photographer Captures My Bachelorette Weekend