Tea Party Tips
Risa Provincio is a successful event planner in the San Clemente, California area, and has orchestrated many successful weddings, baby showers, and even tea parties. In a recent issue of Tea Time magazine, she shared her “five musts to remember” when planning your next tea party fete.
Five Musts to Remember
1. Ensure guests’ comfort. If the tea party is outdoors, provide garden umbrellas or paper parasols to shade the sun. If indoors, be equally minded of potential discomforts and distractions. Turn off televisions and keep music at a level that won’t compete with the hum of conversation.
2. Move things around a bit. At the party, encourage guests to mingle while sipping tea and nibbling bite-sized appetizers. After a bit, invite everyone to the table for teatime. Once the tea is over, usher guests to another area or room for an activity or to enjoy a farewell dessert together. Remember, the entire party doesn’t need to be in just one spot.
3. Appeal to the senses - all five of them. Perfume the party with the scent of freshly baked scones and tarts, candles, and, of course, a fragrant tea (Earl Grey is a wonderful choice). Display the beauty of fresh flowers and china on the table. Calm the mind by playing soft classical music in the background. Entice the palate with a thoughtful menu of savory and sweet tea foods whose flavors complement each other. Add exquisite garnishes where appropriate so that food appeals to the eyes as well.
4. Organize little activities along the way. At each tea table, place slips of paper in a small bowl or an organza bag, each with conversation-stimulating questions, such as, “If you could have tea with anyone - from the past or present - who would it be and why?”
5. Make everything as pretty as you possibly can. Borrow or rent tables, chairs, serving wares, and other items if you must. And don’t use paper table linens. One little spill and the setting is ruined.
Photo from MorgueFile.com.
