Most people love the idea of sitting in an elegant room and enjoying afternoon tea each day. However, the reality is that most people are not able to enjoy this tradition. Instead, most people have a very busy life. Being able to sit down in a fancy chair every afternoon to enjoy a high quality cup of tea with close friends is something that can realistically only be done on a rare occasion.
Hosting a tea party is a great way for you to enjoy the luxury and elegance of afternoon tea. You may not be able to make this a regular occurrence, but planning an occasional tea party for friends can add a bit of elegance to your life and the lives of your friends. The following tips can help you throw an afternoon tea party.
The first thing you want to do is create the right environment. You may not be able to purchase new furniture or completely redecorate your home, but cleaning is a good start. Also, bring out decorations and other items that will make the environment pretty.
Next, you want to focus on the area where the tea party will be held. If you have a tiered cake stand, this is a great item to be used as a centerpiece for the table. Make sure that you have folded napkins and dollies to decorate the table. You may want to check local thrift stores to find items to use for your tea party. Don’t worry if the items are mismatched. The items that you will want to have in your basic kit include teacups, a teapot, serving dishes for food, and dishes for sugar and cream.
The next part is setting the scene for your tea party. Place an elegant tablecloth over the table that will be used for the party. Set out name place cards for each one of your guests. If you have lots of time, prepare sugar cookies and ice the names of each of your friends on top of the cookie. Make the entire scene elegant.
When your guests arrive, set the milk and sugar on the table so that each can add the amount they like. Also, put out a variety of tea. Depending on the weather, you may want to make iced tea for the occasion.
If you have a tiered cake stand, place a couple of different food items on it. Or set up plates or trays with food items that your guests can snack on. Some ideas would include scones, cupcakes, and small sandwiches.
It’s a nice idea to have background music playing. You probably want classical music or something that is relaxing. This will allow for conversation during the time you are drinking tea and snacking on the food items.
Depending on the amount of time that you have available for your tea party, you may want to plan some entertainment. The entertainment that you plan is really going to depend on the guests you invite. For example, you could purchase art supplies Sydney and then have everyone participate in a craft project. If you know how to paint, you could give simple instructions to your guests and teach them how to paint a landscape or portrait.
Be creative when it comes to planning the entertainment. You do not wanted to take over the tea party, but you want it to add to the fun.
This would be a great way to entertain guests. It also could be part of a different event such as a book group .
I host my book club friends 2x a year and I think this would be a fun way to entertain especially if we happened to have a book that took place in England. I once went to a tea party where everyone was asked to wear hats and that was a lot of fun for everyone.
I don’t have the equipment or space to hold a tea party but would love to go to one. I like just tea at my party though, no baked goods, thank you. It would be fun to get all dressed up though and have a good time with friends. Must put this on the Spring To Do list in April.
What a fun way to entertain guests. I like the idea of cucumber sandwiches for the tea.