Reader Requests: High Tea Party Theme

Alright. So there weren’t any jazz hands per say at the big musical program the other night, but there were definitely some rumba moves going on up there so somebody *coughMusicTeacher* has been watching herself a little Dancing with the Stars. So although there were no stars on stage (other than mini #1 that is!), it was a fun and fabulous night that we were sure to capture on camera for pure Rehearsal Dinner embarrassment in the future. A job well done, all around I’d say!

This morning I’m off to drop off the mini’s at preschool, stay for a little parent appreciation brunch in mini #2’s classroom, then meet up with my friend to go see the Southern Living Show House which is about a mile from my house. What’s really ridiculous is that we can’t just drive ourselves there and we have to drive to take a bus to the house, which is within spitting distance of my neighborhood. Apparently the organizers of this little shin-dig haven’t checked the gas prices lately! But before I dash out the door, I wanted to share a great reader request.


Melissa writes:
My daughter Isabelle is turning 3. The past few days we have discussed potential party themes...Spongebob, Lilo & Stitch, Princess...finally we (me) have settled on a "pink & green" theme. This is prob the last year I can get away with having the final say on party themes...so I want to make it nice. With that said...I have no idea what to do. Any thoughts for creative pink & green invite wording? I am planning on ordering cookies from the gal you recommended for the bowling birthday. That's all I've got. It's going to be in the afternoon in Bridgehampton, NY the weekend before Memorial Day. Any advice is most appreciated. You've always have such great ideas.

I love the idea of the tea party theme! I don't know if you'll like this, and I can't take credit for the idea, but I did do some digging and found a SUPER cute tea party idea... A Mad Hatter Tea Party!

Invitations Colorful and wacky. Instruct everyone to dress up in high-tea style.

Decorations As whimsically topsy-turvy as you remember from Alice in Wonderland. Cover the table with bright, clashing tablecloths. Put candlesticks of funny shapes and sizes down the center and adorn them with pink and yellow candles. Use chairs from different parts of the house: tall stools, upholstered uprights, dining-room standards, and so on. Play the Disney favorite in the background.

Activity Charades -- see who can best imitate the Queen, the Cheshire cat, and the rabbit.

Food Cupcakes frosted in green, blue, pink; sugar cookies with bright sprinkles; tea sandwiches cut into the shapes of stars and hearts. And of course tea served in a fancy old-fashioned pot. Hit yard sales beforehand for a mishmash of tea cups and saucers.

Now, if this is a little too "out there" for you, then you can still stick with the preppy pink and green theme. Still have the girls dress up in high-tea style, and purchase white gloves for all the little girls, sitting at their places. All the food and drinks should be pink and green. For instance, use pink lemonade or pink grapefruit juice, or make Shirley Temples for the little ladies as well for their tea party, and a separate special pink drink for the parents (hey, they did bring them to the party so we don't want to exclude them!). A pink and green cake, simple square low glass vases w/ pink and green roses, all stems and leaves clipped so all you see are the tops of the roses, is so elegant and pretty. Tie some pretty pink and green ribbons on the teacups and silverware, and even have them decorate a May Pole type activity, and at the top you could glue a vintage teacup. How beautiful would that be with all the ribbons streaming around the pole w/ a beautiful old delicate teacup on top?! I'm not sure what her room decor is like, but in my mind that would make for a pretty decoration and nice memory to keep in a little girls room.

I would also see if you could have a 3-D cake made in the shape of a teacup. Perhaps to match her invitations or the teacup on top of the little pole if you opt to do that activity. If you decide to do the Mad Hatter party, then you could also go online and print up some coloring pages for the children to color as well. For party favors, I would do a personalized teacup (name or monogram) and saucer for each little girl to take home with her, and maybe a custom cookie inside the cup. Try Laura Poland w/ Max's Mom's cookies (weddingcookie.com) who did my son's favor's for his b'day party in Feb. Call her up and tell her I sent you. She's wonderful and can pretty much do anything, even if you don't see it on the site. Sure, you could go to a much bigger company like Rolling Pin Productions, but I really like to try to support fellow mom's of small business whenever I can.

Oh, and don't forget you can also request your guests wear pink and green also, and have your family coordinate in the party theme as well! It will make for excellent photo opps! That's all I can come up with right now, but hopefully this will help a bit.

Good luck! I'm sure it will be smashing!

P.S. I have some cute photo's of cakes and the like that I'll try to post later. For some reason blogger was taking forever to upload photo's this morning.