Afternoon Tea at the Ballantyne Resort affords you the opportunity to experience a southern take on classic British tea time. Brimming with southern hospitality, these “themed” teas are met with the most impeccable white glove service and a crew of hosts and hostesses you will absolutely fall in love with!
Elegant, dainty, and divine…
Three simple words that come to mind after my Afternoon Tea experience at the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, NC.
As some of you know, since hosting my first Afternoon Tea this past February, I have become low-key obsessed with the culture, history and the “carrying-ons” of afternoon tea. (IDK why, but I just feel like there was a lot of “carrying on” at these social gatherings.)
Not to worry, I’m working on a blog post on how to host an afternoon tea party, in which I will highlight some of the history of afternoon tea, but for now, I want to give you a little insight into how it’s done with a southern flair.
Enter the Ballantyne Resort...
This weekend I had the pleasure of experiencing the resort’s take British tea time at their “Yellow Brick Road” themed afternoon tea and I have to say, it was magnificent!
The attention to detail was out of this world; the tea hostesses were dressed in costumes and the tea towers were flooded with “sweets, savories and scones" in true English Tea fashion. Honestly, everything was absolutely manifique!
"Afternoon Tea" is more than just the tea you drink. "Tea" is used to describe a light meal that is usually taken in between lunch and dinner. It is served with delicate finger sandwiches and sweet desserts along with scones with Devonshire cream (or sometimes clotted cream) and jams.
At the resort we chose from an extensive list of England’s finest teas and ate some of the cutest and most delicious treats and tea sandwiches. My fave... the yellow deviled eggs topped with caviar!
And as if that wasn’t lavish, we toasted with Moet Chandon champagne and we sipped the afternoon away.
But wait, there’s more.
Some attendees were in full costumes dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz while others wore beautiful dresses and fascinators. On the contrary, there’s no need to get all dressed up if you don’t want to. A simple sun dress or even jeans, heels and a blouse will do the trick.
One of the things I love most about afternoon tea at the resort is each month there is a theme on select weekends. There are "rumblings around the court" that there will be a Harry Potter themed tea coming soon which gives me an excellent reason to go back. You can check out their upcoming themes here.
So how about you? Have you had the chance to experience afternoon tea? If so, where? Let us know in the comments so we can find new places to experience.
xoxo – Rue Hite