A Grand Victorian Tea Party

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As a mom of girls, tea parties are an almost daily occurrence. And they are so much fun! Most often the girls do it on their own without any input or help from me. But we do have the occasional themed tea party outside of Poetry Tea Time. One of our favorites is to have a Victorian tea party, usually following the reading of The Secret Garden or The Little Princess, both by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This year we are listening to Little Lord Fauntleroy, by the same author, and we should finish it to coincide with Queen Victoria’s birthday and the end of our school year.  I am planning on surprising my girls with a grand Victorian Tea Time. I would like to invite you to join me in the planning.

A party to remember

I want this party to be all that a Victorian Tea Party used to be: from party games to food and drink and definitely hats! Not sure some of them will dress up but I am aiming for it. I want to set the mood and build up anticipation by sending them invitations, etc… My goal is for this to be a grande finale of our school year and a reward for their hard work as well as a treasured memory for the future.

The True Victorian Tea Party

Tea parties started in the mid 1830s, when the Duchess of Bedford, one of Queen Victoria’s lady-in-waiting, needed a little snack mid-afternoon. The fancy quickly spread through the court and became fashionable to all social classes. Usually served around 5:00pm, as dinner was not usually served until 8:00pm, afternoon tea time quickly became an opportunity to gather friends together. This was also the time of day many fashionable ladies “called” on each other, making it the perfect fare to offer your visitors. The formality of afternoon tea was dependent on who the guests were. We will keep ours fairly relaxed.

Planning

Once I have a firm date, I will block probably 2 to 3 hours for this party. It will most likely be around lunch time, as I am planning lots of yummy treats.  I will then create some fancy handwritten invitations and actually mail them, one to each of my girls. I will make it a formal invitation but keep it simple. Just to build up a little anticipation. Once the invitations are sent I will focus on the menu and the games.

Menu

Some of it will be home made, such as dainty sandwiches but I might splurge on some bakery treats, maybe a cake. Again, I want this to be memorable, so unusual fare will do well. 

• Chicken salad sandwiches,
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches
• Prosciutto and brie sandwiches 
• A tray of Caprese Skewers
• Madeleines
• Macarons (store bought)
• Victoria Sponge Cake OR Scones with Clotted cream and strawberry jam. This will be a last minute decision…

Of course there will be tea, some real tea, some cambric tea and some lemonade, with lemon slices and ice.

Games

Traditional Victorian games are so much fun! Lawn croquet, pin the tail on the donkey, blind man’s bluff, hoops, Charades, Are You There, Moriarty and Squeak, Piggy Squeak, etc…I have also invested in this delightful card set of Victorian games, and we might just pick  a couple of games at random. This set has fantastic cards and I know it will pulled out again and again! I know that we will enjoy a couple quiet games, but soon enough they will need to be active ones. Counting on nice weather, Blind Man’s Bluff will be a must.

Crafts

If the weather is crummier and we feel in a crafty mood I will have supplies to create either  pretty cards or decoupage a useful summer accessory, such as the cover of a new notebook, small summer treasure box or a picture frame. I will start collecting pretty paper napkins, with Easter around the corner, that should be easy enough. Paper napkins are easier to use, rather than scrapbook paper, for decoupage, especially for little ones. I want this craft to be simple, easy and fairly quick. Having a craft available is always a great way to start our tea parties in general. And having one that we have not done in a while will be a win.

Then the table

Since weather can still be very fickle in Colorado at the end of May, my table setting should work for both indoors and outdoors. For the linen, a fine white tablecloth, only used for Christmas and Easter will do nicely, along with small napkins folded in a fancy fan shape. I am hoping to find some lace napkins or handkerchiefs at the thrift store soon. As for the dishes, some pretty tea wear, I might get some pretty paper plates or use our more formal dining set and silverware. I will bring out the prettiest tea kettle and the best serving dishes.

Decorations

Definitely some flowers will grace the table. A bunting would be a lovely addition as well, like this one or this one. I am hoping the roses will be blooming by then and that I can use these for the table. A little nosegay for each girl to keep would also be a nice touch. They love having their own flowers to decorate their bedrooms. Along with their bouquet, I intend to write each of them a card praising their achievement this year and encouraging them to persevere in their weak points.

Tea party accessories

I would love to get them some cheap hats to decorate and wear for our tea party. I am thinking dollar store Easter hats decorated with fake flowers. This will need some investigation and planning, lol! I have no idea if the girls will go for it, but the result could be so much fun that I am going to try.

Why am I planning this now?

Because I know myself, lol! If I do not plan it, it will not happen. I really want to make this a fun day for my girls and I know that this will require some effort on my part. But if I start now, then chances are good that I will have everything necessary for a great day together. I want to keep this simple, but also create a memory that we won’t soon forget. As my older kids are growing up and moving away from home, I am realizing more and more the importance of these memories. These treasured memories are what they remember, along with the quiet days at home. It doesn’t need to be extravagant or expensive, simplicity can achieve more than money.

I will update you after our Grand Victorian Tea Party, but please feel free to DM me if you have any questions or follow along on Instagram @adailypicturebook for updates. This should be so fun!
Love,
Mattie

PS: Just after I finished writing this post I had the opportunity to go to the thrift store and found both napkins and small little vases for our tea party! So excited!