How to Throw an Afternoon Tea Party

A tea party is all about getting together with your gal pals, saying ‘so long’ to work, business, your other half and the kids for a few hours to tell stories, eat, drink and be in the moment with friends. The best part is, you can throw a tea party for no particular reason. Doesn’t have to be a holiday, birthday or formal celebration, just another excuse to get the gang together.

This is not a gathering to stress over or spend hours planning. You don’t need matching teacups, napkins or anything fancy. Start with what you have and build on it. You’ll be surprised how things come together and how easy it is to throw a pretty little tea party. Since I had a matching tea set, I was dying to use it, but you can borrow, shop on online or start collecting them to eventually have a set of your own. And, if you’re a bride to be, think about adding a tea set to your Wedding Registry. It’s one of those things you just never get around to buying for yourself.

Here are few ideas for an ultimate Tea Party fête:

Keep the party simple and sweet. Chose a color palette or a theme and stick to it. When I think tea party, I head down memory lane and remember tea parties with my Nana, so for this party, I infused some vintage style.

By now, you know I’m all about the table. Sometimes I feel like getting carried away and sometimes, well, not. For this party I wanted to go all out and why not, when I have the sweetest tea set EVER.

Dress the table:

Mix it or match it. I opted for my dainty Rose Confetti Tea Set from Royal Albert, set on a white background, accented with vintage crochet-trimmed napkins, Marchesa by Lenox gold flatware , and while I always say go with seasonal floral accents, this table obviously called for sweet pink roses. Tell me, how perfect are the pink Camellia paper placemats from Hester & Cook for this table? So sweet!

Styling:

I started with flowers, my teapot, creamer, and sugar, stacked berry bowls in the middle of the table and worked my way out to the place settings. I added brass colored coasters to match the gold accents of the tea set and for a pop of color. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to setting a tea party. Move things around until they bring a smile to your face. That’s when you know everything is perfect.

On the Menu:

Serve easy finger foods. Tuna & egg fingertip sandwiches (because everyone’s fave!), cupcakes, cookies, strawberries or make a cheese and meat board. If you have time to bake, go to it, sister. If not, it’s perfectly okay to head to the bakery. I was feeling a little overly ambitious, so I made these Tea Bag cookies I found on Pinterest. Now, tell me, how cute are they? On, don’t forget the sugar cubes and if you have one, a vintage teaspoon.

At the Bar:

Today’s signature? The Earl Gray Tea Cocktail, naturally (don’t worry, we didn’t leave you hanging - the recipe is below). Flavored ice tea is nice and there's always room for rosé at a Tea Party.

Think about asking to wear something pretty. It’s a nice change from yoga pants and putting on some lipstick always makes you feel like a million bucks.

Are you inspired? Pick up the phone, text, email, Instagram, FB message or whatever you do best, but round up the gang for your very own tea party.

xx, Deborah