How To Host a Tea Party – Simple & Cute Details For a Fun Afternoon Tea Gathering

If you’re like me, you probably watched Bridgerton (or any Jane Austen adaptation, for that matter), then Googled “how to host a tea party”. Those types of gatherings look so cool and fun, am I right?

And guess what? They’re not that hard to organize. Well, they can be, if you really want to go the extra mile and make it perfect and Bridgerton-worthy. 

The first thing you need to decide, when you are considering hosting a tea party, is what kind of tea party you want to organize. 

Is it a simple afternoon tea, with some snacks, or do you want to do high tea? For more info, check out the difference between afternoon and high tea. I, personally, would go for the afternoon tea, so it can be a bit more informal and relaxed.

When that is decided and taken care of, you need to focus your attention to the 4 essential areas you need to manage when it comes to hosting a tea party: 

• the actual tea;
• the tea set;
• the decor;
• and the snacks. 

I’ll go through each one below, so you can have all the information (plus tips & tricks and recommendations) on how to organize the best tea party EVER!

Let’s start! Here’s how to host a tea party:

What you need for a tea party

1. Tea set – pot, cups, saucers & co 

This is actually something you NEED and without it, in my opinion, you can’t really call it a tea party. 

A TEA SET. 

You need a tea set, with cups, saucers, pots & so on. Like this Amazon 21-piece porcelain tea set.

Or this plain, simple white porcelain tea set, also from Amazon. 

They’re pretty affordable and it can be an investment piece that you will use for many years to come, and who knows, maybe even give it to your kids or grandkids. 

2. Location & Decor 

When it comes to how to host a tea party, the decor plays a big part in it. 

Why? Because it needs to put you in the mood for it, and make it feel special (and elegant / classy).

First thing, first. LOCATION.

I suggest hosting the tea party in any of the following places:

• Living room;
• Dining room;
• Garden (or any other green and/or outdoor area you have access to).

Second on the list is the DECOR, I recommend making sure you have:

• A white tablecloth. You need it to be white and simple, or maybe a white tablecloth with lace, like this one. 

• Cloth napkins.

I wouldn’t consider this a must on the list of how to host a tea party, but it does give it a nice touch. I found these white cloth napkins on Amazon, and they come in different colors, if you want to try a bolder color. 

• Cake stand.

You absolutely need a Cake Stand if you want to host a tea party. It makes the experience ten times better and it will look great in pictures. Plus, you need a cute tray for your snacks, right? This is perfect for it. Moreover, this is what the English actually use for Afternoon Tea. 

Here are two cool options from Amazon: a simple white cake stand, and a ceramic white and green cake stand. 

3. The Tea

Now here comes the most important part of knowing how to host a tea party: the tea. 

The #1 rule you HAVE to follow, and the key to having a cool tea party, is to SERVE LOOSE TEA, NOT TEABAGS. After all, you need to use the pots somehow. 

I recommend going to a local tea store and getting at least two, if not three types of tea: Black Tea, Green Tea, Fruit Tea. If you want to go crazy, try White Tea and maybe even Herbal Tea. 

Alternatively, you can order loose tea from Amazon:

• English Breakfast Tea aka Black, from Twinings

• Green Tea from Taylors from Harrogate

• Fruit Tea from Harney & Sons

4. Sweet & Savory Snacks

Last, but not least, you need snacks, both sweet and savory. 

Ideally, for an authentic afternoon tea you would also need scones. So if you want to go full out and actually serve scones, you can make them yourself- here is a recipe for Authentic British Scones. 

If you can’t make them, for any reason, I suggest going the mini sandwiches route. The most famous and used ones are Cucumber Sandwiches and Smoked Salmon.

As for the sweet snacks, you never go wrong with mini eclairs, mini fruit tarts, and small cakes. (You can definitely buy them from the store and arrange them on the cake stand, most people do it)

How to Host a Tea Party

Step 1: Invitations

After you’ve decided on a date and a location, it’s time to start inviting people. You can go about it in two ways:

• The easy way: Call, text, send an email and/or message on Messenger / Whatsapp, etc.
• The fancy way: Real invitations, printed on nice paper. If you need inspiration, I found a cool website where you can customize tea party templates and print them. Some of them look amazing, so check out greetingsisland.com.

Step 2: Plan decor, tea & snacks

You’ve settled on a date, location and you’ve sent out the invitations.

It’s time to check off the next things on your list:

• Get inspired. Pinterest and Bridgerton are your best friends. Figure out an aesthetic, the main colors and details you want and need in order to host a tea party.
• Buy the necessary tea accessories, if you don’t already have them. See the list above for what you need to host a tea party (cake stand, tea set, tablecloth, etc.)
• Research snacks ideas & plan your tea party menu. Make sure you know beforehand what tea you are going to use and what snacks you need to prepare / buy.

Step 3: Prepare location – decor & menu

It’s the day of the event aka the tea party, so you need to prepare everything. 

• Make sure the room / garden is decorated and all the tea accessories are washed and nicely displayed for the guests to use. 

• Set up the atmosphere with a cool soundtrack (upbeat classical music or even the Bridgerton soundtrack).

• Prepare beforehand (or buy and refrigerate) the snacks. 

• Have the tea ready to be made, but don’t make it until guests arrive, so it can be served hot / warm.

• Get yourself ready. Take a shower and change.

Step 4: Enjoy your tea party

You’ve gone through all of the steps of how to host a tea party and you’re reached the last one. Hooray!

It’s time to be the loveliest host: talk to everyone, make sure the tea is properly brewed, and refill cups & snacks platters, if needed. And most importantly, enjoy yourself, it’s a party for you, too.

I hope my guide on how to host a tea party helped you organize your own and provided useful tips. Let me know in the comments if you want to organize one, or have done it in the past.

P.S. Nervous to host? Here are 4 essential things to do before guests arrive! 

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