Garden Tea Party Ideas

Tea parties are appropriate for birthdays,
Mothers Day, Bridal/Baby showers, or anytime!

A tea party can be as casual or formal as you want it to be. Decide ahead of time what your social function calls for. Keep decorations and foods simple, with as much make-ahead items as possible, so as the hostess, you can relax and enjoy the party!

Keep the menu light. Even the party is over the lunch hour, all you need to serve is light fingerfoods. Fresh vegetables with dip, and perhaps some fruit as well, cut them nicely and display them on pretty platters. Cookies and scones are wonderful, simple desserts. If you are serving at mealtime, simply add a larger variety of sandwiches and perhaps a pasta or green salad.

Setting foods at different heights makes the buffet very appealing to the eye. Use a cake pedestal and tiered servers to achieve this effect. Make use of those paper doilies and lace placemats!

For a casual Garden themed party, you can use garden tools to replace some of the usual party utensils... clay pots, garden tools for serving. Use a really clean (new) watering can as a drink server, use galvanized steel buckets for ice, for canned drinks etc.

Fresh flowers are always lovely, and perfect for a garden tea.
Bring as much of the garden greenery to the table as you can.
Seed packets make adorable invitations or place cards

Shape Theme Tea: Pick a shape and serve everything you can in that shape: hearts, tea pots, Christmas trees, stars, leaves, squares, circles, flowers. Cookie cutters come in so many fun shapes and sizes that there is no limit to the themes. Use them to cut your sandwiches, cookies, cookie bars, and scones. There are even candy molds, cookie molds and cookie presses as well as specialty spring form pans and cake pans. Cut your doilies this shape, as well as your invitations, favors, everything! More Themed Tea Parties at seeds of knowledge

Tea Time Etiquette By Tamera Bastiaans

Tucking cut flowers into napkins: First, fold the napkin by laying it flat, and fold in half widthwise so the folded edge is near you. Fold the top layer down halfway. Turn napkin over, and fold the edges into the center. Fold napkin in half. Tuck flower into pocket. More table setting tips like this at Taste of Luzianne - entertaining ideas and food with a Southern flair

Rent or buy fancy teacups and saucers, if you don't have any handy. Real tea service adds an element of glamour that cannot be compared to paper cups. Use real glass ice tea glasses. Keep coordinating paper or plastic cups handy, if you have children attending.

Beautiful Flower Arrangements, Delivered to Your Doorstep

Victorian Theme Party Ideas

Croquet is a perfect game for a garden party!

How sociable the garden was.
We ate and talked in given light.
The children put their toys to grass
All the warm wakeful August night.
- Thom Gunn, Last Days at Teddington

Tea Sandwiches
The daintier the sandwich, the better. Always use firm-textured, thinly sliced bread, trim the crusts, and cut the sandwich into two or four smaller ones. Most guests will eat at least four tiny sandwiches, so offer a variety of flavors, some made on white bread, some on whole wheat. Vary the shapes -- cut some into squares, others into fingers, a few into triangles, and use a cookie cutter to create round ones. Cutting the crusts off the sandwiches after you fill them ensures that the filling will spread to the edges of each piece. Garnish serving plates with edible flowers or sprigs of watercress to add color. Bear in mind that thin-sliced bread dries out quickly: Fillings should be prepared the night before, and chilled to mix the flavors. Make sandwiches just before serving time and keep tightly covered with plastic wrap or a slightly dampened tea towel until the last minute.

The following recipe, and more excellent Tea Party
ideas, can be found at Tea Party Time

Celery & Walnut Sandwiches
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced toasted walnuts
To toast walnuts, spread on a baking stone (or sheet) and bake at 375 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in celery and walnuts.

Recipes for Tea Sandwiches and Goodies - about.com

Cucumber Sandwiches
Peel cucumber and slice very thin. Sprinkle slices with salt and drain on paper towels. Spread white bread with butter and a thin layer of cream cheese mixed with 1/2 tsp. dill weed. Layer cucumbers thinly. Cut into desired shapes.

Old Fashioned Kitchen Recipe Index

EPICURIOUS: GARDEN TEA PARTY RECIPES Shrimp Saté, Annabel's Pasta Salad, Green Bean and Potato Salad Pigs-in-Blankets, Oven-Baked Drumsticks Serrano Ham and Swiss Cheese Frittata Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, Watermelon-Honeydew Kebabs

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Interesting Centerpiece Idea:

Giant Tea Cup and Saucer from Wonderfully Wacky .com
fill it with favors or fruit, chips, etc ...cute!

Adagio Tea's gourmet teabags combine the superior taste of loose tea with the convenience of a disposable bag.

Receive A Guide To Tea, an 88-page book on the history and enjoyment of tea free with your first Adagio Teas order of $19 or more.

Party Favors:
Garden Favors: Let guests pot their own plants!
Buy a flat or two of easy-care blooming plants. Lay down butcher paper, so the mess is easy to clean up... make sure you have enough small clay or decorative pots, potting soil, tools & gloves for everyone to make their own party favors!
... or...
Send your guests home with a little planting kit, seeds, dirt, shovel, clay pot, etc, all wrapped in pretty tissue!

Make enough individual potted flowers so that everyone can take one home at the end of the party. Place several pots together at the center of each table as centerpieces. As an affordable option, once I used simple plastic party cups in matching colors for the plants, and my guests were thrilled to take them home!

Tea Favors: Send each guest home with a cute tea cup filled with flavored tea bags.
"Honey dippers" with personalized tags & ribbon are sweet favors also.
Candy covered spoons are yummy and festive.

Heart Tea Infuser
Thank You Card w/ Envelope shop.com

shop.com 'Blooming Flower' Bottle Stopper Favor Note - The minimum order quantity for this item is 24. Spring showers always bring flowers - and this whimsical flower would love to be part of your event! The vibrant acrylic flower features translucent pink petals with a green center and flower 'pot', which forms the actual bottle stopper. Thefavor measures 4' by 2' and is packaged in a clear gift box with a 'window' overlooking a lovely field of background flowers. The words 'Blooming Bottle Stopper' are written across the cardboard flower pot base, and the favor is tied up with a white organza ribbon and matching flower-shaped 'For You' tag. This is the perfect accessory for your spring event - whether it is a wine-tasting, garden party, or wedding reception! Boxed and Unboxed Favors Shown	shop.com Daisy Silhouette Placecard Holders (Set of 4) Note - The minimum order quantity for this item is 6 sets of 4. Orders for less than the minimum will be cancelled. These placecard holders are sleek, modern, but still romantic. With contemporary clean lines that are still poetic in design, each placecard holder features a hefty base for stability with a sleek chrome finish. Each holder stands approximately 4" tall and are ideal for your guests to take home and later use as memo clips or photo holders. Darling Daisy theme includes four daisy-design clips with spiral centers and a cleverly designed base resembling a little flower pot. Sold in sets of four. Sample Shown	shop.com Sweet Treat Flower Pot Favor Petite and delicate specialty paper mini blossoms forms these adorable bouquet of flowers that are filled with treats. Inspired by real bouquets, these miniature favors are great for a garden theme or simply cluster a couple together to form a unique centerpiece. Size: 2-1/2"H x 2-1/4"W Wedding favor comes with your choice of confections. Please choose from selection box.

Almond Tea Cookie Favors
shop.com

Small bottles of lotion are a wonderful idea for ladies who garden -
Check out the wide variety of scents at
verbena hill
custom bath & body products

Have a great idea
for a Summer Tea Party?
send it along with your city & state, for future inclusion on these pages... thanks!

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Party Ideas, Recipes, Decorations & Crafts for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Valentines Day