Filled with romantic regal attire, The Top Pic Collective hosts their second annual Bridgerton Experience in Detroit!
Dubbed the “Theme Queen” of Detroit, MunaCoterie Event Planner Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective is known for her over-the-top themed events. She loves creating fully immersive experiences with lots of glamour and unique details. Her Bridgerton Garden Brunch Experience in Detroit was no exception!
Set to be held outdoors in the gardens of Marygrove College, the Bridgerton brunch took place on Sunday, July 2nd, 2023, with a slight twist.
On the day of the event, “It rained like cats and dogs!” Britney recalls.
While their team was not expecting inclement weather, the best event orchestrators are masters of the “pivot,” and Britney and her talented vendor team made it work.
Transitioning from an outdoor garden setting into the oak hall of Marygrove College, the Top Pic Collective team transformed the intimate space into a full-on Bridgerton ballroom!
Walking through a wisteria-decorated entryway, guests were greeted by a violinist playing elegant, Bridgerton-inspired tunes. Wearing bold, beautiful, and elegantly regal attire with crowns and jewels galore, towering white wigs, intricate fans, long coiled tresses, and extravagant hats stood out in the crowd.
A white royal chair situated before a pretty pink flower wall served as a perfect photo-op moment. Guests reveled in gold decor details, enjoyed live entertainment, and delved into a delicious brunch.
Ultimately, despite the weather, guests’ expectations were exceeded! Britney and her team couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.
Bridgerton depicts us as royal, above the status quo, as people with riches and money. Even if it’s pretend for that era, I love that aspect of the show. Just being able to see people who look like me in a whole different fashion.
– Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective
In the exclusive interview, we are going Behind The Brand with Britney Hoskins to learn more about her story, her planning process, and the inside scoop on her second Bridgerton Experience event!
- Brand: The Top Pic Collective
- Date of Event: Sunday, July 2nd, 2023
- Venue: Marygrove College (Detroit, Michigan)
- Blog Series: Behind The Brand
Tell us a bit about your journey into the wedding and events industry.
“There isn’t a fairytale story there at all,” Britney shares.
Growing up on the East Side of Detroit and being a teen mom, Britney admits “Life wasn’t the easiest.”
However, from a young age, entrepreneurship was a propelling force in her life.
My first car was an ice cream truck when I was 16. So, I’ve known that I wanted to be a business owner literally all my life.”
– Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective
Seeking a different future for herself, Britney’s natural inclination towards business and her dream of owning her own company one day led her to study Entrepreneurship in college.
This was just the beginning of her journey.
When did you first realize you were passionate about planning events?
Britney shares, “Believe it or not, I started off with a photo booth. I had a really easy barrier to entry so it cost like $2,000 and boom you can have a photo booth. So I started off with that and I got to see a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff.”
Arriving early to events to set up her photo booth station, Britney watched and observed how event planners and designers did their jobs. “It seemed chaotic,” she says, smiling.
In spite of the chaos, she liked it: “I thought to myself, I bet I would be good at doing that.”
Britney’s planning journey officially took root when she planned her and her husband’s 5-year wedding anniversary.
“I planned the entire party and it was a big thing,” she shares. “Everyone was talking about it! We had a harpist and chocolate fountains… it was a super cool event and everyone was like this is super unique.”
From that day forward, the Top Pic Collective (TPC) was born!
“We honed in on events that had unique themes,” she shares, “that’s kind of how we got the name “theme queen.”
Honing in on themed events, Britney strives to fully immerse guests in whatever experience they would like to have. She recalls the company’s earliest events, like their Safari-themed functions, and renting mist machines to make guests feel like they’re walking through the jungle.
“Smell, hear, and feel… we would think through a lot of those details, which really make our events super memorable.”
Engaging the senses creates a truly more immersive experience for all attendees.
For Britney, the planning and creative process is all about research.
When I have a theme, I completely engross myself in that theme.
– Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective
Everything from watching movie clips to Youtube and looking at other pre-existing parties or events for inspiration is all part of her process. She focuses on how to make those themes even better and also scopes out what was missing.
“I’m [always] looking at ways to elevate it even more than previous events,” she explains.
Her love of over-the-top themed events coincides with her dream client!
“Definitely, someone who is a glamour girl,” she says, laughing. “Love me some glamour girls, girls who love over-the-top, pretty, in-your-face stuff.”
If she had to choose one celebrity dream client, Britney admits she would absolutely LOVE to plan an event for Cardi B!
“To me, [Cardi B] idolizes ‘Girl imma be who imma be, you can like it or you can like it.'”
In addition to Cardi’s own extravagant and glam style, Brintey resonates with “glamour girls” because they “tend to give you free rein.”
“My clients all have that in common,” she adds. “They trust me 1,000 percent and once I have their vision, they know that I’m going to create something that’s magical.”
On starting the Bridgerton Brunch (and deciding to do it again, this year!):
Surprisingly, Britney’s idea for her Bridgerton Brunch event started after she planned her birthday party last year around the same theme.
“Bridgerton had just dropped and I really wanted to do something super, super different. And I thought, how cool would it be to see everybody all dressed up in this super fun party?”
Looking back on her childhood, she remembered practicing her British accent with her sister. This memory added a playful incentive to bring this unique party theme to life!
The reviews afterward were just great.
Everybody loved being able to dress up, everybody loved seeing everybody else dressed up, and of course, I engulfed them in the theme.
– Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective
In true Top Pic Collective fashion, the event was not just about the guests showing up in glam attire. Every detail was considered!
From hiring queens to a living champagne wall, a wisteria entrance, a violinist, and living statues, all within an elegant garden setting— “Everything about it put you into the whole mood of Bridgerton. Everybody loved it. ”
On bringing the Bridgerton event back for another season, Britney admits it is not something she normally does.
“I have a very known rule. Britney does not run parties back,” she says. “But the reviews tugged at my heartstrings! Just being able to see all these Black people dressed up as royalty was super cool. They enjoyed having something different that they could be a part of that didn’t fit in the norm. I knew I had to bring it back!”
Of course, Britney is also a big fan of the Netflix show!
“I LOVE Queen Charlotte. They did such a great job with that. I really love that they don’t depict Black people as poor slaves. Instead, it’s a show that depicts us as royal, above the status quo, as people with riches and money. Even if it’s pretend for that era, I love that aspect of the show. Just being able to see people who look like me in a whole different fashion.”
This year’s event brought guests from near and far.
“My favorite part was for sure all the people finding me and telling me how far they came to be there,” Britney shares. “We had people who drove from Cleveland (4 hours), Benton Harbor Grand Rapids, and people who flew in (like my best friend, from DC).”
People solely came from what they heard about the event, and for them to tell me that it didn’t disappoint and exceeded their expectations, those are the types of things that really just pour into my heart.
– Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective
In true Bridgerton fashion, crowning the diamond was a perfect way to end the event.
“When we crowned the diamond, that’s always a really special moment.”
“When you have these grown women (whom all of us are really like in our late twenties, in the over thirty crowd); when you tell us that we can turn into a princess, you can just see them turn into little Barbie dolls. And when they receive that title, they’re like “Oh my god, me?!”. I love that part of the day. I love making people feel so special.”
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Vendors:
- Host: Britney Hoskins of The Top Pic Collective
- Venue: Marygrove College (Detroit, Michigan)
- Executive Assistant: Kenya “Kay” Stuart
- Photographer: @maglc.moments
- Violinist: Rodney Page
- Models: PresTina Glover | AJ Miller |POLISHED MODELS CO. | Faith Elmonia Laurent
- Catering: Plated By Chef Dominique
- Queen’s Makeup Artist: @nneka
- Bartender: Laporsha Rakestraw @eleven21
- Aerialist: Lauren
- 360 Photo Booth: Ulysses Brown of Captured Visuals
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