PHOTOGRAPHY SANDY BLANCO & MICHELLE PARRISH
Creating the Perfect Tea Party at Home
Written by Michelle Parrish
Baby Shower Tea Party Theme
As a society, we love celebrating a Mother-To-Be or Bride-To-Be by hosting or attending a shower in their honor. So why do we take the time, money, and energy organizing these events.
- “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” -1 Thessalonians 5:11
- “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” -Romans 12:15
To encourage and rejoice in events worthy of praise and celebration.
We had every reason to celebrate this baby and Mommy-To-Be.
Back story: this was my older sister’s first baby (our miracle baby), which for 9 years we prayed and eagerly hoped for. As a result, we wanted to make this event one of encouragement and rejoicing for the blessing of this long awaited miracle.
I called local Tea Party Rooms, which were charming in design and experience, but none could accommodate the amount of guests we had attending (over 50 people). We knew that we had to find an alternative location that would accommodate all the guests, so we opted to create the Tea Party Experience at home.
TIPS & TRICKS
To enhance a room to be Tea Party ready add white linens, light fabrics, floral prints, and lots of flowers.
Setting The Scene
Brightening Up The Room
Most Tea Rooms are bright and light tones, mostly white and pinks. To achieve this effect we lighten the room with white and lace table clothes and floral (white and pink) hanging vines.
Outside Seating
Continuing with the white and lace theme to brighten the rooms, flowers in white vases were the main decor to bring the rooms to life. We found paper plates and cups on Amazon with floral prints and 3-tier serving platters to complete the look.
Working With What You Have
A few tricks and tips we used to transform a home:
- We rearranged the furniture layout to be open spaces for easy seating.
- Every corner was photo ready (decorated to look like a Tea Room from and angle)
- Put away personal items, family photos
Best Shops, Best Prices
Some times the best prices are just around the corner
LOCAL FINDS
One of the first things I like to find when moving to a new area is the local thrift shops. You will undoubtedly find treasure at great prices. You just need to put the time to see beyond the store or display to see what can be.
Below are ideas for local second hand shops:
Local Thrift shops
Local Goodwill
Online Facebook Market
Online Craigslist
App LetGo
App OfferUp
What We Found
Floral Curtains
Thrift Shop Find – $4
Made the perfect backdrop for a photo booth.
Linens and Table Cloths
Thrift Shop Find – $10
To lighten the home we bought white and lace table cloths.
Tea Sets and Single Tea Cups
Thrift Shop Find – $20 full set; $2 per cup
We decided to build our collection of tea sets since we love tea and enjoy hosting tea parties.
Order almost anything and get it the next day
AMAZON
What we couldn’t find at the thrift shops we purchased on Amazon and they had plenty to choose from to complete the look. With Prime you can get your orders the next day.
*Note: Because we enjoy hosting tea parties regularly it was an investment to purchase ceramic 3-tier platters. There are plastic options and a lower price.
Amazon Purchase:
Fake Floral Vines & Flowers
Tea Party Paper Cups
Floral Paper Plates, Napkins, Silverware
3-Tier Serving Platter
2-Tier Serving Platter
Beverage Dispensers
Pillow Cases
What We Purchased
Hot Drinks Beverage Dispenser
Cold Drinks Beverage Dispenser
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Transform Your Home to the Perfect Tea Party
As a society, we love celebrating a Mother-To-Be or Bride-To-Be by hosting or attending a shower in their honor. So why do we take the time, money, and energy organizing these events.
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