Find out how you can host your own formal tea party by reading this informative article!
Serving a formal tea party is the perfect way to get some lady friends together on an afternoon. Or, you may choose to celebrate a baby shower, Mother's Day, or a friend's birthday by hosting a tea instead of a traditional party or dinner.
The first thing you will need to do is to set a time and a date for your tea party. Write out the invitations and put them in the mail at least three weeks in advance. Ask two friends to pour the tea and serve as the hostess to visit with her guests. Don't forget to include the RSVP's.
Next, you will need to decide on your menu. Along with the tea, and the necessary additives that go along with it, such as cream, sugar cubes, lemon slices, etc. you will want to probably serve a cake or other pastry, maybe some finger sandwiches, and other treats like that. If you are inviting guests who must use, or prefer to use artificial sweetener instead of sugar, it would be kind to put some of that out too. And, you might want to include at least one type of sugar-free cake or candy on the serving table. You can write out some fancy place cards and use them to mark the sugar-free foods. People who must not eat sweets or even people who are simply watching their weight will undoubtedly be thrilled that you provided a treat that they can eat too. Also, along with everything else, you will need to set out the silverware, napkins, tea cups and saucers, etc.
You will, of course, want to serve a pot or two of freshly brewed tea. There are tea making appliances on the market today which you can use to produce satisfactory results. If you want to make your own tea, though, you can make it by using a non-metallic tea pot. Fill a second pot up with fresh, cold water. When the water has reached the boiling water, rinse the tea pot out with hot water out of the spigot. Then, place a teaspoon or two of tea into the pot, depending on how strong you like it, and fill it up with the boiling water. Allow the tea to steep for a few minutes, then strain the tea. Right before the guests arrive, pour the tea into a silver teapot and place the pot on a silver tray with the rest of the tea set.
Use a large enough to accomodate all of the food and beverages, etc. Cover the table first with fancy linen cloth. Now is the time to use your best china set. Make sure your silverware and tea set is polished to a gleam too. While you are preparing the table, it is a good time to make sure you have enough chairs in the room to seat everyone.
Set up everything ahead of time, but don't place the food on the table until right before the guests arrive. Let your friends serve the tea and let the guests serve themselves from the food table.
