Yes, that's it! Said the Hatter with a sigh, it's always tea time. --Lewis Carroll
Would that it were always tea time! Salutations, Reader! It seems I've been waiting forevvvvvver to share this post with you. The Madly Hatted Tea was inspired a few months ago by a dear English friend who asked if everyone could wear hats to the next tea party. A capital theme, I thought, and one we haven't done. This particular friend also has a flair for dramatic costume making. I especially admire her version of the Mad Hatter and thought how fun it would be to give the costume maven and our other crafty friends a chance to show off their millinery whimsy. Thus the Madly Hatted Tea was born!
From the moment the invitations went out, guests began texting, messaging and emailing me that most important question: what kind of hat should I wear? The answer is one you love. Serendipitously, my own google search for hat ideas yielded a tutorial for Tea Cup Hats (who knew??) For the skinny on these fabulous hats and how to create one of your very own, see this post on making the Tea Cup Hat!
From the moment the invitations went out, guests began texting, messaging and emailing me that most important question: what kind of hat should I wear? The answer is one you love. Serendipitously, my own google search for hat ideas yielded a tutorial for Tea Cup Hats (who knew??) For the skinny on these fabulous hats and how to create one of your very own, see this post on making the Tea Cup Hat!
The Setting:
Unless the weather is exactly perfect (cool and not too windy), I prefer to have this tea indoors. The novelty of wearing a hat quickly wears off if you're constantly trying to keep it from blowing off your head or you become too warm, or are continually swatting at bugs. For many of your guests, this may be their first hatted tea party and we want to make it as pleasant an experience as possible.
The Tablescape:
The more hatted guests you have, the more fun your tea will be. So instead of a sit-down luncheon, I suggest setting a buffet to accommodate the most guests possible and allow the lovely ladies to perch wherever they like.
The table centerpiece sets the tone for your tea party. I like height and flair in the center of my table. In this case, the black and white hatboxes give a color-coordinating nod to our theme and were surprisingly inexpensive (I used the weekly 40% off coupon and got them for $5-$8 each) at Hobby Lobby. My Aunt (the Queen of silk flowers) had the pink roses in her stash downstairs. (Visit seasonal clearance sales at your favorite craft store to pick up cheap silk florals to keep on hand.)
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To get this look: arrange rose stems in the center of the top hatbox so they look full and inviting. Hold them in place by stuffing newspaper around the base of the stems and filling the inside of the box until the flowers are secure. Then hide the newspaper by covering it with coordinating cloth napkins. The vintage pink ones pictured above came out of our linen chest (find similar ones at most flea markets or yard sales for pennies on the dollar). Voila! Instant tower o' hatboxes.
Nearly all the tableware items were purchased at clearance sales over a period of a couple years: the serving dishes, glassware and the iced tea dispenser (most from Hobby Lobby & Pier 1 Imports). In my opinion, the clearance sale is the modern girl's greatest party-planning tool. A little patience and knowledge about which party items will prove useful long-term can quadruple your budget buying power and significantly reduce the cost of entertaining over time.
The paper damask table runners were also purchased at a discount and are proving sturdy enough to be wiped clean and stored for future use. The black tablecloths are actually just yards of plain fabric. Washable, sale fabric is another cheap and versatile way to dress up your table, windows and fun holiday displays. I've used this black fabric for everything from tea parties to Halloween haunted houses and photo shoots. Just be sure to hem (by machine or with fabric tape) any edges that are likely to fray. Or fold the ragged edges under, if you're in a hurry. No judgment here.
The Menu:
Unless the weather is exactly perfect (cool and not too windy), I prefer to have this tea indoors. The novelty of wearing a hat quickly wears off if you're constantly trying to keep it from blowing off your head or you become too warm, or are continually swatting at bugs. For many of your guests, this may be their first hatted tea party and we want to make it as pleasant an experience as possible.
“Today
the hat wearers will be out in force: those who are comfortable in
them, and those who would not feel more conspicuous if two wombats were
mating on their head.” ~ Unknown - See more at:
http://www.pearlsandswine.com/hat-quotes-a-slight-obsession/#sthash.7qAVxX8z.dpuf
Black and white is a favorite color scheme of mine when doing a fashion-related tea. Whatever your guests wear, this background makes the colors pop. (Confession: This also works for me because I already have a lot of coordinating items on hand.) Pairing a seasonally-appropriate color with black and white will give it an affordably-fresh look every time. This go around, we chose pink and incorporated our color with paper buffet napkins (on sale) and sweet-looking crepe streamers (about $7 for both). The Tablescape:
The more hatted guests you have, the more fun your tea will be. So instead of a sit-down luncheon, I suggest setting a buffet to accommodate the most guests possible and allow the lovely ladies to perch wherever they like.
The table centerpiece sets the tone for your tea party. I like height and flair in the center of my table. In this case, the black and white hatboxes give a color-coordinating nod to our theme and were surprisingly inexpensive (I used the weekly 40% off coupon and got them for $5-$8 each) at Hobby Lobby. My Aunt (the Queen of silk flowers) had the pink roses in her stash downstairs. (Visit seasonal clearance sales at your favorite craft store to pick up cheap silk florals to keep on hand.)
.jpg)
To get this look: arrange rose stems in the center of the top hatbox so they look full and inviting. Hold them in place by stuffing newspaper around the base of the stems and filling the inside of the box until the flowers are secure. Then hide the newspaper by covering it with coordinating cloth napkins. The vintage pink ones pictured above came out of our linen chest (find similar ones at most flea markets or yard sales for pennies on the dollar). Voila! Instant tower o' hatboxes.
Nearly all the tableware items were purchased at clearance sales over a period of a couple years: the serving dishes, glassware and the iced tea dispenser (most from Hobby Lobby & Pier 1 Imports). In my opinion, the clearance sale is the modern girl's greatest party-planning tool. A little patience and knowledge about which party items will prove useful long-term can quadruple your budget buying power and significantly reduce the cost of entertaining over time.
The paper damask table runners were also purchased at a discount and are proving sturdy enough to be wiped clean and stored for future use. The black tablecloths are actually just yards of plain fabric. Washable, sale fabric is another cheap and versatile way to dress up your table, windows and fun holiday displays. I've used this black fabric for everything from tea parties to Halloween haunted houses and photo shoots. Just be sure to hem (by machine or with fabric tape) any edges that are likely to fray. Or fold the ragged edges under, if you're in a hurry. No judgment here.
The Menu:
Suggested Menu for the Madly Hatted Tea
Peach Scones with Butter & Honey
Assorted Hot Tea
***
***
***
Assorted Cookies
Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes with Fondant Hats*
Gluten-free Chocolate Cupcakes with Fondant Hats*
(*A big believer in supporting small business, I prefer to order specialty desserts & baked goods from local friends & small businesses whenever possible. The gorgeous & delicious gluten-free cupcakes featured above came from west-suburban Chicago baker/artisan, Lisa Zavala (lisazavala@rocketmail.com). I highly recommend asking around among your friends and cultivating a relationship with fledgling bakers, chefs and caterers in your area. Chances are, most everyone knows someone. The resulting relationship often means your table is consistently set with fresh and fabulous goodies and your goodie-collaborator gains new regular customers. I also always ask for business cards to have on hand in case a guest asks where something came from--and they usually do.)
Of course, pick and choose what tips and tricks work best for you and your guests. After all, the most important things are quality time spent with your guests and their wide smiles of delight. Oh, all the madly hatted fun we had!!!
The way you wear your hat, The way you sip
your tea, The mem'ry of all
that No, no! They can't
take that away from me! -- Ira Gershwin
Quotes courtesy of goodreads.com and quotes.yourdictionary.com.
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