How to Host a Tea Party

This past weekend, my girlfriends and I got together to some shower planning for a friend who is expecting. As opposed to going out to brunch, I suggested hosting for two reasons. 1. I’ve been wanting to host a tea party for a while and 2. I had an abundance of Lipton tea– so I figured it was the perfect excuse to hang out and sip tea and mimosas for the afternoon! We drank, chatted and stuffed ourselves with all of the deliciousness and of course, did all the planning we needed to do for our friend’s upcoming shower. How cute would a baby shower tea party be? I can already see the table decorated with little baby items…

Since I considered the afternoon festivities a success (as did my girlfriends), today I wanted to share some tips for hosting the perfect tea party.

1. Send your invitations. In this case, it was a last-minute gathering, but for a more formal event, a paper invite should be given.
2. Get the basics: Make sure you have the appropriate serve ware (preferably floral). Think dainty china and plates, a three-tiered stand and a tea-pot, of course. It would definitely be beneficial to have multiple tea pots to brew numerous blends of tea, but I just had tea bags and allowed my guest to individually select their choice. Oh, and don’t forget a white table-cloth.
3. Food Spread: Feel free to get creative here, but your table should consist of some finger sandwiches, some sweet treats and of course scones. For reference, turkey and smoked Gouda on croissant with this sauce was a big hit! Just remember to think both savory and sweet!
4. The Fixings: Don’t forget about the “extra” essentials. Think cream, sugar and milk for tea. Jams, Lemon Curd and Clotted cream for the scones and other nibbles like tea biscuits, cheese straws, etc. I also opted to serve mimosas because champagne makes everything better. I love Harrods for my tea accessories, biscuits, etc.
5. Fresh Flowers: Something about an arrangement of fresh flowers just makes the table seem more alive and put together. I love an all white spread with sprigs of greenery plucked from outside.
6. Tea of course! I love providing an array of different teas for guest to choose from. Lipton’s new Green Tea have a light, fresh taste, bright clearer color and delightful aroma while the black teas are a unique blend of unique flavors and aroma. We actually all tried different teas and were happy with each of our selections!
7. Good company. This is a no-brainer of course and an essential part of a successful afternoon tea!

Have you ever hosted or attended high tea? There are some great places around here that offer it and I love going, but I must say doing it in your own home and being able to chit-chat as long as you wanted was also a nice touch! Plus, you can just keep eating, snacking and sipping tea/mimosas!

What’s your favorite tea or tea treat? I love love love shortbread cookies!

Click here to get a $0.75 off any 1 Lipton Black, Green, or Herbal 20ct tea! Have a great day friends, pinkys up!

This post brought to you by Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.