Tea Parties

Several years ago, my church was looking for items for the silent auction, and I came up with the idea of donating a Downton Abbey tea party for 8 to be held at my home.  The item was so popular that 16 people signed up, and I hosted two tea parties.  The guests loved them as much as I enjoyed hosting. 

I have been hosting tea parties ever since for special occasions and milestone birthdays for my daughters and their friends.  The two sweet sixteen parties I hosted went down very well, the kids loved them.  Many of the birthday girls’ friends had never been to a tea party.  Plenty of boys also come to our tea parties, and I am often asked when I will have the next one.  Tea parties are great for Hen parties, baby showers, graduation, birthdays, Christmas, Easter, or heck, just because it is a Friday.

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A Very British Tradition

The tradition of afternoon tea goes back a long time. It was started in England as far back as the 1840s. Typically taken in the afternoon, and if you have watched Downton Abbey, you will have seen the Dowager indulge many times. Tea Parties are an elegant and relaxing event, and if it is done right, the ambiance is wonderful.

Tea Traditions and Tastes: Exploring Authentic Teatime Experiences from Arizona to Dublin

I live in Arizona, and there is one authentic tea shop in the whole area of Scottsdale and Phoenix. Called the English Rose Tea Garden in Carefree.  It is cute, much like the tea shops you can visit in England.  The owner is an English lady with the perfect English accent, so she knows how it’s done.   One of the issues I have with some of the teas I have been to in the USA and London is that they are overdone.  The food is too fancy. Remember, this was a tradition in the afternoon, and you were still going to eat dinner, so the food is much simpler at a genuine tea party.  I could not eat most of the food in many cases. It was too much and too rich. 

My daughter and I went to high tea at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, which was beautiful. The Lord Mayor’s room is stunning, and the atmosphere and ambiance were terrific.  However, the Petite Four (deserts), the top layer of the serving plate, was just too rich and impossible to eat.  High tea is simple sandwiches and scones served with clotted cream and jam. Clotted creamis available in Arizona at AJ’s. 

Tea Party Hosting Skills

Typically, this is how I serve it: the bottom layer contains savory sandwiches, the middle layer includes scones, and the top layer is a desert. Some beautiful Pinterest and Instagram-ready teatime food catches my eye, but they’re often for show. The genuinely fancy stuff comes at a high price for an afternoon tea. It was very dissapointing when tea is served in boring plain cups, like at Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey).  I love the beautiful traditional patterned fine china with flowers and fine finishes.  You do not have to have matching cups. Different cups and saucers make the table prettier and are much more in line with what you get in a traditional tea shop in England.

Tea Party Supplies (On a budget)

You can still buy beautiful china or save a lot of money by shopping at consignment stores and thrift stores for your collection.  Almost all my tea party china has come from consignment stores (I have an extensive collection).  Two of my favorite boxes of China from consignment stores had “Grandma’s China” written on the box.  I was happy to bring Grandma’s china back to life. 

I have paid as little as 49 dollars for a 12-place setting vintage Lennox dinner service and $50 for a Royal Dalton 6-piece tea and coffee set. Look for the dinner services with cups, saucers, milk jugs, and sugar bowls.  You have most of what you need, and picking up a china teapot is relatively simple.  Goodwill regularly has a collection of china teacups and saucers, and you can pick them up there.  You can also get the 3-tier cake stands in consignment stores.  I also have adorable cake stands from Amazon.  Search for “3-tier cake stands.” You can also pick up some great cake stands from Goodwill.

Check out this post to host your own Downton Abbey Tea Party.