Good weather, good tea and good friends can make for a wonderful time in your own backyard. Even if you are alone for the day, spending it outside in your luscious garden with a relaxing cup of tea can be a fine reward in a relaxing atmosphere.
This article discusses the many teas you can enjoy and tips on how to put together an outstanding tea party.
First, consider the space. With a garden, the varieties of entertaining arrangements one can make are almost endless. A patio by the house is as fine a place as putting a table out by the best part of the yard.
For a larger tea party with a large guest list, it is important to consider your accomodations. A tea party should be pleasant, not stuffy. With this in mind, make sure you have enough space so everyone is not in cramped quarters. Putting patio chairs or metal benches on the outskirts of the grass so people can spread out can make for a pleasant atmosphere.
Building a gazebo if you have a weekend available before the party will enhance the experience and gather positive comments. It also has a side effect of a nice shaded place for guests to go to and converse.
For putting on such a large outdoor tea party, you may consider getting an open-sided tent as well to avoid the sun’s rays if the tea party will be going a lot while. Such tents require to work to put in, but they can be found at most party rental stores.
Depending on whether the event is meant to impress or simply to have a casual outing, the garden decor for your tea party may hold some importance. If this event is to impress, consider getting or making floral arrangements to have some nice table centerpieces for the purpose of accenting the garden space. Likewise, you may consider theme decor for your tea party. Oriental decor may go over well or poorly, depending on the decor, your guests and who you are in standing to them. (For example, if your guests include people of Asian descent, then non-authentic faux Oriental decor may appear as a backhanded slap of insensitivity to them. Then again, if you are the company boss, people may be more open to going with the flow even if silently offended.)
How your garden looks may influence how your decor appears.
The beauty of a tea party is that there are many varieties to offer your guests.
May I recommend both hot and cold teas for your tea party. The standard is Earl Grey tea, but ice tea makes for a nice way to cool off on a summer’s day. Earl Grey goes well with small bread foods like scones or Fig Newtons.
Green teas offer a wonderful mellow taste and added health benefits. They also go well with many vegetables you might put out. Lemon teas bring some zing, although this may not be a popular option due to their bitter taste.
A nice chamomile or chai tea also can accent the variety of teas you can get for your guests.
With the tea, additional items like milk, sugar cubes and lemon slices are a must.
Accenting the tea party is food for your party guests. Strawberries are surprisingly nice with tea, as are some other berries. Finger foods and slices of fruit, especially apple, also can fit in well. Avoid foods that spoil easily from being outside. Get more than one serving plate for your tea party so those nibblers won’t go hungry and you won’t have to run to the kitchen to gather more over the course of the afternoon. If the party’s intent is to help you network, your goal should be to not be distracted by having to act as constant host and tend to the tea party at hand.
A good guide is that for every ten guests expected, have a plate of something out.
Last but certainly not least is consideration of entertainment. If you want a truly outstanding party, hiring a violinist or cellist for your tea party might make for a great accent to your garden experience. If you are trying to make a quite an impression, a four-piece quartet may be an option.
However, for a more casual affair, a multi-CD changer of light jazz or classical music with small, out-of-the-way speakers may do fine.
You may also consider party favors, but only if it seems fitting to the formalness of the occassion.
Overall, there are many ways to build a pleasant tea party in your garden for guests. However, with nice weather, it would be a shame not to hold one if the season permits.
