So now you’re thinking about having an Afternoon Tea and you know where to start.  Let me show you what I put together for my Spring Tea.  Oh, what fun it was!

• I decided on a tea party for four, knowing that it would be more manageable to prepare for than a large group.  Tea sandwiches are labor intensive and I didn’t want my guests to have to bring anything.

• I borrowed lots of Tea Time magazines from the library to get ideas for table décor and the menu.  (I’ll be sharing my menu in Part Three.)

• I borrowed most of my tea accoutrements from my mother who used to have a business catering tea parties and giving inspirational talks.  Again, don’t feel pressured to do everything properly.  It is ok to use what you have.

• I selected all my table décor, one of my favorite things to do!  But I was trying to stay on a budget, so this is how I did it.

• I bought my table linen at a party rental company.  See this post for details.

• I used a coupon at Joann’s and bought some fabric for a runner.  Now, I don’t really sew, so I ironed it to the size I wanted and (shh!) just used masking tape underneath to keep it together.

• I used a coupon and partial gift card for Michael’s to buy these sweet flowers to hang from my chandelier.

 

 

•  I bought the potted gerber daisy centerpiece, something that would last longer than just a bouquet.  Now, it was a bit too tall, but turned properly, we could all see each other.
• I used 6″ tulle and flowers I already had for the chair sashes.

• • People enjoy seeing their names, so I put place cards on the napkins.

• For music, I played the soundtrack from Pride and Prejudice, an absolute favorite of mine.  Any instrumental or classical music would work.

• I burned a spring scented candle in another room.  It smelled great!

• I chose one ‘ice-breaker’ type question to ask my guests during lunch:  Who from the Bible would they like to have lunch with, excluding Jesus.  The answers were really fun to hear.

• For favors, I wanted to keep in some sort of Spring theme, so I gave everyone birdseed in these cute take-out containers.