Plan a Springtime Easter Tea Party
Sweet Ideas for Planning and Giving A Spring Holiday Tea for Friends
Feb 12, 2008
Easter is the perfect holiday for a charming pastel or floral English afternoon tea party. Here are tips for lovely decorations, delicious recipes and treats, and more.
Most everyone loves Spring. It is a time for renewal and the perfect time to invite dear friends over for a charming gathering, just for fun. Easter time lends itself to many themes, be they eggs and baskets, religious ideas, or the joy and colors of spring.
Planning an Spring Easter Tea Party
- Invitations may be purchased at a party store or online. Scrapbooking supply and craft shops will have plenty of ideas should homemade invitations be desired.
- Be sure to let guests know the date of the tea well ahead of time, so they can leave the date free.
- Attire may be specified on the invitations. Should guests wear spring dresses and Easter hats, more casual clothes or something else?
- Pick out music to play. Find nice classical music or burn a CD of favorite Easter or spring themed songs. A pretty background music album is the soundtrack to the movie Somewhere in Time.
- The hostess should plan the menu and any activities well in advance so as to be free to relax and enjoy the party day. Look for make-ahead recipes or find a reliable caterer.
- The hostess should shop for or hunt around the house for china, tea cups, serving items, etc. There are many beautiful seasonal Easter and spring party good in the stores far before the holiday. If it is in the budget, it can be fun to buy some special Easter decorations for the front yard for friends to enjoy as they arrive.
Decorations and Food for the Tea Table
- A spring party calls for light and cheerful decor. Pastel or bright floral colors are perfect to set the tone.
- Twisted crepe paper streamers in pink and yellow, orange and yellow, or light green and violet will make a big impact, especially if made into a canopy above the tea table.
- Small bouquets of flowers (low enough to allow for socializing) or nosegays are beautiful too.
- Heirloom Easter decorations, such as porcelain bunnies or eggs, vases or bowls, can bring a vintage look to the table. Older chenille linens often have the same pastel colors and may be used as a covering for a side table or such.
Activities for an English Afternoon Tea Party
- A cute game is "Bunny Tails in the Basket." The supplies needed are simple: an Easter basket, a bag or two of cotton balls, a blindfold, and a medium to largish spoon. Each guest takes a turn (blind-folded), scooping up (she hopes – it is impossible to tell because of the light weight) the cotton balls in the spoon and depositing them in the basket. This usually hilarious as often people are scooping merely air amongst the "oohs" and "aahs" of the folks onlooking. The point is to get the most cotton balls into the basket. Have a little prize for the winner (maybe some nice Easter soaps or candies).
- If the guests are up for a bit of fun, how about a round of croquet? This is a lovely old-fashioned game that most people can easily learn and play.
- If the group is not the game-playing type, one more small activity is to tape a little note under someone's chair. Whoever sits in that chair wins a treat.
- Sometimes just chatting and eating is plenty to do. With old friend needing to catch up on each other's lives, a lot of picture-passing of family and friends may be going on. Perhaps invitations can suggest this for a group that rarely gets together.
For more information on teas and Easter holiday fun, see Afternoon Tea Party Planning 101, English Afternoon Tea Etiquette, A Girlfriends' Afternoon Tea Party, and the websites Easter Tea Party Ideas and the Entertaining all Year Site
Happy Easter, One and All!
The copyright of the article Plan a Springtime Easter Tea Party in Holiday Entertaining is owned by Janienne Jennrich. Permission to republish Plan a Springtime Easter Tea Party in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
