5 Steps to Planning a Tea Party

5 Steps to Planning a Tea Party

Earlier in the month we hosted our annual mother-daughter Christmas tea party.  I absolutely LOVE having this party every year.  Lots of little girls wearing pretty dresses and drinking out of fancy teacups (many of which are family heirlooms from my great-grandfather who emigrated from England).  Really, how could you not love a tea party?  Even if you don’t like tea, you can serve hot cider as a second option.  That’s what we do for kids (and grown-ups like me) who don’t do tea.  In the end, a tea party isn’t about the tea so much as it is about the event, and ours has never failed to disappoint.

Originally this event came about because my daughter announced one day that we would be having a tea party that afternoon.  Trying to humor her we grabbed some baked goodies we had stashed in the freezer and heated some cider to drink out of tea cups.  That satisfied her for the moment, but it sparked an idea that we could have some moms and daughters that we knew come over for a tea party that Christmas, and so it began.  We thought through what we’d serve and printed up some cute invitations and we were off and running.  Each year we learn some new lessons on how to make our tea party work best, and now you get to have the benefit of those lessons.

So, here is how to plan a tea party of your own.

The first step to planning a tea party is choosing a date. I always plan ours around these two ladies!
The first step to planning a tea party is choosing a date. I always plan ours around these two ladies!

First, pick a date.  The two big times of the year for tea parties seem to be Christmas and spring.  Since both of those tend to be packed with various holiday events, picking a date early is very helpful.  If there is someone that is very important for you to have there, check with them about what their availability is during that time so you can plan around it.  I always consult my best friend first so we can have it the weekend her daughter is home.

We try to make sure we have a wide variety of foods to fit everyone's tastes.
We try to make sure we have a wide variety of foods to fit everyone’s tastes.  FYI, the whole menu was gluten-free and nobody was the wiser!

Second, start planning a menu.  Typically tea parties are filled with various finger foods.  Think bite-sized treats like mini-cupcakes, tiny tarts, and cut up sandwiches.  Think seasonally for this.  Strawberries aren’t going to be great in December, but pumpkin would be weird in May.  Another good thing to think about is if there are any people attending with food allergies.  Ask your guests to give you a heads up so you can make sure there is something safe for them to eat.  Work with them to make sure you know ALL of the steps to take to ensure their food is fully safe from their allergies/intolerances.  If you aren’t 100% sure you can avoid cross-contamination while cooking, ask them what some good pre-packaged items are that they can eat so that they aren’t left out.  Write out your menu and mark off the things you can make ahead and freeze (like quick breads, cookies, cupcakes, etc.).  Our menu for our Christmas tea party included:

*Mini gingerbread cupcakes with pumpkin frosting

*Mini vanilla cupcakes with a cranberry curd dollop and eggnog frosting

*Buckeye Balls (you know, those little chocolate peanut butter candy balls)

*Pumpkin cranberry bread

*Pumpkin chocolate chip bread

*Mini tarts with lemon curd filling

*Mini tarts with chocolate cream filling

*Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

*Turkey sandwiches

*Egg salad sandwiches

*Mini pumpkin scones

Figure out how you want to go about inviting your guests. Paper and digital invitations are equally good options.
Figure out how you want to go about inviting your guests. Paper and digital invitations are equally good options.

Third, figure out how to do invitations.  Do you want to go digital or paper invitations?  Our first year we did mostly printed invitations.  This year we created a Facebook event and saved the printed ones for people we aren’t Facebook friends with.  Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.  Paper invitations are more traditional and can be made to look wonderfully elegant.  The key disadvantage is cost.  You will need to pay for paper and the ink to print them, or for some store to print them for you.  Facebook invitations are free (their biggest advantage) and are easy for people to RSVP to.  You can ‘pretty them up’ by having a nice cover image, but I don’t think you can quite get to the ‘elegance’ level of a printed invitation.  The key disadvantage with Facebook events and invitations, though, is that some people feel they are a bit impersonal.  In reality, both are equally good choices and it’s just a matter of what works best for you.

Having an activity can keep children occupied on something constructive while the grown ups get to chat and enjoy each others' company.
Having an activity can keep children occupied on something constructive while the grown ups get to chat and enjoy each others’ company.

Fourth, figure out an activity.  This is a tip we learned after our first year.  It helps to keep the little ones from getting restless.  After they have finished eating the grown-ups usually want to talk for a little longer.  Having some sort of craft or activity for  them to do makes this possible.  This year we did something that was both simple and meaningful.  We had the girls make Christmas cards for the little girl who was injured and lost her family in a fire.  This way they had a fun activity to do and got a chance to practice serving others.

Once you have a guest count, be sure you have enough tables, chairs, and teacups for your guests.
Once you have a guest count, be sure you have enough tables, chairs, and teacups for your guests.

Fifth (and last), check your supplies.  Once you know how many people will be attending, see how many teacups, tables, and chairs you have.  Do you have enough for everyone plus a few spares (you always want a few spares)?  If you don’t, now is the time t figure out how to fill in the difference.  You can find teacups inexpensively at Goodwill and TJ Maxx, and if it’s the right time of year, garage sales.  Another option is seeing if you have any friends you can borrow from.  The only risk with this is that there is always a chance someone will break a cup.  As for tables and chairs, the two main options are borrowing and renting.  We have the tables but always need chairs, so we rent them from a local place that offers basic folding chairs for $1 each.  For us it’s worth the $15-20 a year to avoid buying and storing a bunch of chairs that will only be used once a year.

My favorite picture from the party, and our only male guest!
My favorite picture from the party, and our only male guest!

As a side note, this was my favorite part of our party.  My friend brought her 9 week old baby to join us.  He had the honor of being our only male guest, and we got the honor of holding this adorable little guy.  My oldest was quite excited to hold a new baby and dream about holding her new brother or sister!

 

So, now that you have all the info on planning your own tea party, get to it!  It’s so much fun and you won’t regret it.  When will your tea party be?

 

 

Linked up on http://fdeanhackett.com/ , http://cornerstoneconfessions.com/ , http://timewarpwife.com/ , http://www.akreativewhim.com/

This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. I LOVE tea parties! I used to host a Mother-daughter tea party every year with my mom and my friend and her mom. We had over 100 guests every year! It was crazy, but so much fun to serve the ladies, we even had all my brothers serving the ladies, all dressed up in tuxes! :) This looks like a blast and the food sounds amazing! :)
    1. heather
      It really is such a fun time! The food was delicious (and we may still have a few of the pumpkin scones tucked away in the freezer for 'emergencies', lol).
  2. Gwen
    This looks lovely- we had a tea party at the request of my eldest daughter a few years ago, but did not use proper China tea cups, which I think is a lovely touch. I also like the idea of organising an activity for the younger ones. Thank you for sharing it :-)
    1. heather
      It's definitely fun using the 'proper' tea cups. Often the little girls will choose their seats according to which tea cup they like best.
    1. heather
      Thank you. The little girls do love getting dressed up and using fancy tea cups!
  3. Treat and Trick
    Useful tips and thanks for stopping by and commenting on my space...
  4. Linux VPS
    Consider whether your guests need more food. Most tea parties don't serve a full meal, just some drinks and snacks. But if your guests will be staying during lunchtime or dinnertime, you might need to feed them pasta or some other bigger meal. Be sure to let your guests know whether or not you'll be feeding them a full meal or whether they should eat at home before coming.
  5. First off I want to say awesome blog! I had a quick question in which I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head before writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there. I do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips? Appreciate it!
    1. heather
      I have the same issue at first. It takes time for my brain to switch into 'writing mode'.
  6. Connor
    Heya this is kind of of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    1. heather
      I don't do coding on my own.

Leave a Reply