A Visit to Tea Party Castle

In 2010, before granddaughter Ellie was even born, I took granddaughters Brooke and Isabella to Tea Party Castle.  They were ages 4 and 7 at that time and absolutely loved it.  It was such a magical, fairytale experience.  Here's their pictures. 

Fast forward 10 years... Ellie saw the photos and has been asking if I'd take her.  Tea Party Castle is on its third owner since 2010, and it's been difficult to get a date for an event that worked for us.  But in early December they posted a Dolly and Me tea party scheduled for Jan. 12th.  I contacted my daughter-in-law to see if the date worked for Ellie, and when she said it did I purchased our tickets.

Yesterday was a horrible day in Michigan weather-wise.  Mother Nature sent freezing rain throughout Saturday night, and by Sunday morning all the roads were ice covered.  But Tea Party Castle said the tea party was still a go, so Ellie and I braved it.  Below is eight-year-old Ellie when we arrived at 11:15 a.m.  It was a sold-out event and all the other little princesses braved the weather too.

The tea party was first, before the little girls changed into their princess gowns.   They served lemonade and real flavored tea.  Ellie chose lemonade.  The tiered server held assorted crackers, cheese, fruit, cookies, and decorated mini-cupcakes.  Ice cream with a magical spoon that turned colors was served after they finished the tiered server.

The two 'big girl' princesses were delightful.  They gave the little girls a mini etiquette lesson about their napkin and teacup, and used a little ditty about a teacup and saucer I had never heard before:  one is for sips, one is for drips, and one is for lips.

Then it was time to pick out their princess gowns.  Ellie wanted a pink gown, and it took three tries before she found one that fit just right.

Then she went into another room to have her hair done.

Here's the transformed princess!

After all the little girls had been made up, they sang and danced with the big girl princesses.

The tea party concluded at 3:30 p.m. with lots of fun and happy memories for all the little princesses.

For local readers, Tea Party Castle is located in Shelby Township, MI.  The cost for the Dolly and Me tea party was $52.