How to Throw a Tea Party

How to throw a tea party on a budget! Ideas for food, tea, decorations, tableware, music and more are included to make it the best tea party ever!

How to Throw a Tea Party

Do you love tea parties? Me too.   You’re with your friends, you get to eat yummy pastries and veggie dishes, you use floral China plates and cups and if you’re feeling bold you wear a fancy hat.  It’s just a magical afternoon for everyone!

In this post I’m going to show you how to throw a tea party!  We’ll cover food, decorations, tableware, music and more to make it a perfect party!

What do I need for an afternoon tea party?

We’re going to break it down into a couple sections. These are all must haves for a memorable tea party! Not only do these work for adult tea parties, but they’re fun for kids parties too (me and my daughters love having tea parties!).

1. Tea & Food
2. Tableware
3. Decorations
4. Music

What foods are served at a tea party?

Besides good times with friends, you also want to serve up some yummy food and a great selection of teas.

Have a selection of teas from green to white to dark so everyone can try different kinds.  You can even try making some homemade tea like parsley tea and mint tea. Also make sure to have cream and sugar nearby.  

If you’re feeling adventurous investigate milk tea which is a more creamy style tea.  In lots of Asian tea houses they serve milk teas in flavors from Earl Grey to Rose to Lavender (by the way are a beautiful pink and purple shade!) and more.  

For food serve sweet pastries and a few lighter options.   Bake or buy donuts, cakes, pies and homemade scones (with clotted cream).  For recipe ideas try my Mini Banana Muffins, Mini Blueberry Crumble Muffins, Cinnamon Swirl Bread, Confetti Cake Brownies, Strawberry Donuts and Blueberry Buckle Crumble Cake! 

Think about your tableware when buying pastries if you want them to match.  I love pastel and light tableware, so I chose donuts with soft colors and sprinkles.

If you want to serve something besides sweets, look for soups, sandwiches or vegetables.  Ricotta and Tomato Tea Sandwiches are perfect because they are small, light and can be cut up into cute shapes.  Vegetable dishes like roasted carrots or Brussels Sprouts, or a Cauliflower soup are perfect brunch partners.  

Tableware for Tea Party

When your friends arrive you want to wow them!  Tableware is one of the keys to making a beautiful display.  You’ll need plates, tea cups, a pretty kettle, napkins, spoons (I love these gold spoons) and serving plates for larger dishes. You’ll also need a dessert rack which when placed in the center of the table makes everyone smile!

For my tea party, I went the traditional route of floral mix matched patterns.  And even though it might look like a expensive setup, it’s not!  Can you believe my plates that look like fancy China are actually paper plates? I love them!

Here’s what I used:    White Lace Tablecloth /  3-Tier Birdcage Patisserie Cake Stand /   Scrumptious Dessert/Cake Plates / Vintage inspired Tea Cups /  Gracie China Rose Porcelain Tea Cup and Saucers  /  Porcelain Butterfly & Dragonfly Teapot Trimmed In Gold  / Floral Truly Scrumptious Napkins /  Gold Plated Rose Demi Spoons  

Looking to include children? Here’s my suggestions for the best tea sets for children.

Tea Party Decorations  

If you’re a DIY queen make pom poms from tissue paper.  If you’re not a DIY queen (like me) then buy them from Martha Stewart.   I got a set of giant pom poms and small pom poms to place above the table and on the walls, as well as a small garland set to decorate the table with.    

A simple lace tablecloth sets the table and makes everything look brighter.    Buying fresh flowers and putting them in pastel mason jars would be pretty too!  If you cut out heart shapes from card stock you can make some simple and inexpensive name tags.  

Best Music for Brunch

You want something mellow and soft that can play in the background.  The party is about friends catching up so you don’t want something too overpowering.  I recommend Koop’s “Koop Islands” album which is jazzy with vocals, but is soft enough that you can actually hear each other talk.

If you have Spotify, you can do a search for “brunch” that will give you good playlists.  For the ultimate fancy tea party, put on some classical music.

I hope you liked my guide on how to throw a tea party! I hope you have a fun time and eat plenty of donuts! 

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