Tea parties have been used to bring old friends together or entertain new guests in an elegant setting.Informal social gatherings are great for the early spring and summer seasons.Make sure to invite your guests early, do as much cooking and decorating as you can in advance, and play the role of gracious host to make sure everyone is having a good time at your tea party.
Step 1: Pick a day for your tea party.
If you want people to have time to work the tea party into their schedules, choose a date and time a week or two in advance.Most people are off from work on weekends so tea parties are great.A tea party in the afternoon is great for midday refreshment.More of the invited guests will be free to attend if the event is scheduled around holidays and big events.
Step 2: Send out invitations.
You should have a list of people you want to invite and a special invitation for each one.Rather than simply sending a plain card with the time and date, cut colorful cardstock into the shape of tea pots, or mail the invitations in floral envelopes with fragrant tea bags inside.If you invite multiple people from the same household, a single invitation is enough.If refreshments are to be served, specify on the invitation.You want your guests to eat.
Step 3: Set up a nice place.
If you are hosting a tea party at your home, you should have a designated seating area.If you want an outdoor garden for this purpose, you can either set a table on your patio or inside your kitchen.If the weather is nice, you can have a picnic style tea party on the lawn.If you are holding a tea party indoors, make sure the blinds are open so the sun can see you.
Step 4: Decide what to serve.
You might want to serve food to your guests.These should be simple choices that aren't too filling, like cookies and other sweet confections that complement the tea, or small finger sandwiches to stave off your guests' hunger.Think about how best to start preparing food and beverages before the event by putting together a rough draft of your menu.Light fare to serve with tea could include biscuits with butter and jam, baked brie with fruit, small cakes or petit fours, and other light ingredients.
Step 5: The sitting area should be decorated.
Once you have a place to use for your tea party, begin decorating to make the space more festive.You can hang streamers, put out flowers, or break out the china for a special occasion.It's a good idea to fix up the venue where your tea party is to be held to make your guests feel more at home.Pick a loose theme for your tea party.A basic design scheme of stripes, floral patterns, and light pastels in the hotter months will help keep your decor attractive and consistent.Place mats, linens, silver, tea cups, saucers, drinking glasses, plates, centerpiece decorations, candles, etc., should be on the list.
Step 6: Set the table.
Before your guests arrive, the dining table should be set.To make the table presentable, drape it in a table cloth and shade it with a light shade.Each place setting should include a plate for the foods you've prepared, a cup and saucer for tea in the upper right corner of each setting, linens and silverware to the left of the lunch plate, and condiments ranging from the table above the place settings.Save the center of the table for this purpose, as you'll bring the tea and coffee in on a tray once it's time for it to be served.The afternoon tea should be light and refreshment rather than a full meal, so use dishes with smaller portions at each place setting.With the exception of fresh flowers, don't set the table with scented candles.The food and tea should make the dining table smell good.
Step 7: Foods can be refrigerated early.
Chicken salad can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until the event.Once guests start showing up, you will be able to keep too many steps coordinated.Basic items should be prepared a day or two before the party.Light fare can be bought quickly and chilled until they are ready to be served.
Step 8: The morning of the event, please have other refreshments.
If you want to serve fresh refreshments at the tea party, make sure to time your preparation so that they are finished by the morning of the party.With the basic food items out of the way, you can focus on more time-Consuming tasks like baking, slicing, or searing that need to be taken care of.You don't want your doorbell to ring while you have two dozen muffins in the oven.Don't get too carried away.It can be fun to come up with wild ideas for what to serve at a tea party, but a simple menu is always best.Keep it simple by making your food around the tea.
Step 9: You can offer a selection of teas.
Give your company a wide variety of teas to try, and take a sampling approach to serving the tea.It's best to stock up on loose leaf tea.Once everyone is present and seated, have the tea strained and heated in the kitchen.You could provide guests with separate infusers and have hot water ready so that they can choose their preferences.Guests may be served tea in turn, or the components can be placed in the center of the table so that they can serve themselves at their leisure.They enjoy tea and the food together.biscuits and cheeses with more uniform flavors will pair well with light and zesty teas, while rich, savory Appetizers can be offset by complex blended teas.You can serve coffee, hot chocolate, fruit punches, iced tea or even wine or champagne for guests who prefer a different type of beverage.
Step 10: When your guests arrive, have everything ready.
Everything should be ready in the seating area when your guests show up.Instead of standing around waiting for the table to be set, they can sit down and join in the revelry.Set up first thing in the morning and get all major decorating and cooking done the night before.Before the first knock on your door, aim to have everything in place and ready to serve.There is a place for everyone at the table if you have an accurate estimate of how many guests to expect.Wait until everyone has been seated to serve the tea.Milk, sugar and honey are condiments.
Step 11: At the door, greet the guests personally.
When your guests arrive, be ready to meet them at the door and invite them in.Introduce them to other guests at the tea party who are not yet acquainted with them, by showing them the area you have set up.The rest of the party should be encouraged to start sampling the refreshments.The first face that guests will see when the door opens is that of the host.Thank your guests for coming.They value your friendship if you allow them to attend your party for free.Offer to take coats, purses and umbrellas and have a place to keep them.
Step 12: The venue and refreshments should be presented to your guests.
If you have guests at your party that have never been in your home, you should give them a brief tour, ending where tea and refreshments are to be served.Explain how the refreshments you are serving were made and what they contain by pointing out each item on the table.The level of detail and organization that you have put into your tea party will impress your guests.Your guests should compliment you modestly if they have any questions.You are likely to get a lot of adulation for all the work you have done.
Step 13: Get your guests what they need.
Make yourself available to accommodate any requests that your company may have.Water glasses and tea cups can be used to clear dirty dishes from the table.Try to make it so that guests don't have to help clean up or serve themselves.Being a good host is seeing to the needs of the invited in every possible capacity.Make sure you have time to eat and entertain yourself.
Step 14: As guests leave, see them off.
Show guests to the door as the gathering draws to a close.They were invited to return for another tea party or luncheon.Send them off with a gift or leftovers.The social bond between you and your guests will be strengthened by a successful gathering.Each guest can take with them when they leave a small gift basket containing candles, confections or samples of tea.If you want to go the extra mile, you should mail out thank you cards for everyone who attended your tea party.