Afternoon Tea Wedding

Location

Most people choose to tie the knot in a church or synagogue or other place of worship. To support the tea theme, you might consider an older church or Victorian decorations.

But if you are considering an other places for your ceremony, how about a country Bed and Breakfast or cottage? They often have deep front porches and Victorian decor and some have afternoon tea built into their schedules. Or, you could have an outdoor wedding beneath a gazebo or by a lake.

Here are a few Bed & Breakfast places that offer wedding packages...

Hartness House in Vermont.
The Governor's House in Hyde Park.
Prospect Hill B&B in Tennessee
Basin Harbor Club

Destination Wedding

Are you thinking about a destination wedding? A B&B in England would fit in even better with the afternoon tea theme!

This web page has links for several articles about planning destination weddings. One very important piece of advice for destination weddings is to take a trip to the place you're considering. If there are several, that could make for some fun vacations! Just call it "research."

Here are some possibilities...

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle offers couples four stunning and historic settings for a fairytale wedding: The Library, Dining Room, Gate House, and Terrace. In addition to a choice of venues for wedding receptions suitable for banquets as well as smaller gatherings, the castle has 37 rooms available for newlyweds and their guests to stay over.

Destination Weddings by Dawn

The options are endless! ...castles in France, B&B Castle tours in Scotland (getting married along the way!), medieval weddings in Ireland, cliffside celebrations in the South of Italy, private family farms in Tuscany or Grecian Goddesses. Whatever you choose, call us and we'll help you put it all together!

Time of Day

The typical time for an afternoon tea is 4pm, so if you like the idea of having your reception at that time, then your wedding would need to be an hour or so before that time. Truthfully, though, any afternoon time would be fine.

"Your wedding day is one of the most important events of your life, so the invitation you choose should not only set the mood for the occasion, but should reflect the individual personalities of the bride and groom."~~Wedding Invitations Plus

For more casual invitations, tea themes abound! You won't find it hard at all to find invitations you can adapt for use with your wedding or commitment ceremony.

But for a more formal invitation, you may want to go without a tea theme or have your invitations custom-designed so they look exactly the way you want them to and include the tea theme you want.

Bridal Shower Tea Party Menu

Have an assortment of different types of teas, including iced tea, and you may want to include coffee for guests who dislike tea altogether. You also should provide simple tea fare, such as cakes, cookies, scones, pastries. Feel tree to take a trip to the bakery if baking in any form is not you thing.

Bridal Shower Tea Party Decorations

"The brides colors. Decorate using flowers and linens that coordinate with the wedding colors. Decorations at a bridal tea are often more elaborate than a regular tea party. Many people like to keep with white linens and merely accent with the brides wedding colors."~~Tamera Bastiaans

Bridal Shower Tea Invitations

You could go with either the tea theme and look for invitations with teapots or tea cups, or you could go with the wedding theme and use that as your guide in choosing invitations.

Here and here, too, are some really cute examples if you prefer the tea theme.

The Luncheon

In whatever way this get-together occurs, if you are the bride, get some help with the planning! You are too busy as it is. For decorations and menu suggestions, use the same ideas presented for the bridal tea.

Recipe

Here is a recipe from Bridal Teas.

Deviled Ham Sandwiches

1 1/3 cups finely chopped ham
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

The Gift

They are your friends, they are family, and they have been a help or a comfort to you throughout the wedding planning process. You want to thank them in a way that let's them know how special they are to you, without breaking the bank (especially if the wedding is already doing that for you!).

In keeping with the theme, I suggest giving them a tea service, even if only for a tea party of one. Add a tin of the loose tea you will be serving at the reception and call it done!

Afternoon Tea Decorations Ideas

Heart-shaped tea cups and saucers
Round skirted tables with flowers and teapots that match the theme
Choose a cozy room with a fireplace
Tiered trays to serve the sweets

Afternoon Tea Music

Romantic Classical
Soft Jazz

Tea Party Themed Wedding Reception Menu

black tea ~ earl grey or english breakfast
scones with clotted cream
cucumber tea sandwiches (heart-shaped)
roast beef and pear chutney sandwiches (heart-shaped)
vanilla tea-infused sponge cakes

~~menu is taken from Tea Party: 20-Themed Tea Parties with Recipes for Every Occasion, from Fabulous Showers to Intimate Occasions, by Tracy Stern