Divine Downton

Cheers to fun and friends! 

I've always believed that you're only bored if you want to be. The world is wide and full of interesting people, art and ideas - an endless array of diversions to keep you occupied. It can take some planning, but there's no reason you can't bring the party with you nearly anywhere you go.

Back when the Downtown Abbey television series was airing, I was a big fan. I'm generally an easy mark for any kind of period television because I have appreciation for (and fascination with) the related production values - the sets, the clothing, the language, the mannerisms. Getting these things right takes an enormous amount of research, attention to detail and work. (As a theatre nerd, I've been on a production team charged with creating this level of verisimilitude. It's thrilling, but tough.)

Looking sassy in our sequins!

So when I heard the series was going to make its way to the big screen, I was all in. I selected a group of friends, booked a private dining room, purchased reserved seating at the movie theatre for opening night and let everyone know that period-appropriate costuming was NOT optional. (Luckily, gorgeous 1920s attire is available for reasonable prices on Amazon.com. What an age we live in!) What followed was a perfectly lovely evening with some of my favorite people, who all looked absolutely RAVISHING.

We dinnered at the Fairview Inn, which was built in 1908 and provided not only excellent food, but an ideal backdrop for photos. Our party arrived looking completely fierce, with sparkly dresses, long necklaces and elegant hats! The employees there were delighted, made a huge fuss over us and even took some of our group portraits! (Not only that, they'd had a previous Downtown Abbey event there in partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting. As such, they had some beautiful Downtown Abbey Christmas tree ornaments, and they gifted us one each as favors! Such a sweet and personal touch!)

We throughly enjoyed our food, then made our way to the theatre, where fellow movie-goers gave us unprompted shout-outs ("We love it, ladies!") and theatre staff made a big to-do over us. Then, we settled into our recliners and watched the movie. And the movie was so good, y'all. If you enjoyed the series, you'll love the movie. It does complete justice to the characters. I laughed a lot. I may have cried a little. I loved it.

Two lovely ladies! 

All that to say, make your own fun! Not only did we enjoy ourselves that night, but everyone who saw us got a big kick out of our sequined sassiness. And we all have softly glowing memories and great pics to boot! And now, on to the next adventure!