Gowns hang on their hangers in a rainbow of colors – red, blue, purple and black. The sunlight causes the ones with rhinestones to light up in sparkling brilliance. The hair styling and make up stations are ready. Curling irons are hot and eye shadows, in every shade imaginable, sit ready to be applied. The photographer clicks his camera, sending flashes of light around the room, testing to make sure each photo will have the perfect lighting.
Everything is ready. Months of planning and preparation have led up to this – the Princess Royal Tea.
An Event Inspired by Portland’s Dress for Freedom
Gowns hang on their hangers in a rainbow of colors – red, blue, purple and black. The sunlight causes the ones with rhinestones to light up in sparkling brilliance. The hair styling and make up stations are ready. Curling irons are hot and eye shadows, in every shade imaginable, sit ready to be applied. The photographer clicks his camera, sending flashes of light around the room, testing to make sure each photo will have the perfect lighting.
Everything is ready. Months of planning and preparation have led up to this – the Princess Royal Tea.
Several months before, Jennelle Esquivel found herself with numerous prom dresses that were donated during her church’s resource drive. As the daughter of Linda Tribbett (Founder and Director of Adorned in Grace), Jennelle was familiar with Portland’s annual Dress for Freedom event and began to wonder if she could replicate a similar event in Arizona. The thought of giving out dresses to teenagers in foster care and helping them feel beautiful resonated within Jennelle’s heart and inspired her to action. With Linda’s encouragement and support, Jennelle reached out to a friend in the Arizona governor’s office about a possible partnership. Out of that conversation the Princess Royal Tea was born.
Working together, Jennelle, the governor’s office and the Department of Child Safety gathered support from local community organizations and churches. They received continual encouragement, advice and support from Linda. They sought out teenage girls living in group homes and foster care settings and visited each one to offer a personal invitation to the tea. They recruited and coordinated numerous volunteers, from hair stylists to table hostesses to a professional photographer. They arranged beautiful flowers and coordinated an amazing buffet luncheon. They focused on how to show love to each girl, how to communicate her value and worth as a child of God and how to provide her with preventative information about the reality of sex trafficking.
On the day of the Princess Royal Tea, 53 girls arrived at the event, quickly rotating through three stations: arranging hair and applying makeup, shopping for the perfect dress and posing for glamour shots. They were also able to spend time making their own pair of flip-flops so each girl could create the perfect pair of shoes to complement her gown and her unique personality.
For the attendees, it was a day of firsts for many. Comments were heard, again and again, that they’d “never had a formal dress” and “never had their hair professionally done.”
After the pampering and makeovers were completed, the attendees and volunteers sat down to enjoy lunch while hearing from two speakers who talked about self-worth, being a daughter of the King, and how loved and valuable each one is. They also heard about human trafficking, the grooming process pimps use and ways they can protect themselves from becoming a victim of sex trafficking.
The day ended with 53 beautiful girls returning to their group homes, feeling pampered, loved and cared for. They left with new connections to volunteers who hope to begin mentoring them on an on-going basis. And, most importantly, they left knowing God loves them and finds them beautiful and valuable.
As the Princess Royal Tea wrapped up in Arizona, the plans for Dress for Freedom in Portland were shifting into high gear.
This year, Dress for Freedom is happening on April 11. Girls in local foster care homes and shelters will have a similar opportunity – to choose a new dress, have their hair styled and their make-up professionally done, feast on a catered luncheon and, most importantly, hear about God’s love for them. In order to make this event special for each attendee, there is still a need for donated items including mascara, lip gloss and make up bags. If you (or your church) are interested in helping to meet this need, please contact Darlene Domenigoni or visit our website.
