Let there be tea.

Warning -- this is not your Grandmother's formal tea party...

I had been wanting to throw a ladies luncheon and tea party for some time and had an idea of a sort of eclectic, bohemian theme with bright contrasting colors and patterns. Must have colors were navy (duh), mint and coral.  I have found a greatly decorated party all starts with the perfect invitation. An invitation should be used as an opportunity to provide a visual preview of your event's overall theme. 

I found these blank note cards with coordinating envelopes and instantly knew they could be transformed into the perfect invitation for the event...add a tea pot stamp and some scrapbook paper to make the cards look like tea bags--and viola!! All done for less than $5 bucks for 12 invitations.

Believe it or not this luncheon took place in early November and I was thrilled to have perfect weather on the day of. Although the event was in Fall, I knew I wanted bright & colorful floral centerpieces versus your typical autumn leaves and mums. Tip: don't feel limited by the season or setting as far as your theme goes-- you can transform any space to create your vision. 

Another way to achieve the look you are going for is to borrow key pieces from family or friends. I was thrilled when my Mother-in-Law offered to let me use her authentic Calico tea pot and salt & pepper shakers (the navy and white floral patterned pieces below). This china is only made in Staffordshire, England and really gave a connection to the true inventors of how to do afternoon tea-- the BRITS!

When hosting a party, anything you can accomplish before the event will SAVE you the day of... i cannot stress this enough. I made all the centerpieces two days before the event and they held up wonderfully. Whole Foods surprisingly had a a great selection of bright flowers considering it was Fall.

And now for the details...I found these gift tags at the Crate & Barrell outlet and knew they would be great place settings. Each guest had a personalized name tag attached to mixed patterned mugs (as I mentioned the theme was eclectic, bohemian so no need to be matchy matchy). In fact, I fully embraced mixing my "china" patterns on this one.

And every mug had a different flavor tea...

After lunch at the more formal table inside, we moved outside for tea and dessert (and to take in the AMAZING weather)...

I found this to be the perfect opportunity to make use of my antique snack sets- glass plate sets with coordinating glass punch cups that fit securely on the plate . Snack sets were popular in the 1920's through the 1940's for afternoon tea and bridge parties. Most of them even feature a place around the edge to set down your cigarette (a true tell of the habits of most women during that time).

And I love these sugar cookies shaped like honeycombs from a bee hive...after all, what is a cup of tea without honey??

Always remember that your menu is another opportunity to bring together your theme. I felt Mediterranean classics would be the perfect pairing for a bohemian themed tea party. Lunch featured pita bread with hummus & tabouli salad and chicken kabobs, saffron rice & roasted vegetables.