The 19th century tea party tradition began in England, but has now spread around the world. Alice in Wonderland has had a fan following for decades with its descriptions of the Mad Hatter's eccentric tea party, and images of teasing with polite or gossipy conversations appear throughout popular culture. Everyone, from kids to duchess, enjoys tea parties, so keep reading to find out how to organize an event that works for you and your guests.
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Method 1 of 2: Planning a Tea Party for Adults
Step 1. Determine the budget and guest list
Tea parties don't have to be expensive or big to be memorable. Estimate how many people you can entertain at home, and decide how much money you want to spend. Even if you're not worried about money, setting an exact amount helps prevent you from spending more money than you'd like.
Tea parties are generally smaller events than dinner parties. Target a total of four to eight people, depending on the space available
Step 2. Determine the dress code
Even for a casual tea party, some hosts encourage guests to wear semi-formal or Victorian attire to support the atmosphere, but usually welcome guests in any dress. If you're planning a formal event and want to follow traditional dress etiquette, ask for semi-formal summer attire. This usually means brightly colored dresses and wide-brimmed hats for women, and trousers, button-up shirts, and blazers or suits for men.
Step 3. Create invitations, or buy ready made invitations
You can use store-bought cards, make your own, or just call guests for a more informal event. If the guests are close friends or live near you consider sending a small bouquet of flowers with the party details listed. Invite guests at least a week before the day of the party if possible.
You may want to hold off on sending out invitations until after you've planned your menu and figured out how much it all costs. This allows you to reduce the number of guests if you need to save on snack costs
Step 4. Inform guests of special considerations
As the host, it's up to you to allow or disallow smoking, pets or children. Communicate your decision clearly on the invitation. Let guests know if there will be a big meal or just a light snack. If you're not sure what food to prepare, suggestions are provided below.
Keep in mind that some guests may be allergic to pets or bothered by cigarette smoke. You may want to set up another room for pets, and ask smokers to smoke outside
Step 5. Choose interesting table decorations and fixtures
If you have a good tablecloth and tea set, use it. Three-tier cake containers are traditional, but not mandatory. Small plates and teacups with floral patterns make for a nice atmosphere, but don't feel that teacups have to be the same unless you're entertaining formal guests or business associates. Make sure you have a pretty teapot or kettle that can hold enough hot water for guests.
- Consider a flower vase as a decoration in the center.
- Place the fork on the left side and the knife and spoon on the right side of each plate. Even if you are not serving food, provide a small spoon to stir the sugar and milk added to the tea.
Step 6. Make sure you have enough tea and tea related items
You will need at least one black tea such as Earl Gray or Darjeeling; at least one non-caffeinated tea such as black tea or decaffeinated chamomile; a small pitcher of milk or cream; and a sugar container or sugar box. If you are not familiar with brewing tea leaves, you can provide a pot of boiling water tea and a wide selection of tea bags for guests to add. Arrange these on the side of the table where you will sit or stand while you pour tea for your guests, or place them on trays at either end of the table if you are hosting a large group.
- Be prepared to ask each guest how he usually drinks his tea. Many people are very specific about how much sugar and dairy they want (or not at all), so follow their instructions exactly.
- Optionally, you can provide honey and/or lemon wedges.
Step 7. Also prepare another drink
Some people prefer coffee to tea, while others don't like hot drinks of any kind. Be prepared to deal with these scenarios by providing, at the very least, water and, better yet, other drinks like ginger ale or lemonade. Alcohol isn't usually served at tea parties, but you can choose to serve a little champagne or light wine.
Step 8. Decide what kind of food you will serve
There are several traditional ways to prepare food at a tea party, mainly determined by the time of day. If serving tea in the afternoon (in between meals), you can have an "afternoon tea" or "low tea" party with some sweet and tasty treats, or a more informal "cream tea" party that only serves scones, curdled cream (clotted cream), and jam. Tea served during dinner time (traditionally 5-7 p.m.) is called a "high tea" feast and provides for larger meals, such as meat pies, quiche, or any meal that is filling and delicious. Light soup and salad are sometimes served at formal high tea parties before the main dinner.
- While you can look up recipes for common foods above, it's completely fine to serve store-bought foods.
- Note that the term "high tea" is now often used to refer to any type of tea party. If you're invited to an afternoon tea party, don't expect a big meal, even if you use the term “high tea” on the invitation.
Step 9. Make a traditional tea sandwich
Tea sandwiches aren't mandatory, especially if you're hosting a scone-focused "cream tea" party, but they are the food most guests look forward to whether they've been to a tea party before or not. Traditionally, sandwiches are made from white bread, then cut into small triangles or squares without the edges of the bread. Prepare two or more types of sandwiches, selected from the general options below or using another light ingredient:
- Butter or cream cheese can be used as sole ingredients or added to a sandwich with vegetables or smoked salmon.
- Sliced cucumber, watercress, or thinly sliced radish
- Smoked Salmon
- Ham and mustard
- Egg salad
- Coronation chicken salad, created for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Step 10. Arrange the food
If you have a lot of guests or a small table, you can arrange the food buffet style and let guests stand or sit in the living room or garden. If you have room to seat guests around the table, place the food in the center of the table, or divide each meal on multiple serving plates to make it easier for everyone to grab a bite to eat.
When using a three-tiered tray and serving traditional afternoon tea, proper etiquette is to place scones on the top tray, sandwiches on the middle tray, and sweet treats like cookies or candy on the bottom tray
Method 2 of 2: Planning a Tea Party for the Kids
Step 1. Choose a theme
Maybe you're imagining a traditional English tea party, with pretty sandwiches and paper napkins. Or maybe guests want to dress like princesses, pretend to be fairies, or decorate the room as if it were winter or underwater. Knowing what your guests like will help you make the tea party more enjoyable for them.
Keep in mind that some themes require more effort than others. If you're looking for a quick and simple theme, choose one color and decorate a room or table with flowers, objects, napkins, and food in that color around the house
Step 2. Determine the location
If the weather is fine, you can have a tea party in the park or a picnic in the park near your house. However, having a tea party indoors is also fun, and gives you the option of using hanging decorations.
Step 3. Invite guests
Give out cards to friends inviting them to a tea party, but make sure you check with everyone in the house first to see how many people you can invite. Remember to tell friends and family the day and time you are having your tea party. You can plan a tea party weeks in advance, or have a spontaneous tea party with your siblings. Whatever makes you happy!
- Ask friends to bring their favorite stuffed animal or stuffed animal.
- Tea parties don't have to be all girls or all boys. Invite whoever makes you happy.
Step 4. Dress up
For some, the best part of a tea party is dressing up. If you don't have a fancy dress or costume, try making your own silly costume by asking family members if you can put on their hat, makeup, or scarf. It's a good idea to prepare a few extra items like that for guests who show up without costumes.
- A princess costume can be as simple as a child's favorite dress and a paper crown.
- If you want to spend more time making costumes, sew from patterns, use face paint, or look for ready-made costumes online or at Halloween stores.
- If you and the other kids and parents involved want to throw a super special tea party, have each child choose a character from their favorite book, or from a popular book like Alice in Wonderland or Harry Potter.
Step 5. Make sure you have enough plates and cups
A fancy tea party might use a teapot, teacups, and saucers, but you can have a tea party using any equipment. Just make sure there is at least one plate and one cup for each person. Silver cutlery is not mandatory if you will only serve small meals, such as sandwiches and pastries.
Step 6. Decorate the table or room
If you're having a tea party indoors, you may want to hang colorful fabrics or flags, or place stuffed animals and art projects around the room. A flower in the center of a table or a picnic blanket can give people something pretty to look at.
- Have a fairy tea party in the garden or park, using toy mushrooms, flowers, and moss-covered stones to create a fairy circle.
- Create a winter wonderland theme with paper snowflakes, hanging white cloth, and hot cocoa (or iced tea if you're hosting this event in the summer).
Step 7. Prepare some drinks to serve
Many children don't like black tea, or it makes them hyper and sleepy. Fortunately, there are many other types of tea such as peppermint, lemon, or rooibos (red tea). Since not everyone likes tea, it's a good idea to also have some lemonade, juice, or milk ready to serve.
- Ask an adult to help make the tea if you shouldn't be boiling the water yourself.
- If guests don't like tea or you don't want to serve hot drinks, pour the juice into the teapot.
Step 8. Make the sandwich
For an authentic tea party atmosphere, make a sandwich with cream cheese, cucumber or just butter. Ask an adult to help you cut the sandwich into triangles or small pieces, and arrange them on a plate in a pyramidal or other shape.
Use the cookie dough cutter on the sandwich to make sandwiches of different shapes. This is best used on soft, fairly dense bread
Step 9. Prepare dessert too
American cookies or British crackers are great snacks for tea parties, as are scones or small cakes. You can buy them at the store or make your own with adult supervision.
Step 10. Consider whether guests need more food
Most tea parties do not serve large meals, only drinks and snacks. But if guests will be staying during lunch or dinner hours, you may need to provide them with large meals, such as pasta or other larger meals. Be sure to let guests know if you'll be preparing a big meal for them or if they'll have to eat at home before coming.
Step 11. Think of what to do as entertainment
Decide what games and activities you want to do at the party, and collect the necessary items before the party starts. You can play games, create art projects, or just have fun pretending to be British royalty.
For example, make a fairy house or garden, decorate with a homemade paper windmill, or make fun desserts with guests
Tips
During a children's tea party, invite guests to create a craft project that fits the theme: decorating a hand fan, painting or decorating a small flowerpot, or making a personal diary that they can decorate the outside of
Warning
- If you're having an outdoor party, make sure there's shade or a fan, and have sun protection handy.
- It can't be guaranteed that all your guests will love the tea. Serve other drinks too.
