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Big, big thanks to all our amazing exhibitors, beautiful brides, gorgeous grooms and our stunning host for a lovely first Brides Up North event at brand new venue Thorp Perrow yesterday. Some images from the day are coming soon, but in the meantime I wanted to say how very privileged I feel to work alongside such inspirational people and to meet so many new friends yesterday too. Thank you for your support.
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This morning, we meet one of the fabulous Brides Up North Featured Suppliers whose sponsorship makes the wedding blog and indeed events like yesterday’s lovely exhibition possible – the dynamic duo behind knicker making maestro Top Drawer Diva. These girls have a passion for pants, and want to make your hen party an occasion to remember. Get ready to be frilled!
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How and when did Top Drawer Diva begin?
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In July 2010, we realized there was a gap in the market for hen party activities for the more crafty hens who wanted something different so we created a unique business celebrating the trend for all things crafty and combined this with our in depth knowledge of lingerie and textiles. Hey presto: our knicker-making master class was born!
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Who makes up the team and what is your background?
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Clare and Vicky are the ladies behind Top Drawer Diva. Clare Booth is a fabric technologist for a large UK lingerie brand with a degree in BSc (Hons) in Textiles from Heriot-Watt University and Vicki Williams is a lingerie designer for several UK high street retailers and brands with a BA (Hons) in Contour Fashion from De Montfort University.
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Tell us about your Folksy shop and commission services?
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We create beautiful bespoke garters and sell these mainly at wedding fairs but also have a selection on Folksy for brides to be to browse. All the garters are individually designed and made using European laces and embroideries sourced from contacts we made during our time in the lingerie industry. We prefer to receive commission work and love creating a product to the person’s individual’s style.
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We have just finished making a peg bag as a wedding gift at someone’s request; this combined a mix of vintage fabrics, embroideries plus a cheeky reference to pants with his and her underwear appliquéd on the reverse. Personalised embroidery of names, dates and times completes the ensemble.
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If you have an idea for a gift or garter please get in touch as we are happy to work with any project.
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Tell us about your knicker making parties? How do they usually work?
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We like to break the ice with a round of knicker bingo before cracking open the pink fizz and retro sweets to get everyone in the party mood. We then reveal the diva kit that contains every variety of coloured ribbon, laces, trims and sequins you can imagine ensuring every hen can craft an item to suit their style and personality. Examples of mood boards and inspiration knickers are shown to ward off any creative concerns.
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Parties usually last about three hours with a photo shoot showcasing everyone’s creations and the bride gets to choose her favourite pair and award the much coveted prize of ‘Prettiest Pants’. The hens then present the bride to be with two garters they have sneakily made during the party – one for the hen night and a more traditional cream one that can be worn on the big day. With hen parties in particular there is always a brilliant atmosphere and the great thing is that anybody from 19-90 can come along and enjoy them.
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Tell us about your workshops and the different types that you offer?
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We do offer beginner workshops and a few of them are specifically related to lingerie with our frilly knicker and waspie workshops being very popular. These are not the run on mill type of workshops and we believe give us that quirky edge. The knicker-making master classes for hen parties are keeping us so busy that we are only taking private bookings for other workshops. Please get in touch for details.
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What sets your business apart from your competitors?
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It’s our passion for pants that puts us on top!
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Who would be your dream client and why?
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Jessica Ennis because first and foremost she is a Northerner, a national gem and hugely inspirational. We believe that behind the cute girl next door image lies a diva that could create a pair of knickers that is worthy of a gold medal.
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Are there any really memorable parties that you have worked on and why?
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All are very memorable in their own way as we see fantastic designs, but generally the parties where the bride to be has no idea what to expect are hilarious. We like to get them guessing the activity ahead and one bride to be thought she was in for some housewife training as the diva kit includes an iron and ironing board, sewing machine and so on… a fantastic alternative side-line for the business but we don’t think the Mr Diva’s would agree!
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Have you got any parties or events coming up that you are really excited about?
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We do love showing at wedding fairs and explaining our concept to the brides (mainly to great amusement of the groom). We have also just been booked for a Women’s Institute presentation in Lincoln to do a ‘frilly knicker’ demonstration as part of their of 2014 upcoming events.
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What else is going on at Top Drawer Diva? Tell us about Stitch Club?
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For mini designers aged 9-12 we run afterschool and holiday stitch clubs. We hope to inspire the next generation with our knowledge and love of craft to learn traditional and modern skills of creating things from scratch. We find that the children are really enthusiastic and love learning and creating. We help them to make things like bunting and Ipod covers so they are fusing old techniques with new trends. Stitch Club also offer party packages for budding designers and their friends.
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How far in advance should Brides Up North get in touch with you to book a party or workshop?
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The more advance the enquiry the better to ensure availability of dates, sometimes we can even accommodate two parties in one day (location dependant).
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Can you give Brides Up North an idea on price?
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Usually prices are around £28-£30 per person and this includes all materials and equipment plus glass off pink fizz and a retro sweet fix, knicker themed party games, two garters are made for the bride to be by the hens on the day as an extra keepsake, photo shoot to showcase everyone’s creations and Prettiest Pants award judged by the main Diva (bride to be).
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We prefer at least 10 people or a minimum party fee of £200, and can cater for large group bookings of 20+
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Can you do a discount for Brides Up North readers?
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If you quote Brides Up North in your initial enquiry we will offer a 10% discount.
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Where are you located, what areas do you cover and can you travel?
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We are based on the Lincolnshire coast and cover a huge area of the North of and Midlands – it’s best to see our map by clicking here. Locations outside our boundaries are considered so please get in touch if you require a price.
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How can Brides Up North find out more?
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You can visit our website, Facebook or Twitter pages, and contact us by clicking here or on 07739 960568.
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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 supplied by Top Drawer Diva
Top Drawer Diva is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, and this is a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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