tea time

yesterday me and my four best friends drove up to Salt Lake City to do a little pre-birthday celebration. my birthday is not until the 21st but it was the day that worked out for everyone the best! 

i got the idea from my sister-in-law, Claire, who went to tea time a few weeks ago to reenact her study abroad in London this summer.

so me and the girls got all dressed up and headed to the beautiful and luxurious Grand America Hotel.

it was marvelous.

there was marble and beautiful woodworking throughout the building, with deep, rich colors and gold trim everywhere.

we sipped herbal tea and hot chocolate from fine china and pretended to be graceful.

little girls in pink dresses came with their mothers to have a tea party, and us girls giggled and chatted through a delectable afternoon.

our waitress presented us with scones and finger sandwiches, lemon curd and english creme, fresh strawberries and sweet pastries. 

i felt like a lady.

it was everything that i thought it would be.

fancy, elegant, and fun.

when in doubt, pinky out!

my favorite girls in all the world :)

i felt very festive in the outfit i chose to wear. A thrifted red dress, gray j.crew belt, gold chain and red fabric GAP necklace, sparkly gray GAP tights, and black Nordstrom Rack stilettos, with a gray and red floral Talbots jacket.

after tea we stopped at La Bonne Vie, the french patisserie in the Grand America. The shop was filled with all sorts of pastel colors, macarons, gelato, pastries, truffles, and pink accents.

it was beautiful! so girly and frilly.

as i've gotten older, i've really come to love birthday get-togethers like this. simple outings with my small group of best friends. whether it's going out to eat or going to afternoon tea, i love the feeling of being with my friends just chatting and relaxing.

i felt so sophisticated. i wanted yesterday to be classy and refined, and that's exactly what it was... not to mention a complete blast!