The Sweetest 30th Birthday Tea Ever Sees This Houston Girl Bring Palm Beach Home — How The Marigold Club Transformed

From the lavish array of flowers to the glorious tablescape, from the fancy frocks to the elaborate millinery, this opulent 30th birthday tea party held at The Marigold Club inspired a flood of Instagram posts. And who would expect anything less from the talented, trés chic Heather Almond, Neiman Marcus’ brand experience manager, when plotting her own 30th birthday tea.

“I had been debating a Palm Beach getaway for this occasion, but the moment I saw the Atrium Room at The Marigold Club, I felt like Palm Beach had come to Houston,” Almond reveals in an email to PaperCity. “I knew right away it was the perfect spot for a Thir-Tea Party.”

The private room oozes Palm Beach elegance reminiscent of the iconic Colony Hotel with its its mirrored and lime green lattice wall coverings, dainty chair cushions in tropical prints and plush lime green draperies. The requisite pink provided by the peonies in the florals and the cocktail napkins monogramed in pink and green.

As a special touch, Almond tapped her friend Tara Martin of DTLA Custom to have each guest’s dinner napkin individually monogramed in pink and green, making for a lovely keepsake.

And then, of course, was the Ruinart Rosé Champagne, a favorite discovered during Almonds’ mother-daughter trip through France’s champagne region last summer. Peggy Almond flew in from Sea Island, Georgia for her daughter’s milestone birthday celebration.

No detail of the celebration was left to chance. Almond tasked Dallas’ 5 by 7 Designs to create the invitations, the menus and the beautifully curated vintage stamps.

“I’ve followed 5 by 7 Designs on Instagram for a couple of years and have always admired their work,” Almond notes. “I sent them photos of The Marigold Club’s Atrium Room and the Paradis collection for design inspiration, and they captured the essence of both beautifully in the invitation suite.”

Design Fun

For the table, Almond ordered Raynaud Paradis chargers and vintage etched glassware from Posh Couture Rentals in Dallas. Table linens were custom-made through Spoonflower. Tiered tea stands interspersed between florals were from Mackenzie Childs. Dwight Woodbury of DL Woodbury Designs created the florals which overflowed with peonies, ranunculus, Lisianthus and a soft pop of blue from delphiniums.

“I’ve always loved the chinoiserie-inspired Paradis collection by Raynaud. So when I saw that Posh Couture Rentals carried the chargers, I knew I wanted to use that pattern as the foundation for the entire tablescape,” Almond notes.

Chinoiserie was inspiration for the birthday cake as well, created by Yen Kieu of Delectable Décor.

As the birthday celebration fell on the same day as the Royal Ascot, the invitation requested chapeaux for attire (it is a high tea after all) and all the  birthday girl’s friends brilliantly obliged. Almond’s fanciful hat was designed by Aimee Fuller to match her Monique Lhuillier dress and the event decor. Her hair and makeup were done by Andrea Simmons.

Special surprise guest was Almond’s boyfriend Robert Lartigue, who arrived with a boutique of fresh flowers.

PC Seen: Zinat Ahmed, Genevieve Carter, Whitney Kuhn Lawson, Tara Martin, Christina Greene McAllen, Catherine Brennan, Sara Nelson, Caroline Bortz, Claire Alderson, Ashley Seals, Melissa Lemos, Kelsey Finch, Monica Galvan, Alaine Bickel, and Lynn Cassady.