Whether your child is celebrating her third, fourth, or even eighth birthday, a tea party is an elegant, fun way to mark the occasion. Invite their friends for a fun, festive birthday tea party celebration that all will enjoy!
Invite their moms to stay, too. Maybe even make it a Mother-Daughter tea party. Or, set up an extra table and let the grownups visit at their own tea party while the children celebrate together.
Hosting a tea party can be a memorable, and inexpensive way to celebrate a birthday, or just to enjoy having the girls play together. And, if your little girls are already grown, you can still have a tea party for your own adult friends. The planning and the menu can be similar, and a few simple substitutions here and there can turn transform the party from one suitable for toddlers, to one that your gardening club or fellow PTA members will enjoy.
Select a Tea Set
Every tea party needs a tea set, and there are many options for finding just the right one. If your party is for little girls, you might consider a plastic tea set from the toy department. These were intended for “pretend” tea parties, but there is no reason the set couldn’t be washed and used.
To make the girls feel a little more grown up, and to make the party a little more elegant, you could use an actual tea set.
Keep in mind, however, that some of the pieces to the set may be accidentally broken during the event. You may want to keep your grandmother’s heirloom tea set in the cupboard. If you want the elegance of a real tea set, check garage sales, thrift stores, or the flea market for an inexpensive set with no sentimental value. This way, if anything gets broken, it won’t really matter. Shop with your daughter for the set and enjoy the time together.
This will make the party even more special, since you have planned it together, and may even be the part of the party that you both remember the most fondly.
If you are not able to find a complete matching set that will serve the number of guests you are expecting, think about purchasing a variety of teacups and saucers. You might be able to find an assortment of beautiful, floral patterns that would allow each child to have their own, unique teacup. Send them home with the girls as party favors. Or, you keep them for future tea parties.
Create a Menu
Next, you will need to decide on the menu. While most tea parties traditionally serve tea, your daughter and her friends will be just as happy with apple juice. The tea parties they enjoy with their teddy bears every day involve imaginary tea anyway, so the apple juice will be a real treat. Of course, your guests will need tea sandwiches with their “tea.”
Make a variety of kid friendly sandwiches, such as peanut butter and jelly, chicken salad, cream cheese and jelly, bologna, or tuna. Use cookie cutters to cut the sandwiches into hearts, stars, or flower shapes. You might even use a different shape for each kind of sandwich.
Arrange the tea sandwiches onto large serving trays for your guests. For grown ups, you could substitute cream cheese and cucumber for the peanut butter, and serve roast beef and swiss instead of bologna. And, while the adults might also appreciate your creative streak in serving heart shaped sandwiches, they will probably be just as happy to have their tea sandwiches cut into squares.
Try our Quick and Easy Cucumber Bites with Salmon Mousse
To go with the sandwiches, guests of any age will enjoy fresh vegetables with dip. Younger guests will be thrilled to see cheese puffs, but more mature guests might prefer pretzel sticks. If you would like to offer a fruit dip, you could serve berry flavored yogurt, or whip cream cheese with confectioner’s sugar and a bit of vanilla extract.
Try serving our Farm Garden Vegetable Dip
Don’t Forget Dessert!
What would a tea party be without an awesome dessert? Birthday cake is a must, or you could make cupcakes. Tint the icing to match the colors of the party, such as pink or purple.
Adult tea party desserts might include a variety of tea cookies from the bakery, mini muffins, eclairs, homemade brownies, or cheesecake. Small desserts add a look of elegance, and allow guests to sample several treats. This also allows those watching their diet to have a little bit of dessert, without feeling that they have strayed too far.
Check out our 51 Delightful Recipes for National Baking Month for inspiration!
Decorate
Keep decorations simple. A few balloons for your daughter’s birthday may be all you need. The focus is on the tea party itself.
Be sure the table is set and ready before the guests arrive. Choose a table cloth, and maybe even doilies for the girls to use. Have the tea cups and saucers set, and use the tea pot as the centerpiece on the table.
Fresh flowers might be a nice touch, too. To make the girls feel even more grown up at the party, have beads, tiaras, boas, hats, and gloves for them to wear, and be sure to tell them ahead of time that they will be attending a tea party. Some may choose to dress for the occasion. Your daughter may want her friends to dress as their favorite princess. You can also provide dress up clothes to “dress” for tea once they arrive.
If time allows you and some of the other Moms can paint the girls’ fingernails. Your adult friends will probably paint their own nails at home and will probably enjoy the tea party without needing to wear feather boas. But, then again… it could be super fun for the adults to participate, too!
Whether you are hosting a tea party for toddlers or grandmothers, you are sure to create a day that will be memorable for everyone. If it is for your little girl, be sure to take a lot of pictures of her special day. You will want to remember every detail for years to come.
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