How To Have A Tea Party

Have you ever been to a tea party?

How about one of those tea rooms that are popping up all over the place?

I LOVE a good tea party!

Grab yourself a nice cup of hot tea and I will show you how to have one on a budget!

But first, let me tell you WHY I love a good tea party!

When I was about four years old, we lived in an apartment complex. I don’t remember much of our time in the apartment. What I do remember was a sweet old woman, from England, who lived upstairs from us. Her name was Weezie. Once a week, she would have my mother and I to her apartment for tea.

It was a magical time for me!

I felt like a princess sitting at her table.

She had the finest tea cups with the most beautiful designs. Every week, I was allowed to pick the tea cup I would use. I always picked the yellow tea cup. It was the one with the flowers in the bottom of the cup.

The table was always set with fine linens, a halved grapefruit for each of us…with strawberries on top, sugar cubes and of course, milk for our tea. That weekly gathering was the beginning of my love for all things tea.

After Weezie died, her family generously gave my mother her tea cups. When my mother sold her home and consolidated all her belongings, those precious tea cups became mine. I recently had a gathering with some of my dearest friends and decided to make it a tea party.

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Below are my five tips on having an inexpensive but beautiful tea party.

• I wanted to get each of my friends something to take home from our special gathering. I bought some “tea towels” that were on clearance, to add to each place setting. Buying a small favor doesn’t have to break your budget. Just keep in mind that end of the season items are usually on sale and are a great option.

• If you don’t have cups or dishes of your own, I recommend hitting a garage or estate sale, or even borrowing from a friend. Don’t feel like everything has to match perfectly. Make it whimsical! I added my pink plates to give it the perfect feminine touch.

If you are in the market for some new cups, this set of six tea cups are beautiful, for the price.

• Buy flowers on clearance to create a stunning centerpiece. I paid $10 for all the flowers and greens in my centerpiece. I think it turned out great!

Better yet, if you have flowers in your garden, cut and use those!

• For the food, make it your own. As long as you have some kind of sweets on the table, you’re looking good. Every tea party needs sweets! Making your own sweet treats will save on your budget.

I served quiche that I bought from Costco, fruit that was in season, I bought a half dozen fancy donuts, shortbread cookies, and I sliced some tomatoes from my garden.

Yum! It was the perfect amount of food and didn’t cost me a fortune.

• Every tea party needs a variety of tea. I served tea in the bags but you can buy loose if you want.

I spent about $48 total. Everyone went home with fond memories and a keepsake from the day!

My goal was to have a tea party. The kind of tea party Weezie would have had. The kind that used her special tea cups. I’d like to think she would have approved of my efforts. I smile just a little, knowing she would have been happy to see me still using the yellow tea cup.

You know, the one with the flowers in the bottom of it.

Peace and Blessings,

Kim