Time for Tea - Part I

Dress - Marshalls, Heels - JustFab, Bracelet - Gifted, Pearls - H&M, Fascinator - DIY

Over the weekend, I had the privilege of helping to throw one of my lovely friends a garden tea party bridal shower in anticipation of her special day. Because a garden tea party has all the elements that I love (i.e. girlyness, femininity, a vintage feel, giant hats, and of course, tea), I couldn't have been more excited to dive into the event's preparations, including my outfit. I'll have another post later this week showing the details of the party and the fun DIY projects that went into planning it, but for today, I wanted to focus on my tea party outfit.

I stressed over what to wear because I wanted to help set the right mood for the party. I wanted to dress up appropriately for a tea party, but I didn't want to look too much like I was wearing a costume. At the end of the day, it was the accessories that decided my outfit for me. I knew I wanted sweet Mary Janes, strings of pearls, and a bright fascinator (I also wanted white gloves, but they made me look like Minnie Mouse), so it just seemed to necessitate that I keep the dress simple, elegant, and feminine. I can't believe what a versatile piece this little green dress has been for me. See how I styled it differently HERE and HERE.

The fascinator I made myself after several failed attempts to find one I liked. I just bought a bunch of colored nylon netting, some pretty feathers from a local craft shop, cut a piece of felt into a circle, and went to work putting it all together with a glue gun and some ribbon. I'm thrilled with how it turned out (even though Boyfriend said I looked ridiculous), and it really ended up completing my tea party look. I am now advocating that fascinators become the next trend in the U.S. I want to start rocking one of these every day. Come on, ladies, who's with me?

Stay tuned for details on the fascinator I made for the bride-to-be, as well as more pics and DIY tutorials for some of the fun details I put together for the event.