TV Bridal Weekend 9-12 September 2010

I attended the above event, which was held at the Wroxton Manor House Hotel, in the village of Wroxton, near Banbury, Oxfordshire.

There was an option to stay at the hotel from Thursday night to Sunday morning, but I stayed from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning due to work. The 100 odd mile drive seemed to go quite quickly and checking into the hotel was very smooth. The hotel itself was lovely, the food was excellent and the staff friendly and helpful towards its all TV guests.

For me, this was a unique opportunity to experience femininity and although it was not strictly gender role reversal, for I was at the event as a transvestite with my femme name of Jasmine, it was a way to experience living a feminine life.

I had brought far too much to wear. In addition to my bridal gown and bridesmaid's dress, I had brought a large quantity of dresses, skirts, blouses and underwear, along with all of the accessories needed.

After unpacking, I tried on a variety of outfits and decided to keep it simple with a purple blouse, pencil skirt, tights and black high heeled shoes. I wore a bruntte bobbed wig and carried my handbag, which contained my purse for notes and my small change purse, amongst other things.

After taking a very deep breath (for this was the first time anyone had ever seen me dressed), I ventured out from the privacy of my room into the main hotel, mincing along in my high heels and feeling self conscious. To my relief nobody I met as much as raised an eyebrow. I ordered myself a glass of wine and had to root around in my handbag for my purse to pay for it. The barman did not react in any way to my appearance or behaviour.

I gradually realised that the sight of a man dressed as a lady was not going to bring the world crashing down around me, as I had feared.

I joined a group of other trannies and chatted with them. They were very friendly and interested in me as a newcomer to the tranny scene.

Time seemed to fly by and it was soon time to dress up for the theme for Friday night, Spain, or more specifically, female spaniards. I donned a leotard, black tights and a flemenco skirt. The costumes of many of the other guests were much more impressive than mine, complete with castanets and black lace mantillas, but the evening was a success, especially the paella meal.

I was complimented on my appearance and was told that I was very feminine and made a very passable woman, which I found very flattering. Many of the other guests lamented that they were too tall, or too old, or too broad in the shoulders. I had a really lovely night, although the wine went down a little too well and I found myself nodding off during a session of ditties and so had to forgo the disco and turn in early.

My night attire was a little white satin babydoll, which showed off more of my smooth, hairless body than it hid.

For breakfast, I wore a denim miniskirt, tights and a pink and lilac striped top along with my wig and a pair of low heeled shoes and had to admit as I admired myself in the mirror that I looked quite pretty and feminine.

I carried my handbag around with me constantly, as of course I had no pockets, and gradually grew used to lugging it around with me. I also had to get used to wearing heels and the swish of a skirt around my exposed legs.

Other things that were new to me was wearing fragances and having a bosom. I had purchased a plunge bra, padded it and wore it almost continuously for the whole event. I had also perfumed my body for a more feminine odour.

By now, I was getting some idea of how the other sex lived, and of both the pleasures and difficulties of being a member of the feminine gender.

After breakfast came the main event - the reason why we were here - the chance to become a bride and to get married in a mock ceremony. I was asked by the organiser, Danielle and the "Registrar", Eleanor, what time I would like to be married and how I would like the service to be conducted. The ceremony could be the traditional one or humourous or even lyrically based. As a newcomer who still did not know many of the other guests, I stuck with the traditional ceremony.

My wedding was not for some time, so I featured as a female guest in a floral frock, necklace and lilac picture hat for the first few ceremonies. Grooms were hard to come by as we all wanted to be girls! However, some volunteers were eventually found.

To my disappointment, although I had brought a digital camera, it didn't seem to be working properly and I had failed to bring the instruction booklet, but some of the guests have some pictures of me in my feminine finery that I am hoping to obtain and post some of these as soon as possible.

Another disappointment (the only one of this event) was that although the organiser had arranged for a make up lady to come and make us blushing brides into beautiful ones, she had failed to show. We would have to make do without her.

The time of my wedding had come and I was fully dressed as a bride in a white wedding gown, with much embroidery and beadwork, a lace veil, pretty tiara, pearl necklace and white lace gloves. Underneath the gown I wore a corset, to which were attached my lacy topped white stockings, and a pair of satin knickers, with a deep lace hem. I wore a pair of silver high heeled shoes upon which I perched and found somewhat uncomfortable to wear (I was learning that being pretty was a lot harder than it looked).

I had to admit that I did look quite lovely and feminine in my gown, stockings, shoes and veil. The ceremony was quite lovely and went off without a hitch, with a bridesmaid to help me with my long train. Afterwards, photos of the bridal party were taken outside (again, I am hoping to obtain copies of these), and then a big photo session of all of us brides in our wedding finery. We all looked quite stunning and beautiful.

I had put on my bridesmaid's dress, which was a full length lilac rose prom dress, that left my shoulders exposed, but which I loved as it moulded itself perfectly to my body. I also wore my tiara and a coral necklace. I never got the chance to be a bridesmaid, but did get to ride in a car in my bridesmaid's outfit.

The wedding ceremonies ended at 4pm and I changed into a more simple frock, the hem of which came down to mid thigh to show off my stockinged legs to best advantage, and high heels.. The evening meal was again delicious and there were various raffles and prizes and a Karen Carpenter tribute performer, who was also a tranny.

I spoke to more guests, who were all very friendly and I exchanged contact details with some of them. One of the real women there, who was there with her tranny husband, told me that when she had first seen me dressed she had thought I was a real woman, which was a real compliment and illustrated how convincingly feminine I could appear.

Most of the guests had been trannies for many years and said that twenty years earlier, attitudes towards them back then had been more hostile and even earlier than twenty years ago it was very difficult to be a tranny, but that attitudes towards us were changing for the better.

Perhaps, one day, attitudes will change to the extent that it will not only be acceptable for a male to wear feminine clothing and accessories but will become perfectly normal male dress.

The following morning, I went down to breakfast in a blouse, short black skirt, tights and low heeled shoes and afterwards said my goodbyes, for it was Sunday morning and checking out time, and drove home.

I had thoroughly good time at the event and it fulfilled my mission of experiencing femininity as a bride, (almost) as a bridesmaid and as a woman in frocks, blouses and skirts. It also gave me a glimpse into a possible future world where men will happily take the traditional feminine roles and where women might one day assume the masculine roles, in keeping with their emergence as the dominant sex.