If you're in the mood to get all the ladies in your life together but you're looking for a relaxing alternative to a traditional dinner party, switch it up by throwing a weekend tea party instead. Tea parties can be a great way to enjoy an Autumn afternoon and spend a few hours catching up with your friends. The best thing about tea parties is that they can be as lavish or as simple as you choose. To get you started, here are a few key things you can do to create a memorable event:
Invitations
To get things off on the right foot, send each guest a tea party invitation at least two weeks in advance to give your gal pals ample notice and ask them to RSVP. Naturally, you'll want to make sure you include the date, time, location, and attire. If you're feeling crafty and it fits the mood of the event, you can make your invitations look like tea pots or garden hats. The most popular color schemes are pastel or light colors. You'll also want to consider seating arrangements as you're determining the number of ladies to invite.
Selecting the Perfect Tea
You want to serve hot tea of course, but which type of tea do you select for a tea party? If you're worried about everyone's preferences, you can have a tea sampler pack from
Golden Moon Tea, which allows your guests to choose the type of tea they like. If you want to stay traditional, the most common tea to serve is an English tea or earl grey. Don't forget the milk and honey!
For those guests that don't prefer tea, you can also serve lemonade or infused water. Infused water has become a go to item in many cafes and water can be infused with anything from strawberries to mint.
Proper Clothing
You should be dressed to impress at a tea party: sundresses, garden hats, heels and fine accessories. If you want, you can even wear white gloves. Just don't go too over the top, you don't want to look like you're going for a night on the town.
Don't Forget the Foods
If you want to throw a tea party like the royals, don't forget about the delectable snacks! Pair that delicious and healthy cup of tea with scones, desserts and sandwiches. Tea sandwiches: These light and
dainty sandwiches are so simple to make but look so elegant. Real Simple explains how to make the perfect Cucumber Tea sandwich. Ingredients: 2 English seedless cucumbers, ends trimmed 12 slices sandwich bread 6 ounces whipped cream cheese 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill Directions:
- Cut each cucumber crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Thinly slice each cucumber piece lengthwise into strips.
- Place the bread slices (white bread is recommended) on a work surface and spread a thin layer of cream cheese onto each slice.
- Divide the cucumber and dill evenly among six of the slices.
- Top with the remaining bread. Trim crusts and cut into quarters.
Creating the Ambience
Place all your sandwiches, scones and desserts on a tiered plate stand (or two). If you don't have a tiered plate stand, it's easy to make with a few pieces: a collection of three plates, different sizes and two glass candle sticks. Glue a candle stick in between two plates, let dry and repeat one more time, making a tower. The best place to have a tea party is in a garden, but if that's not possible just create a garden-inspired party in your dining or living room with shrubbery, moss covered accessories and circle tables. You should
decorate the table (or tables) with a fine, white linen table cloth or lace and adorn it with a nice floral centerpiece. Make sure every table setting has a tea cup, saucer, napkin and silverware. After the event has come and gone, be sure to send a thank you note to your guests. Even in our modern world of text messaging and Facebook, a sincere hand-written message of thanks is always appreciated. If you really want to finish things off in style, use
tea pot and cup stationery to keep the theme consistent. Good luck with your party!
