Tea Tuesday: How to Throw a Grown-Up Tea Party
When you think about the phrase “tea party,” what comes to mind? Politics? British royalty? Little girls in pink dresses with their dolls at a tiny table? Regardless, you can actually make an afternoon tea party a classy, yet entertaining, and completely adult gathering. Whether it’s just for fun, or for a special occasion, here are some ideas on how you can organize a memorable event that will have your guests talking, even afterwards.
Invitations
You can’t have much of a party without guests, so a good place to start is to create and send out some stylish, eye-catching invitations. You don’t even to have to spend a ton of money to do so successfully. There are lots of design templates that can be easily customized for free or at reduced prices. Or, if you are crafty, you can try your hand at DIY invites.
Décor
Your food, and of course, drink will naturally be the star of the table. But, add a few simple, yet special touches and you can really blow your guests away. Start by simply laying out a clean and pretty tablecloth or table runner. Next, arrange a set of matching china, including utensils, your teapot, and teacups. Make sure that you don’t have clashing colors or patterns. To set up your food, a tiered cake stand works well, and also acts as a nice table centerpiece. You could make it even more attractive with place settings, name place cards, and folded napkins.
The Tea!
Obviously, you can’t have a tea party without tea! Serving only one kind of tea is not very impressive. Your party guests would much rather have choices between an assortment of unique teas. Luckily, at CoffeeAM we have authentic teas from all over the world that are a treat for all of your senses. From a perfectly balanced cup of classic, flavorful Earl Grey to a smooth and mellow cup of refreshing Japanese Sencha Green Tea and much more, you can rest assured that you’ll be fully stocked for your tea party!
(Image via HGTV)
When it comes to dress code, a tea party usually calls for semi-formal attire—classic slacks, or knee-length skirts or dresses for women, and collared shirts and nice pants for men.
Food A selection of light appetizers, and samplings of bite-sized desserts are ideal for a traditional afternoon tea party. Not only does this require less time and effort to prepare, but these foods also pair perfectly with a hot cup of tea. Try to keep your sandwich slices thin, and remove the crusts. This will keep your platters looking neat and compact. Take a look at this collection of easy-to-make tea sandwich recipes for some inspiration. Scones are typically a crunchy teatime favorite, so why not give these classic Cherry-Hazelnut Scones a try? Cookies are also the perfect addition to your party menu. If you want to maintain the level of sophistication, then put aside the boring box of plain cookies for something a bit more unexpected, like these Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies.
(Image via Food Network)
Décor
Your food, and of course, drink will naturally be the star of the table. But, add a few simple, yet special touches and you can really blow your guests away. Start by simply laying out a clean and pretty tablecloth or table runner. Next, arrange a set of matching china, including utensils, your teapot, and teacups. Make sure that you don’t have clashing colors or patterns. To set up your food, a tiered cake stand works well, and also acts as a nice table centerpiece. You could make it even more attractive with place settings, name place cards, and folded napkins.
The Tea!
Obviously, you can’t have a tea party without tea! Serving only one kind of tea is not very impressive. Your party guests would much rather have choices between an assortment of unique teas. Luckily, at CoffeeAM we have authentic teas from all over the world that are a treat for all of your senses. From a perfectly balanced cup of classic, flavorful Earl Grey to a smooth and mellow cup of refreshing Japanese Sencha Green Tea and much more, you can rest assured that you’ll be fully stocked for your tea party!
