Background
Thelma Madine grew up in Croxteth, Liverpool with her older brother, Tom. Her father was an engineer and her mother worked in catering. After she left school, she worked in wedding catering with her mother.
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Thelma Madine
Edit Profiledressmaker television personality
Career
She rose to fame after appearing as the gypsy wedding dressmaker in, a Channel 4 documentary on Irish Travellers as they prepare for marriage. She is best known for her outlandish creations, including a palm tree wedding gown with Swarovski crystals. Business took off when she began designing Communion outfits, but a few years later business disintegrated and she was forced to close shop.
She set up a stall in Paddy"s Market still selling Communion clothes, specialising in christening outfits for girls.
Madine"s designs were inspired by the elaborateness of historical outfits. After that, she received more requests and gradually attracted the attention of the media, including Jenny Popplewell, the creator and developer of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.
Madine initially declined invitations to appear on the Channel 4 show,, as she had done something similar in 2007 and did not like the way the traveller community had been portrayed. Eventually she agreed and the show became a success.
In 2014, she teamed up with The English Ladies Company, china figurines designers based in Stoke-on-Trent, to create a range of figurines called Gypsy Wedding Dreams.
Each figurine is inspired by Madine"s wedding dress designs, and individually handmade by artisans, hence the unique appearance and high attention to detail.
