After The Honeymoon: How To Throw a Tea Party

Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day weekend. As usual my weekend came and went way too fast. If you're having a case of the "weekdays"(that is a thing, right?) this post is for you. Because nothing makes you feel fancier than sipping Earl Grey from your favorite teacup.
My mom and I used to love hosting tea parties, especially during the summer. We would enjoy planning out every last detail for weeks. So if you wanna throw a tea party for a bridal shower, baby shower, or just to throw a tea party read on!

Invitations

This is the first place to start(after you decide the date of your party of course), because this isn't one of those "build it and they will come" times, it's one of those "send a invitation far enough in advance and they should RSVP by the date indicated" times. Now if you want to go the traditional route(which I would advise) you can find cute invitations at Dollar Tree, Target, Walmart, or Hallmark. You should create a Facebook event in addition to your mailed invitations. That way you have a designated place for your guests to RSVP, because lets face it, people don't take the time to RSVP by phone anymore. But you can bet they've checked their Facebook page 3 times already today. Of course leave your phone number on the RSVP line of your invitations for the traditionalists.

Drinks & Food

Obviously you'll be serving tea, and a couple choices at that! But don't forget to include a few options other than tea for your guests. Water and punch should be enough. You could also include coffee if you like. As for the food you should provide a mix of sweet and savory. Mini cupcakes are great, petit fours are adorable, filo cups with hummus are a real crowd pleaser. When planning on how much food you're having keep in mind how long your party should be. You wouldn't have the same amount of food for a 2 hour party as a 4 hour party. The common rule of thumb is 6 to 8 pieces per hour per guest.

Décor

For decorations your teacups and teapots are a obvious choice. If you don't already possess an array of teacups a great place to look for inexpensive options is Goodwill and thrift shops of the like. You'd be surprised by the hidden gems you'll find. Hanging paper lanterns are a favorite of mine for parties. They make a good impact without impacting your budget too much. I've found them at Target before at a good price.

Music

No party is complete without a soundtrack, not even a tea party. Classical music is a nice choice, music from the 40s is great, even some of today's mellower music can be perfect for the setting of an afternoon tea. Jack Johnson, Frank Sintara, Norah Jones, anything by Gershwin, and Michael Feinstein are just a few options for your playlist.

Attire

Now this section reminds me of a funny story from a tea party we threw when I was 12 years old. I had dressed up, gloves, pearls, hair up, heels on; I was ready for a tea party. I open the door to our first guests, it was my friends who were sisters and they had sundresses and sandals on. They were dressed very cute, but not as dressed up as I was. I don't think the Queen was dressed like I was that day. Before I can think better of it I exclaim "Boy am I overdressed!". My mother was mortified, luckily we had been friends for years so this was nothing new to them and their mom. Just a typical Robyn moment. So I tell you all that to say, don't expect any particular dress code to be followed by your guests, and try to dress in the middle ground. Not too causal, and not too overdressed.

Tips and Trivia
If you wanna do things up right use milk instead of cream for your tea. That's how the British do it.
There are 4 major types of tea, green, black, white, and oolong. They are all derived from the same plant, camellia sinensis. It's simply the treatment of the leaves that gives us the different types of tea.
Teas absorb moisture, so make sure your tea is stored in a sealed container.
For centuries tea was only used medicinally. It took almost 3,000 years for it become a everyday drink.
When tea leaves uncurl as hot water is poured over them it is known as "the agony of the leaves".
Earl Grey tea was named for a 19th century British diplomat to China. It is flavored with bergamot oil.
Tea used to be a luxury and was kept in a locked tea chest in the parlor. The lady of the house was responsible for the tea, and was often the only person with a key.
High tea was created during the Victorian era when a evening meal was eaten with tea. It took place at a high table.
Low tea is also known as afternoon tea. Afternoon tea began in the late 1800s by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. She would invite guests for tea and sweets to fill the long period of time between breakfast and dinner.
Tea was introduced to England in 1662 when Charles II married Portugal's Catherine of Braganze. Her dowry included chests of tea and the regions of Bombay and Tangier.
Lemon and milk should never go in the same cup of tea. The lemon can cause the milk to curdle.
English tea gardens were the first public place where men and women could mingle without scandal or criticism.
Typically the hostess will serve everyone's tea. The milk and sugar cubes go in first, this was done to protect the china from the tea.