GOWN Bridal Market was created by Kate Beavis, owner and founder of Magpie Wedding and Bridal Fashion Coach Joanna Southwell. Both wedding industry obsessives who saw a gap in the bridal buying industry and wanted to create something that filled it. We are passionate about giving emerging talent the ability to show their talents and designs, something that was financially out of reach for so many, until now. We love design-led bridal fashion that is different and the retailers that allow brides access to these designs.
Kate Beavis
Kate Beavis is the owner and founder of the contemporary wedding blog, Magpie Wedding, The ECO Wedding Shows and BOND Bride Magazine. She is passionate about supporting wedding businesses to connect with like-minded couples while championing topics often not discussed in the wedding world, such as relationship advice, periods, sex, well-being, accessibility and mental health. While weddings are wonderful it is the marriage that matters is her mantra. Magpie Wedding has appeared in prestigious publications such as Elle, Marie Claire, Radio 4 and Channel 4.
Kate also runs a marketing agency called The Indie Practice with the wedding offshoot Wedding Whisperers quietly supporting businesses with content, social media, Pinterest and PR. She is Bedfordshire’s Business Woman of the Year, recognised for her work supporting indie businesses. Kate also writes for magazines and papers (she regularly comments on royal weddings for The Express), is a published author and runs Fearless at 50, supporting women to be fearless in midlife.
Joanna Southwell
Joanna is a mentor and business coach for bridal designers and retailers. She opened her own award-winning bridal shop, Woburn Bridal for fashion-forward brides in 2015 which was proudly the first all-British designer store here in the UK. The shop was featured in all the top wedding publications including Festival Brides, You & Your Wedding, Brides, Love My Dress, Rock My Wedding and Joanna was a fashion feature writer for a prominent wedding magazine.
After growing the brand significantly, Joanna merged the shop with the alternative couture bridal house Bowen Dryden and went on to manage the brand. The business was forever fully booked, went viral many times, and was featured across the globe. Their garments were featured in, Vogue, OK!, Malvie, Rock n Roll Bride, Insposa, to name a few.
Part of Joanna’s role was to grow the wholesale side of the brand in the UK and across Europe.
Throughout her career, Joanna has created, managed and styled shoots for some of the best emerging and well-established bridal brands both in the UK and internationally. Her work has been featured in Tatler, Sheerluxe, Green Wedding Shoes, The Metro, Bridal Buyer & many more.
Company Number: 13804292
Company Address: 6 Crane Way, Cranfield, Beds. MK43 0HW
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