For years, I was a traditional wedding hair and makeup artist. And honestly? I was good at it. I worked with countless Nearlyweds, built my business, learned my craft and poured everything I had into creating beautiful wedding looks.

But somewhere along the way, I started to feel a little lost in myself.

I was creating work that looked like what I thought a wedding artist should create, rather than work that felt like me. I was constantly trying to fit into the traditional wedding industry, when deep down, I knew I had never really belonged there. Because I’ve always been drawn to the darker side of beauty. Alternative fashion. Gothic glamour. Moody, unapologetic makeup. The kind of looks that make you feel like the absolute best version of yourself.

And then it clicked.

So I stopped trying to fit myself into a mould that was never made for me and started building something that was. I grafted. Hard. I worked with countless incredible Nearlyweds, refined my craft, found my voice and built a business around the kind of weddings, people and beauty I genuinely believe in.

And in 2025, that grew into Katie Gale’s Unconventional Collective. I founded the Collective because I knew I couldn’t be the only artist who wanted to do things differently. I wanted to create a team of artists who understood that your wedding hair and makeup doesn't have to look like everyone else's.

Together, we're bringing authentic, alternative, vintage and gothic hair and makeup to Nearlyweds across the UK. No copy & paste looks. No trying to make you look like someone you're not. No asking you to tone yourself down for your wedding day.

Just brilliant artists, big personalities, beautiful hair and makeup, and a whole lot of you.

Because if I've learned anything along the way, it's this:

You don't need to become someone else to be a Nearlywed. You just need to become more of yourself.