Page 7 - June 2023 CW Magazine

Here are 5 steps to create a perfect tea

gathering for your friends.

Step 1) Consider your budget and how many people your space can accommodate or if you will
host at a venue, like a hotel, church, tea house or tearoom. Hosting a tea gathering in your home
does not need to be complicated and you do not need to host it all by yourself. Have guests
participate in setting up the event, bringing food, tea ware, etc. to share the workload. The goal is
to keep this stress free and fun for everyone. Once you have the number of people you want to
invite, create the guest list, date and time of the month that would work for most schedules.
Consider evening or weekend times, especially for working moms so someone can watch their
children. Setting up playdates or having children join in the tea experience are suggestions if stay
at home moms need daytime options. Consider a tearoom or tea house if your space is not a good
option or you don’t want to host it yourself. Make sure the venue can accommodate children, if
needed. Send out invites or evites to build excitement. I personally like receiving invitations in the
mail. Create your own invitations on a platform like www.canva.com or buy invitations if you go
this route. Four to six weeks should be a good time frame to send out invites and request an RSVP
so you can adequately prepare. If it is a more informal affair, then a shorter time frame may work,
too.

Step 2) Choose a theme that is fun and creative to celebrate events like birthdays, wedding/baby
showers, holidays, or special events, like the recent Coronation of King Charles III in England.
Enjoying an afternoon tea with fancy hats or fascinators is a fun way to commemorate this special
event. Choose the decorations (centerpieces, ribbons, balloons, etc.), name tags and party favors
for each guest, guest of honor decorations with a special sash, hat or ribbons, water heaters, tea
ware, dishes (serving trays, etc.), tablecloth and napkins (cloth versus paper or plastic) and utensils
(plastic or metal) that will be needed for the gathering. Teapots or teacups can be bought at a
secondhand store or have guests bring their favorite ones to use to make it more unique. For a
simple gathering, celebrate the current or upcoming season, like Summer. For example, you could
wear beach themed hats and clothing that you already own and buy re-usable beach themed
decorations and party products at your local party store.

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