Easter Tea Party Ideas

Easter is a lovely time for an English afternoon tea party. With spring comes renewal and inviting dear friends to gather together is a nice way to renew old friendships or to celebrate. Easter time lends itself to many themes, such as joyful eggs and baskets, religious ideas, or the joy, warmth, and colors of spring

Here are ideas for planning a fun or fancy tea, including suggestions for decorations, menu, and activities.

Spring Easter Tea Party Planning Ideas

* Invitations may be purchased at a party store or online. Scrapbooking supply and craft shops will have plenty of ideas should homemade invitations be desired. Look at the rest of this page for inspiration and products, too!
* Well ahead of time, be sure to let guests know the date of the tea, so they can leave the date free. Send a "Save this Date" email or postcard.
* Attire may be specified on the invitations, depending on your theme and preference. Should guests wear spring dresses and Easter hats, casual clothes or something else?
* Pick out music to play. Find nice classical music or burn a CD of favorite Easter or spring themed songs. A pretty background music CD album is the soundtrack to the movie Somewhere in Time.
* The hostess should plan the menu and any activities well in advance so as to be free to relax and enjoy the party day. Look for make-ahead recipes or find a reliable caterer.
* The hostess should shop for or hunt around the house for china, tea cups, serving items, etc. There are many beautiful seasonal Easter and spring party good in the stores far before the holiday. If it is in the budget, it can be fun to buy some special Easter decorations for the front yard for friends to enjoy as they arrive.

Decorations and Food for the Tea Table

* A spring party calls for cheerful decor. Pastel or bright floral colors are perfect to set the tone.
* Twisted crepe paper streamers in pink and yellow, orange and yellow, or light green and violet will make a big impact, especially if made into a canopy above the tea table.
* Small bouquets of flowers (low enough to allow for socializing) or nosegays are beautiful too.
* Heirloom Easter decorations, such as porcelain bunnies or eggs, vases or bowls, can bring a vintage look to the table. Older chenille linens often have the same pastel colors and may be used as a covering for a side table or such.

Activity Ideas for a Spring English Afternoon Tea Party

* A cute game is "Bunny Tails in the Basket." The supplies needed are simple: an Easter basket, a bag or two of cotton balls, a blindfold, and a medium to largish spoon. Each guest takes a turn (blind-folded), scooping up (she hopes - it is impossible to tell because of the light weight) the cotton balls in the spoon and depositing them in the basket. This usually hilarious as often people are scooping merely air amongst the "oohs" and "aahs" of the folks onlooking. The point is to get the most cotton balls into the basket. Have a little prize for the winner (maybe some nice Easter soaps or candies).
* If the guests are up for a bit of fun, how about a round of croquet? This is a lovely old-fashioned game that most people can easily learn and play.
* If the group is not the game-playing type, one more small activity is to tape a little note under someone's chair. Whoever sits in that chair wins a treat.
* Sometimes just chatting and eating is plenty to do. With old friend needing to catch up on each others lives, a lot of picture-passing of family and friends may be going on. Perhaps invitations can suggest this for a group that rarely gets together.

Article © Feb 2008, Janienne Jennrich

Bright Easter Eggs Photo, Courtesy SXC.hu/, Martin BOULANGER

Printable Easter Games