In early 2022, Meagan Benson felt she’d hit a brick wall in her career, feeling underwhelmed and lacking passion. One day at the beach with her husband Graham, when discussing her love of curating tea parties for family and friends, he said "you always make everything so pretty and lovely" for these tea parties — and Pretty Lovely Teas was born. Co-owned by the couple who married in downtown Franklin, Meagan created the Instagram account @prettylovelyteas, and the business snowballed from there. In fact, most of their bookings happen via DM.
Originally from the UK, Graham grew up less than 10 miles from Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, England, where the 7th Duchess of Bedford invented afternoon tea in the 1840s. When he moved to the US for college and met Meagan, trips to his homeland led her to fall in love with all things British, especially the tradition of afternoon tea.
With Pretty Lovely Teas, the Bensons bring the hallmark of beloved British tradition into customers’ homes. Meagan handles everything, curating all elements of a proper afternoon tea including savory bites, sweet treats, scones, plus linens and decor. All tea party packages are customized to suit the event, whether a bridal shower, birthday, holiday celebration or anything else.
They use Nashville-based Firepot Nomadic Teas for events, which the couple says span all ages. Pretty Lovely Teas isn't stuffy and pretentious, it’s all about the intersection of the best parts of afternoon tea merged with the Southern hospitality Meagan was raised with. "At their core, both customs are about slowing down and sharing moments with family and friends around a table of delicious food," says Meagan.
"Tea is great but it’s all about the method of coming together, very similar to Thanksgiving where you gather and visit. And in a post-COVID world, we all really want and crave that in-person experience. With time at home, people have made their homes more to their liking, comfort level and coziness. The dinner party is coming back in fashion, and more intimate gatherings are trending, so why not tea too?" asks Meagan.
When asked about her personal favorites and recommendations for tea when visiting the UK, Meagan is noticeably excited to share her love. In London, Meagan recommends Fortnum and Mason — "its a very popular historic department store. Their Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is truly one of the best in the world." She also recommends very posh tea spot the Savoy. In the countryside, Meagan says head to the Cotswolds to literally any tea room to experience a treat.