Dust off your fascinators and pull out your spring dresses because it’s time for an adult tea party. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday or just want to get together with the ladies, why not sip your tea in style while eating fancy nomnoms and playing some entertaining tea party games?
I’d like to share some ideas from what’s now become a fun annual tradition at my house. 
In order to throw a fun yet sophisticated tea party, you’ll need to do some preparations beforehand:
Finding A Tea Set – I think tea sets are a very personal decision and you should go with whatever designs really speak to your character. No matter what you choose, it will always make for a great discussion piece.
- # of teacup & saucer sets: Decide what you think is a manageable size for your tea party. It can be as small as 4 or as big as 12+
- Set your budget: Tea sets can get expensive but you can find many affordable pieces on Amazon.
- Going Paper? Check out this cute disposable set of 12 for $11.50
- Going Porcelain? $34.95 is quite a bargain for 6 unique porcelain sets
- Going China? Wedgwood & Royal Albert are known for their quirky colors and elegant designs
- Going Paper? Check out this cute disposable set of 12 for $11.50
Tea: The Main Attraction – For tea parties, I personally prefer fresh loose leaf teas. Teavana used to be a great source but unfortunately Starbucks brought them to their demise. This year I got my tea from Leland Tea Company and it was delish! If you go loose leaf, make sure to get tea infusers for your tea pots. For every four guests, I set up a variation of the following arrangement:
- Tea Pot
- Sugar Cube Bowl & Tongs
- Creamer
- Bell – which summoned my hubby barista 🙂
- Butter Dish & Knife (not pictured)
I also made sure to print out a tea menu to accompany each set on the table
Savory & Sweet Bites – Savory bites (usually served on a tiered stand) should be served along the first pot of tea. It is customary to serve an array of tea sandwiches, scones & pastries. Sweet bites usually consist of mini baked goods, chocolates, shortbread & cookies. If you want to Martha Stewart it up in the kitchen, there are a lot of quick & easy recipes just a Google search away. Check out some of these tea sandwich recipes from the Food Network.
And, here is a look at the menu from my last party. 
Games & Activities – This is what really takes your tea party to the next level. I think 3 is a comfortable amount of games to play. Learn how to play some of my favorites below:
- Memory Tea Tray: This one is always a hit. Take some tea party themed items and lay them on a tray. At a steady pace, walk around the tea table while displaying the tray to your guests. Hide it once you are done and have the guests write down all the items they remember off the tray. 12 – 18 items is a good competitive amount. Here is my most recent tray
- Tea Party Bingo: You can either make your own game boards or buy one of the many beautiful printables on Etsy. This version uses audience participation. Each guest fills in their Bingo card using the word options provided. Once every Bingo card is filled, the host passes out a bag with folded Bingo words to the closest guest. One by one, the guests pull a Bingo word, read it out loud and pass the bag on to the next person.
- Game Of Phones: This game which is purchasable on Amazon was heaps of fun. I updated the rules a bit to better fit the tea party setting. I hid a card under each tea setting. Each guest got to unveil their card when it was their turn to play. Basically, the person reading off their card directs a smartphone task to the rest of the guests. Whoever impresses the card reader the most, wins the card. Player with the most cards at the end wins.
- British Vs American English Challenge: The guests write their American interpretation of what they think the British expression is. I got this fun idea off of Birthday Parties 101 and put together a challenge sheet for the guests as well as an answer sheet for the host.
Answers
- DIY Necklace Bead Bar: I thought it would be fun to accessorize our tea party outfits with some DIY statement necklaces so I set up a station with an array of glass and ceramic beads.
Attire – Use your invitation to encourage your guests to dress up for the event. Tea party dresses are usually floral patterned or vibrant colored dresses that often hit below the knee and above the ankle. Fashionable hats or fascinators really bring the whole outfit together plus they’re just really fun to wear 🙂
Prizes – If you’re planning to run some tea party games, make sure to stock up on tea party gifts like:
- Dish Towels
- Teacup & Saucer Sets
- Teabag caddy
- Bedazzled Picture Frame
- Bag of Loose Leaf Tea
- Notebooks & Pens
- Box of Cookies or Chocolates
Aside from games, I also handed out gifts for most interesting hat and most creative necklace etc.
Thanks for checking out my tips. Hope you have a fabulous tea party!
Please share some of your pics with us in the comments below 🙂
Maker Mom 