Hosting A Tea Party!

A tea party is a great type of event, as it can work for casual get-togethers for friends or it can be as formal and fancy as a wedding shower or business gathering. For many little girls, having tea parties that are pretend with lots of stuffed animal guests can be as important as the birthday kind.

But tea parties aren't just the realm of little-girl-rainy-days. A tea party is a great setting for adults to gather in too! They can be simple gatherings with good food and fresh tea in your own home, or they can become elaborate themed events such as bridal or baby showers, graduation parties, anniversaries, holiday parties for co-workers or friend and much more.

Victorian tea parties are very popular. I've been to two of them now, both of which were associated with weddings. In both cases, it struck the right chord with a balance of fun and formality.

The first was a simple bridal shower, a gathering of less than a dozen women at the mother-in-law's house. This was her gift to the bride and was also a way for the two mothers to meet before the wedding. The tea was catered, with some of the lovely tea china being brought as part of the catering package. The caterer also supplied to servers, allowing the host to fully participate in the tea party.

The second wedding tea I attended was a British High Tea for over two dozen. Neither the bride nor groom in this couple wanted a separate shower or party, so the mother of the groom gifted them with tea for thirty of their best friends at a small Victorian tea house that did full re-creation Victorian setting and service. We had women in servants dresses curtsying to us, saying Ma'am and carrying big tea pots covered with the frilliest tea cozies I've ever seen. The party took place at this tea house, which was done in entirely Victorian interior decor as well. People were seated as small tables in cozy rooms, all with fireplaces, sitting in groups from two to eight people. As the engaged couple both were involved in Renaissance and Dickens re-enactments, the Victorian atmosphere was truly appreciated by all.