Tea parties are kind of our thing after Jesus and farming, of course. Ever since the girls were babies, we’ve enjoyed countless tea parties. From the Fischer-price plastic models to the fine China, we’ve eaten our petit-fours on all of them. 

For my daughter’s birthday, she wanted another tea party. There was a catch though–her four brothers insisted on being invited. So she issued an invitation requesting they come wearing their Sunday suits and their best manners. No slurping at the table and they must raise their pinky finger when sipping from their tea cup. 

Including boys at our tea party presented a unique problem. Egg salad and cucumber sandwiches weren’t going to cut it for the men. We needed to upgrade the menu to include more food with masculine appeal. Enter bacon-wrapped smokies and chicken and waffle bites. 

If you’re hosting a tea party, consider the crowd as you menu plan. Will their be small children, tweens, or adults? For children, avoid foods with choking concerns like grapes (or slice them). For adults, a more hearty fare might be appropriate. 

Sample Menu

Bacon-wrapped smokies – this was such a huge hit! Because we hosted our tea party right after Sunday morning church, I wrapped the smokies the night before with bacon and refrigerated them. As soon as we arrived home, I sprinkled them with brown sugar and popped them in the oven along with the chicken.

  
Chicken-n-waffle bites – This was so adorable and everyone loved it. We snagged a few boxes of mini waffles and a couple bags of chicken nuggets (Chick-fil-a would be amazing!). We toasted the waffles, popped a piece of chicken on top, and skewered it with a toothpick. A jar of syrup sat nearby for drizzling.

  
Cocktail shrimp – This was never on the menu but I saw it at Costco during my shopping and tried a small tray of it. The grown-ups loved it! It’s the perfect dish with zero prep. 

  
Sandwiches – My daughter loves a good egg salad or chicken salad sandwich so we made both the night before and just before the tea party, we assembled the sandwiches. 

Salad – I love serving a salad with any meal. It’s perfect for the healthy conscious eaters and so quick to whip up especially if it can be assembled the day before and just toss with dressing just before the party starts.

Fruit and veggies – Another easy tea party food that can be prepped ahead of time and sat out at the last minute. Homemade dips are a wonderful addition! 

Sweets – What kind of tea party would be complete without sweets? We splurged and surprised the birthday girl with petit-fours, macarons, earl gray shortbread cookies, chai shortbread cookies, chocolate chip biscotti, and an assortment of mini muffins. 

Tea – We couldn’t forget the most important part–tea! We offered an assortment of teas and the girls had fun choosing which ones they liked.

Decor

Decorating for a tea party, or any party, doesn’t need to be time-consuming or expensive. My go-to for any party is to check my home for anything related to the theme we can use as decorations. Pinterest is awesome for finding super cute printables and sticking them in dollar store frames or just using what frames you have around the home. 

For this tea party, my sweet sister-in-law brought over a sparkly tablecloth, a couple vases with silk flowers, a few framed quotes and pictures, and some older books which were perfect for my book-loving girls. 

Everything came from her party closet or my craft closet so we didn’t spent a dime of decorations and it turned out super cute!

Activities 

Since boys were invited to this party and this mama of four boys knows how short their attention span can be, my husband set up a gun range outside. The fathers and sons spent the majority of their time outside after they’d eaten their fill and practicing their target skills. 

The girls chatted inside and played a few board games after opening gifts. It was pretty low-key but everyone had a wonderful time!

Plan Your Own Tea Party

Tea parties are always fun! They don’t require endless planning or a huge list of expenses which is why we enjoy them so frequently. When they’re loved by all who attend, we call that a perfect tea party and deem it a success. And this one was certainly that! When was the last time you enjoyed a tea party? I’d love to hear about your favorite menu must-haves or decorating tips!