Best Afternoon Tea Party Themes

(1) A Reunion Tea

How long has it been since you gathered your closest friends together? Call them up and have them over for a reunion tea. Ask them to bring pastries, cookies or other sweets, and you brew the tea.

It keeps the party simple enough that you can place your entire focus on connecting with each other, catching each other up on the stories of your lives and weaving again the thread that binds you in friendship.

(2) A Long-Distance Tea

"There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound." ~~Diana Cortes

Can't get together physically with your closest friends? You can still plan a tea party and invite them! Send them an invitattion and let them know what time you will be having the tea, and you might even send them a small packet of loose tea in a tiny plastic bag along with the invitation. Light your candles, brew your tea, and when the time comes, pick up the phone to call them and have your tea party on the phone!

Take pictures to share with each other of you individual tea parties. You may want to get you families into the act or make it just a special time for you and your friends.

(3) A Book Club Tea

"If your book club has planned to discuss an English novel of manners ~ the sort of gentle domestic drama that flows from Jane Austen to Barbara Pym ~ why not cue the tea to the genre, perhaps offering a delicate Darjeeling in porcelain cups with petite sandwiches of smoked salmon and curried egg salad. ... After all, so much literature is drenched in tea, from Henry James to Rosamunde Pilcher. Your bookmates will love the connection." ~~Kim Waller, The Art of Taking Tea

For help in starting a book club, go to this lens.

(4) A Mother-Daughter Tea

This can be a special time for moms with grown up daughters. Simple decorations with a simple flower arrangement to grace the table alongside tea cups and saucers can be pleasing to the eye as well the heart.

Finger sandwiches, cookies and scones finish the menu. For a special treat, have the mothers and daughters write a note or letter to each other sharing how much they are appreciated.

(5) A Children's Birthday Tea

Little girls love to pretend and it gives them a chance to dress up and be little princesses for an afternoon.

"Tea parties are traditionally held in the afternoon, which makes them ideal for a children's party occasion. They're also a great excuse to play dress-up and eat sweets. Plus, they help kids practice table manners and party etiquette, such as sending invitations and thank-you notes. Don't think that a tea party has to be girls-only, by the way. While some kids tea party themes will probably be too girly for many boys, others are suitable for mixed company."~~Lori A. Selke, eHow contributor