01 — THE PARTY
Tea for Her 28th
A soft-focus tea for twenty-eight, all sky-light, citrus, and the kind of afternoon that kept getting better.
Mara Lee
02 — AESTHETICS
THE LOOK. THE MOOD.
Citrus made its way everywhere: into the iced tea, onto the tiny cakes, and inside the handwritten place cards. The point was less ‘afternoon tea’ and more ‘a long, good reason to linger.’
03 — DEBRIEF
The first guest arrived early and ended up helping frost cakes. By sunset, no one remembered who was supposed to sit where — which was exactly right.
“The cakes looked fancy, but they were really just lemon halves with an excellent plan.”
04 — THE SHOPPING LIST
WHAT EVERYTHING COST. AND WHERE IT CAME FROM.
TOTAL BUDGET / var(--variable-nQORvnqs9)
Lemon half cakes
Made with a bakery sheet cake and a very sharp knife.
05 — BEHIND THE SCENES
The moodboard started with a bowl of lemons and a photo of a very good hotel lobby. Planning happened over three weeks, mostly by text.
Serving everything in the center of the table.
Trying to light candles before the wind died down.
Pick one thing to make beautifully, then let the rest be easy.
06 — STEAL IT
ANYTHING ELSE WORTH BORROWING.
The lemon-half cake
A tiny serving trick that made the whole table stop talking for a minute.
HOST / MARA LEE · PHOTOGRAPHY / IN GOOD COMPANY · CAKE / JUNI BAKERY