Staycation at The Townsend Hotel. This post was sponsored by The Townsend Hotel and contains affiliate links. To read more about my birthday go HERE.
Liz (withwonderandwhimsy.com) and I recently were hosted at The Townsend Hotel for an fun girls night out celebration for my birthday! Yes if you are keeping count this is my FOURTH birthday post, #sorrynotsorry.
We had a blast shooting in Birmingham, enjoying the fantastic amenities the Townsend has to offer, and eating out at a local hotspot. Liz is truly one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met, last year for my birthday she spoiled me with gifts, so naturally in return I did the same, when it comes to exchanging gifts as friends we are always trying to think of ways to spoil and surprise each other. And this year for my 30th birthday she put together this whole event. She wanted to give me the gift of a luxurious experience AND do all the things that we love to do together. Which would be shoot looks, eat out, drink, laugh, and pamper our selves. This is the gift that she gave me for my birthday. I am already dreaming up what I will be doing for her for her birthday this year. This one will be hard to top!
If you are from Michigan and haven’t been to Birmingham yet, you are really missing out! The Townsend Hotel is located right downtown Birmingham, and it is easily one of the TOP hotels in the area, from the service to the decor the Townsend has really set itself apart from the rest. We checked in in the afternoon, and I was so impressed with the attention to detail, from the chocolate on each pillow to the complimentary Champagne service that was sent up. The Townsend set us up to have a girls night out to remember. I mean LOOK at these birthday cupcakes they left in the room for us, just a little birthday sweet for when we arrived!
Liz and I each packed five looks to shoot in and around the hotel, I plan on sharing these with you in the coming weeks, this hotel is a photographers dream, every nook was well manicured and cared for. Finding places to shoot was so easy! We brought ALL of our equipment so we could take our time and play with the cameras and spend some time being creative. I feel like so often we are rushed through projects, and as you know I spend a lot of time in front of the camera. But what you may not know is how much I love being behind the lens, from shooting product photography to take candids of family I love being the photographer. The Townsend provided us with a beautiful space and the TIME to really get creative.
Girls Night Out
After shooting and touring the hotel all afternoon we got dressed up and walked to a local restaurant for dinner, Liz picked a place that she thought I would love, with trendy drinks and a fun active atmosphere! The Townhouse features new American dishes, craft cocktails and fantastic decor. We shared their Zombie Elyxier, it came in a giant copper pineapple, and honestly this restaurant made me feel like I was living my best instagram life. LOL. OF COURSE they knew it was my birthday so I was treated to their delicious vanilla cake complete with a firework as a candle. Keep scrolling to see what I am talking about.
The Townsend Hotel is so centrally located that we were able to walk to the restaurant and home, IN HEELS, as a women that love to travel this is truly an amenity in itself. Liz and I have traveled quite a bit together, and we always appreciate when hotels are close to everything. Another important note I want to add, is that we were COMPLETELY safe, I really appreciated how safe and easy it was to get from point A to point B. I never felt uneasy or on guard.
Back in our room, we drank champagne that the Townsend had sent up for us and played this ridiculous game Liz brought along(read about that on her blog). We rented a movie, and spent time just laughing and being together. I brought face masks to try, and we truly settled in for a good old fashioned slumber party.
Breakfast In Bed
The Townsend offers 24 hour room service, so we made our picks for breakfast the night before and left the order on our door. We specified what time we wanted breakfast to be sent up and promptly at 9am our breakfast arrived with a flower and a flourish we had a a delicious meal right in our room. Each room at the Townsend comes complete with a Nespresso Machine, which is great because A. I needed some caffeine and B. I have wanted one for years but have never tried.
Ok, buckle up babes because not only is the Townsend Hotel a fantastic place to stay or have an event they also offer a High Tea service, set up in the lobby this tea is offered from Noon to 5:00pm. The Townsend generously comped the deluxe high tea for us, and it was a complete delight. From the top notch service to the macarons we were so enchanted with each and every detail. Of course we both dressed for the occasion, we had such a laugh as we were getting ready because BOTH of our looks are from Eloquii, and they both perfectly fit our personal tastes and styles.
Part of my birthday present from Liz was working with a photographer, she hired the fantastic Jen Borris to shoot us for Tea and our looks around the hotel(which I will share in another post). I met Jen at a concert event, and have followed her for years, she is an unreal wedding photographer check out her Instagram HERE. I couldn’t wait to work with her on blog photography, its something her and I always talk about when we see each other every summer, AND now we can say we did it!
The tea service was excellent, I loved the raspberry tea and chocolate mousse cups, there was a perfect blend of savory finger sandwiches and sweet orange cranberry scones. The deluxe tea comes with a salad for lunch and bottomless mimosas. Whatever we didn’t eat was wrapped up for us to take home and enjoy.
Photos by Jen Boris
A special thank you to the Townsend Hotel Concierge staff and the Tea Director for adding the special touches to an already fantastic experience.
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Amy Christensen says
What a fun time to have together and a perfect place to celebrate your birthday. Happy birthday! – Amy
http://stylingrannymama.com/