How to Plan a Kitchen Tea Party

A kitchen tea party is a form of a bridal shower.

A kitchen tea party complements a bridal shower. Host a kitchen tea party if you are the maid of honor, a bridesmaid or a member of the bride's of groom's family, recommends the website, Tea Party Guide. Organize a kitchen tea party with the idea of giving the soon-to-be newlyweds small, yet necessary, gifts for their new life. Include all of the usual bridal shower aspects, such as a theme and activities in your kitchen tea party plans.

Things You'll Need

• Tea service
• China tea cups
• Place settings
• Coordinated tablecloths and napkins
• Paper lace coasters
• Invitations
• Spices
• Small plastic bags
• Blindfold

Instructions

1. 

   Choose a Victorian tea party theme for a kitchen tea party.

   Select a kitchen tea party theme. Organize an actual tea party, for example. Decorate for a Victorian tea party. Set out delicate dinnerware and a silver tea service. Use lavender tablecloths and paper lace coasters. Stay with the theme for your menu and party favors.

2. 

   Send kitchen tea party invitations well in advance.

   Send invitations several weeks in advance of the party. Set the party date according to the bride's wedding preparation schedule. Buy or create invitations with colors or designs that match the party theme, if you have one.

3. 

   Give the small necessities for kitchen party gifts.

   Stay with a kitchen tea party mission when it comes to gifts. Ask guests to bring kitchen-related gifts. Follow the Tea Party Guide's suggestion for guests to bring kitchen gifts beginning with the bride's and the groom's first names and last name. Suggest, for example, a colander for a bride named Cherie. Use a similar idea for bathroom or dining room gifts.

4. 

   Tantalize guests with a game using fresh spices.

   Play a game in keeping with your gift suggestions. Tea Party Guide offers a suggestion for a kitchen-themed game. Buy a variety of fresh spices, such as oregano, cinnamon and tarragon, in advance of the kitchen tea party. Place the spices in separate small zippered bags. Write a number on each bag to correspond with a list of the spices. Play the game by passing around the bags. Blindfold the players, and ask them to identify the spices by their aromas.

5. 

   Serve scones with cream as light refreshments.

   Implement the tea party idea with your menu. Offer a light lunch to your guests. Make and/or order cucumber and watercress finger sandwiches, tea cakes, and trays of fresh vegetables and fruits. Provide a selection of cold drinks such as lemonade, caffeine- and sugar-free soft drinks, and bottled water. Set a tea service as a centerpiece on a buffet table. Follow the tea party menu suggestion from the website What's Cooking America (see Resources). Set out chocolate-dipped strawberries and scones with lemon curd and Devonshire cream.

References

• Tea Party Guide: Kitchen Tea Ideas and Gifts
• Tea Party Guide: Kitchen Tea Games

Resources

• What's Cooking America: Afternoon Tea Menu and Recipes