Ideas for a Teenage Tea Party

Children, adults and even teenagers love tea parties. Women, teens and girls alike can't resist dainty sandwiches, delicate sweets, pastel colors and tea. Tea parties are an excuse for teens and young women to get together and chat over the order of the day or to celebrate a special occasion.

Send the invitations for your tea party at least two weeks in advance. If you are throwing a themed tea party, instruct your guests if they should dress up in costume. Teens love to dress up and look their best, so requiring formal wear may add to the fun. Finger foods are best for tea parties. Also, an assortment of teas will add to the party. Serve cold drinks as well, such as iced tea or lemonade. Replace regular granulated sugar with sugar cubes, just like in the movies. Get creative with your tea party--you can host a themed tea party, incorporating movies and popular characters into the gathering. If you're holding the tea party outside, schedule the event for the afternoon. Younger teens may have curfews, so an afternoon party is best.

With "Alice in Wonderland" popularized by Tim Burton's film, host a Mad Hatter's tea party. Decorate the table with white, red and black fabric. As in the children's tale, set the table with mismatched teacups, teapots and plates. You can find odd and unmatched china at a thrift store or a garage sale. Decorate the walls with playing cards; you may even want to indicate where each teen should sit by pinning names onto playing cards. Place roses on the table. Plan a game of croquet during the party.

For the Mad Hatter's tea party, serve cookies in the shape of diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. You can use cookie cutters to make crustless yet fun sandwiches. If you plan to serve a cake, try to incorporate the Wonderland theme. If you are baking your own cake, serve a three-tier cake with colorful icing, like in the "Alice in Wonderland" film. Or you can prepare cupcakes that look like mushrooms or icing that spells out Eat or Drink. Alice-in-wonderland.net lists Wonderland-inspired music to play at the tea party.

A springtime garden party may make teens feel grown up and provide a fun setting for talking with friends over tea and dainty canapes. Tea parties aren't just for little girls or mothers; you may be surprised at how much fun a simple backyard party can be for teens. If you use card tables, dress up the tables with fancy tablecloths in pastel colors. Place flowers on each of the tables. Use simple decorative paper plates for food, but china teacups and teapots are a must. Plan outdoor games, such as horseshoes or potato-sack races. Serve flower-motif cupcakes, because even teens can't resist cupcakes.

Invite teen guests to come have tea with the stars. Instruct guests to come as their favorite Hollywood stars, ready for the Oscars. Guests can improvise a Hollywood look with sunglasses, white gloves and costume jewelry for the females and black ties for the males. Use simple white tablecloths and decorate chairs with pink and white balloons. Decorate with white Christmas lights for glamor. Serve popcorn and star-shaped cookies, along with flavored gourmet tea. Your teen and their guests will feel like stars if you have a paparazzi take photos of the teens at their glamorous tea party. Don't forget the music--play Hollywood-inspired rock and pop music.