Summer Tea Parties

Hosting A Friendship Tea

Jun 23, 2009 Josanna Simpson

This season savor friendships around a tea table by hosting one of three themed parties.

As summer heats up, friends get together. Families plan vacations. It is a time when people break from routine and relax. This June, July, and August create sweet memories around the table by hosting one or more of these themed teas in celebration of friendship: Lavender and Lace: The Tea of Gratitude, The Spice of Life: Celebra-tea-ing Differences, or Lemons and Love: A Rainy Day Tea. This article discusses the first of the three.

Lavender & Lace: The Tea of Gratitude

Thanking friends for the support and encouragement they provide helps nurture a relationship. Invite friends who need to hear a “thank you” to a lavender and lace tea party this summer. Use invitations that accentuate the colors lavender and white for an elegant and soothing effect. When the R.S.V.P.s have arrived, gather the necessary supplies for the number of guests. Each will need a lavender sachet or wand as a take home gift.

Supplies Needed To Host A Tea

• Lace table cloths and napkins (or lavender colored table linens)
• China place settings for the appropriate number of guests
• A tea kettle
• Tea service or pitcher and glasses for iced tea
• Lavender scented candle
• Background music
• Place cards
• Centerpiece, floral or otherwise

Sample Tea Menu

Create the menu a week before the party. Three days before the event collect recipes and purchase menu items. Here is a sample Lavender & Lace menu:

• Finger sandwiches: cucumber & cream cheese on white bread; watercress & black forest ham on sourdough
• An assortment of fresh berries or fresh fruit
• Pound cake drizzled with a lavender glaze
• Currant scones served with plum preserves and butter
• Lady Gray Tea or black tea flavored with lavender (serve hot or iced)
• Sugar or lemons for tea

Preparing A Tea Party

Set the tea table one day before the party. Use lace or lavender table linens and accessories. Select soothing background music. Before the guests arrive place name-cards on the table. Use these during the tea to invite guests to write down one quality they are grateful for in the person sitting on their right.

On the day of the party allow two to three hours for food preparation. While slicing crusts off bread, or arranging fruit on a plate, remember that each moment spent preparing is another way of letting a friend know that he or she is worth the time. Set the tone of gratitude by expressing thanks for the friendship of each guest who steps through the door.

Celebrating Friends

When the guests have assembled, savor the time around the table. Tea has long connected people. Secrets seem to slip out between sips. The beauty and comfort involved in the ceremony of tea indicates to a guest that the hostess considers them worthy of her best. So take time to enjoy the company and conversation.

Finally ask guests to share a reminiscence of a time when they needed a friend’s helping hand. Share an anecdote to get everyone started. As friends leave, thank each one for coming…and make plans to party again soon!

Look for other summer teas in the articles The Spice of Life: Celebra-tea-ing Differences, and Lemons & Love: A Rainy Day Tea.

The copyright of the article Summer Tea Parties in Entertaining is owned by Josanna Simpson. Permission to republish Summer Tea Parties in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Sharing Friendship & Tea

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 0+1?