yours truly, lady whistledown

are you a bridgerton fan?

the old lady got me hooked on the show last year, and when i saw that they were doing a bridgerton-themed pop-up we picked a date and bought tickets.

it was postponed a couple of times for one reason or another, but we got to pick another date and then promptly forgot all about it until the old lady started seeing posts on instagram about it.  and as per usual, the time flew by and all of a sudden it was a couple of days away and we had no idea what we were going to wear.  we'd thought it was just a fun little thing where we'd get to see some costumes and props, maybe a photo op or two, whatevs.  but as it turned out, this thing was an *event* and people were dressing up in full costumes and the whole nine.  eeek.  like, this was literally all i owned that would work:

and so literally hours before the event, we hopped in the car and drove down to one of our favorite shops for pretty dresses - morning lavender.  we managed to find dresses that seemed suitable for the occasion and rushed home to get ready.

as i was steaming my dress, something caught my eye and when i went in for a closer look, i realized that the salesgirl had given me one that was two sizes smaller than i'd tried on.  yikes.  although as i was trying it on the thought had crossed my mind about maybe sizing down one...but not two.  but because the style of dress was fairly forgiving with a stretchy smocked bodice, i thought maybe it could still work - and miracle of all miracles, it did.  phew.

the pop-up was at the millennium biltmore in downtown l.a., a really pretty historic hotel that's getting ready to celebrate its 100th birthday and a perfect setting for such an event.

we checked in and received our "dance cards," which would give us access to the VIP area...whatever that meant.  

our next stop: the bridgerton boutique.

there were commemorative tees and hoodies:

and i was pretty stoked to find these, because i'd looked for some in local stores to complete my outfit and struck out.

i threw those bad boys on and then we found this pretty spot to take a picture together.

when it was showtime, we lined up with the other attendees, stepped behind that red velvet curtain and the fun began.

there were lots of show costumes in glass cases.

and of course, there was an even bigger and better gift shop - the "modiste."

there was bridgerton makeup:

bridgerton tea:

lots of tiaras.

and even more show costumes.

going further into the space, we found a bar that was very popular...especially with the handful of gentlemen who were present.  and it turned out that our dance card also entitled us to a glass of champagne, which we were more than happy to pick up.

stepping outside, we found this cute little space where you could enjoy your adult beverage, chat amongst yourselves, play a little croquet.

we found another photo op, and despite the old lady's distaste for such things we stopped for it since it seemed to be just one of those things you just do here.

in the tiffany room, we found another elaborate setup and more photo ops.

just as we were walking over to that pretty red couch, we were stopped and asked to stand back because the queen and her procession were making their way into the room for all of her subjects to present themselves to her in hopes of being crowned "the diamond of the season."

needless to say, we were happy to stand back along the outer edges of the crowd, away from the action and avoiding any possible attention.  it was pretty amusing watching all of these people clamoring for attention from the "queen" - especially with a glass of champagne in my system.  and then the queen and her entourage retreated from the room, leaving the attendants to usher everyone towards the ballroom through the side doors.

most of the attendees began to gather around the dance floor, and this is when our VIP status kicked in again because there was an elevated seating area at the other end of the room that overlooked the floor.  we flashed our dance cards at the attendants, who stepped aside to allow us access to the stairs.  and then as i glanced back towards the dance floor i noticed that our photo was displayed on one of the digital frames hanging above our heads.

as we sat back in our seats, the show began.  costumed dancers took the floor and started the show, accompanied by live musicians who played current-ish songs taken straight from the show's soundtrack.

at one point drapes fell from the ceiling that resembled the silks that we use in aerial yoga and so i thought it was going to get really interesting, but the dancers just kind of wrapped themselves in them and pranced around them and the old lady and i were just looking at each other wondering what the hell the point of all this was.

the queen reappeared on the floor, greeted the dancers, and then the person who had been chosen as "the diamond of the season" was brought to the center of the floor to be announced.  the room was full of disappointed ladies in rented costumes who really wanted to be in that spot.

the queen bid farewell to us one final time, followed by the musicians.  and then the dance floor filled up while a DJ somewhere in the room turned up the music, and it just turned into a big ol' dance party.  this was our cue to exit.  immediately.

this was our last stop of the night:

it was an entertaining, if slightly bizarre, evening.  to be honest, we really didn't know what to expect and so i don't think there was any disappointment.  plus, we'd had fun together and took home some fun swag like shirts and that special bridgerton tea because i don't call her the old lady for nothing.  and it gave us an excuse to get dressed up and feel pretty.  

and now we wait for the next season of bridgerton to drop...i'm guessing some time next year.  hopefully.