It’s not every day you meet a girl in wellies sitting beneath a fake tree, alongside a giant cupcake, a fibreglass poodle, a four-foot high toy soldier and a Dalek.
Meet Gemma Taylor, the head of a niche Dorset prop hire business – Prop Dead Gorgeous. Specialising in corporate parties, one-off events and photo-shoots, there is not a theme that Gemma can’t create.
With her three Buckland Newton warehouses bursting to capacity and a new showroom (open by appointment), this is without doubt, a prop lover’s paradise.
There’s a frozen ice palace, life-like dinosaurs, even a hippo waiter. Gemma, 24, has worked with the likes of BAFTA, Harrods and even Number 10.
“We can bring a bit of fun and some excitement,” she says. “It could be a wedding, party or corporate dinner. When you walk into an event we’ve dressed you’re instantly transported into another world.”
Gemma, a Bournemouth University graduate, joined Crafty Arty World, the umbrella group, three years ago. But the award-winning Prop Dead Gorgeous is very much her project.
“My favourite is the hippo butler holding a drinks tray, but we can dress pretty much any kind of theme. We can recreate Crufts, Grease (Greece, too presumably) and, of course, Frozen.
“We source from all over the country but we also have a team of scenic builders. A lot of our props are bespoke made. If you can imagine it, we can bring it to life.”
Find out more at propdeadgorgeous.com.
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