Event Planning

Having a tea party is so much fun (and it's super easy!). Here is our handy guide to throwing a fabulous tea party:

Venue

First, you'll want to choose a venue. You'll want it to be cute and cosy, and local to your party guests. You can either have your tea party at home, or choose a traditional cafe venue. It's up to you!

Invitations

Next, find your ideal invitations. Personalised invitations are perfect for letting everyone know the details of your party, and are so much fun to create. Check out our full range of tea party birthday invitations to find your perfect design. Featured Product: Tea Party Invitations - Hydrangea Afternoon Tea Remember to specify the time and date of your celebration, as well as the location. If you are having a particular theme, such as Alice in Wonderland, be sure to also mention any details about the dress code.

Decorations

Decorating for a tea party is simple. You'll need to make sure you have some really cute decorations - there's so many to choose from! Featured Product: Vintage Tea Party Paper Bunting As with all good parties, you'll need some beautiful bunting, and some birthday balloons. Featured Product: Light Pink Paper Table Covers - Pack of 2 You can also add to the table with a tablecloth, and matching table partyware. Be sure to have an arrangement of napkins and doilies, as well as a cake stand to display your treats. Featured Product: Romantic Floral - Place Cards For larger parties, place cards may also be an essential. They help people find their seat easily, and are available in so many beautiful designs.

Tea Party Food

Whilst everyone is there for the tea, they'll still be thinking about the food! Make sure that you have a range of sweet and savoury options to choose from. For the savoury, you'll want a range of bite-size sandwiches. We recommend smoked salmon, egg mayonnaise, and prawn, but you can have anything that suits you. You may also wish to have crackers with a cheese board - because who doesn't love cheese? You'll also need some delicious sweet options. Cakes and scones are sure to be the centre of attention, so have a range of flavours available. Guests are also sure to appreciate biscuits that they can dunk into their tea!

Party Games

It's completely up to you whether you would like to play games at your party. Many tea parties don't involve games as guests will spend most of their time chatting away. If you do wish to have party games, then we recommend Tea Party Bingo, as well as Croquet or Lawn Bowls - perfect for summer!

Thank You Cards

Don't forget to thank guests for attending your tea party! We have a wide range of beautiful thank you cards that everyone will adore. Featured Product: Ready to Write Thank You Cards - Teapot and Cupcake Be sure to also thank guests for any gifts that you have received. We hope you have enjoyed this blog! For more party inspiration, head over to our other blogs. We have so many blogs to help you out.

Throwing a tea party for your birthday? There are many different ways to invite guests! Read on to find out how to invite someone to your tea party...

Online Invitations

There are so many ways to send an invitation online, whether that's on social media or an e-vite. Think about what way suits you best, and how you want to word your invites.

Invite them on Whatsapp

You could also make your birthday invitations on Whatsapp - find out how to here! This is a modern way to send invitations, and makes the process so quick and easy.

An invitation

We may be biased, but we think that there is no better way to invite someone to your party than with traditional paper invitations! Not only will this make them feel super special and excite them for the party, but they can keep your invitation as a memento of the day. Featured Product: Tea Party Invitations - Teapots & Roses At Dotty about Paper, we have ready-to-write invitations, as well as invitations that are personalised with all of your unique wording. Make sure to check out our full range of birthday invitations, to find your ideal style.

Remember the details

When writing out invitations, whether that's online or by hand, its important to remember all of the key details. Featured Product: Tea Party Invitations - Hydrangea Afternoon Tea Here are the most important things to remember:

Name

Date and time

Location

RSVP details Whether the party is a surprise or not Details about the food You may also want to include whether children are invited or not, as you don't want any unexpected guests at your party! We hope you have enjoyed this blog, and found it useful! Don't forget to check out our other blogs. We have blogs for every event - from weddings to christenings.

Here at Dotty about Paper, we can't get enough of the 2018 Royal Wedding excitement! The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan on 19th May is the perfect excuse to throw a street party with friends and family. So, to help you celebrate in style, here are our favourite royal street party ideas! Before we take a look at some beautiful inspiration, there's just one important point to remember. Think about the size of the event you'd like to hold before you begin planning. If you really want to get into the community spirit and plan a proper street-wide party, you'll need to get permission from your local council. But for a smaller party, there's no need.

Invitations

Start the party off with some traditional British tea party invites. This will set the tone and get guests excited for the fun ahead. Use a design that really captures your Royal Wedding street party theme. Featured Design: 'Tea Party Invitations - Royal Tea Party' Make sure you include all the key details guests will need, such as the location and time of the party. While a dress code isn't usually important for a street party, we think it's a fun idea to ask guests to come in their best royal family or 'red, white, and blue' themed outfits - you could even hold a 'best dressed' competition. Featured Design: 'Tea Party Invitations - British Street Party'

Entertainment

The main event of the day is, of course, the Royal Wedding itself! And there's good news - the BBC have said there'll be no TV License fee to screen the special event. The service starts at midday, followed by carriage procession at 1pm. For kids and adults at heart, you can add some classic party games in throughout the morning. Bowling pins on the lawn, a ring toss competition, or even a spot of croquet will all go down a treat! In addition, why not consider music - live or recorded - so guests can really party after the Royal Wedding? You could also capture some magic memories of the day with a photo-booth and props. Source: ThatPerfectPartyCo

Decorations

It's not a street party without bunting! So, use a flag mix of red, white, and blue to represent the royal couple. You could use this colour palette to decorate your tables, too. Or, if you're in the mood for a regal and refined vintage street party, go for something floral to capture the springtime wedding. We think these beautiful vintage paper plates and napkins will look stunning in an outdoor setting! Source: Fabulous Partyware

Food & Drink

Treat your guests to refreshments fit for royalty. In celebration of Harry and Meghan, why not cook up a mix of quintessential American and British snacks? Think savoury bites like posh burgers, paired with sweet bakes like scones and Victoria sponge. And of course, no street party is complete without a range of teas, juices, and fizz. Also, you can add some decoration to the food table with cute cake toppers and adorable mini-bunting. And how about this lovely cupcake kit, complete with a cake stand? Source: Cake Craft World

Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, holding an engagement party, or just relaxing with friends, an afternoon tea party is always welcome. Here are some tips for holding a memorable afternoon tea party!

Invitations

Start off with some invitations to get your guests ready for a leisurely tea party. The Card Gallery has a great range of vintage and modern designs, available with personalised wording or as ready-to-write cards. Just add your own details. Featured Designs: 'Tea Pot Tea Party Invitation' and 'Watercolour Bird & Teacup Tea Party Invitation'

Setting the Table

To make a truly special afternoon tea party, invest in fine china crockery; you can usually find some in charity and antique shops. You can purchase a matching set if you want a coordinated look, but it’s not a necessity. Mismatched cups, teapots, and saucers in complimenting combinations are very trendy! For a special touch, replace standard spoons and forks with cutlery that has engraving on the handles. Pair the crockery with napkins and lace doilies on top of a vintage chic table cloth. You could spend more for a proper antique, or choose a modern fabric with a vintage pattern. Florals are a big favourite! If you want a tea party with a contemporary twist, choose a stylishly minimalist pattern. Check out this lace tablecloth by Emma Barclay. Finish off with some bunting – this looks especially good if you’re having a garden party and want something to liven up the fence! If you’re holding your party outside, you might want to consider sun parasols for your guests. You can spread confetti on the table if you're holding a party indoors. Featured Design: 'Hydrangea Afternoon Tea Birthday Bunting'

Food and Drink

Now that you’re ready to receive guests, it’s time to think about the main event – the tea itself! Everyone has different tastes, so it’s a good idea to have a selection of teas, from classic black teas to fruits and herbals. If you’re feeling posh, use tea leaves and strainers rather than bags. A jug of milk and a bowl with brown and white sugar should also be provided. Also, serve cold drinks like fresh fruit juice... or even a drop of Prosecco! Next, it’s time to get baking! Afternoon tea traditionally includes scones with jam and cream, along with a selection of cakes and biscuits. There are plenty of recipes out there, so you can find something to suit your guests’ tastes. Or you can simply buy fresh confectionery from a local bakery. Afternoon tea is usually a lighter occasion than high tea, but you should still serve a few sandwiches along with the sweet treats. Choose classic fillings like cucumber and cheese, or go all out with luxury recipes, like this summer spread from BBC Good Food. As a final step, don’t forget to thank your guests for coming with a thank you card! Featured Design: 'Teapots & Roses Thank You Cards'

As the days warm up we look forward to enjoying our celebrations outside. Whilst the boys might want to bring out the barbie, the girls are bringing out the vintage crockery and cake stands for afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is a lovely way to enjoy a special occasion and it is not just for the 80th birthday parties and golden weddings – tea parties are being chosen as hen parties and even for wedding receptions. Tea parties date back around 200 years when Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, started having tea and a sandwich to fill in the gap between lunch (at about 1pm) and dinner at 8. It soon became a fashion for ladies to meet “at home” for afternoon tea as part of the social scene. From the late 19th Century to the mid-20th tea rooms and tea gardens were a popular meeting place – the famous Grantchester Tea Gardens opened in 1897 and Betty’s of Yorkshire in 1919. From the 1950s, however, afternoon tea became less popular as the British turned to the more informal coffee shops and working patterns changed. But, in the last decade there has been a huge increase in popularity, as Elaine Lemm writes in britishfood.about.com “Ironically, it is the economic downturn which began around 2008 that is credited for this revival. The return to more traditional values and homely pursuits is more prevalent when money is tight, it seems.” Whether it be the effect of the recession, the Great British Bake Off , the trend for vintage or the Golden Jubilee, afternoon tea is well and truly on the menu. Large hotels and tea rooms/coffee shops now offer an afternoon tea and business is brisk. But a tea party is so easy to host that you don’t need to book an hotel. And you don’t need a special occasion as an excuse – a bank holiday weekend is a lovely time to have some friends round and treat yourself. So, what do you need? 1 A large tea pot – preferably not metal 2 Some vintage china – raid your Gran’s or the local charity shop – it doesn’t have to match. 3 Table linen -especially if holding it outside – it will make the garden furniture look classy! 4 If you want to dress it up a bit, you need bunting, some cut flowers and cake stands – but none of these are necessary. What ‘s on the menu? 1 Sandwiches – my favourite is fresh cucumber soaked in vinegar on buttered brown bread – cut into triangles with the crusts cut off. Other traditional sandwiches are: smoked salmon, roast ham and mustard, cheese and pickle. 2 Scones – if they are fruit or plain scones you will need butter, cream and jam and if strawberries are in season you could serve them too. Cheese scones can be served and you can experiment with scones – we recently had ginger beer scones – yum. 3 Cake – either one or two large cakes such as a Victoria sandwich and a chocolate cake or a selection of cup cakes and fairy cakes. To drink you need tea, preferably made from leaves: warm the pot first and then add a teaspoon of tea leaves for each person (and one for the pot if you like it strong). Pour on boiling water and allow it to brew for a couple of minutes. I prefer milk in my cup first and then add the tea. You might also like to supply some soft drinks, such as elderflower cordial. To make it even more simple ask everyone to bake for it on your tea party invitation, and have your own bake off as part of the party.