Tea at the Unicorn Wine Guild

Tea-related education and events, the enjoyment of the beverage and the culture of tea

Jan 5

Tea Party for Grown Ups

by teaattheunicornwineguildllc

Dawnya Sasse has been one of my mentors during my tea journey.  Here is one of her articles from e-zines. com.

By Dawnya Sasse

Adults, just as much as children, enjoy a tea party that celebrates any sort of occasion. Serving loose leaf tea is a healthy alternative to any party option and with the wide range of teas available, you can incorporate any theme or celebrate any occasion.  From birthdays to anniversaries or other events, tea is a fun, unique and easy way to create a party.  Use the event (is it a birthday or anniversary?) to determine the best types of tea to serve or, consider hosting a themed party.   A theme can be based on anything from a book character to the time of year.  Your party can be as simple or elaborate as you like.  Just use your imagination, because you are sure to find a tea that is perfect for the occasion!

Activities

Depending on the celebration, activities may range from traditional to unusual or even none at all!  In the fast-paced world we live in, many adults will welcome the chance to sit and enjoy a hot cup of tea and good
conversation. Sometimes people need a reason to relax, and a tea party can be just that.  However, if you want to incorporate activities, these can easily be based on the reason for the gathering. Consult with your local party supply store or do a quick search online.

You can incorporate a “tea twist” on many common games, for example. Bridal and baby shower games can include a tea theme (such as word scrambles or searches), and tea gifts make wonderful party favors for your attendees. Package loose teas in festive netting and tie it with a beautiful ribbon.  Love bingo? Try Teago and let your guests learn about tea and its customs while competing in a familiar game. (www.teago.com [http://www.teago.com])

Decorations

Decorations will depend on the activity, such as a birthday, anniversary, or baby shower. Create a theme for the party, such as a vacation getaway for an anniversary. Decorate the room with beach balls, beach towels and have guests sit in outdoor lounge chairs (or if the weather is nice, take the party outside!). A “famous babies” theme for a baby shower is much more interesting than decorations that are all green and yellow.  Try filling the room with photos of actors who got their start in “pampers.”  The key is to put a twist on your party, and then, of course, offer a twist on the tea you serve such as a fruity tea for the beach party or bubble tea for a baby  shower.

Music

Music selections for your parties can vary greatly. To make it easy on yourself, look for compilation CDs that incorporate the theme. A CD of soft love songs is a great choice for an anniversary, for example, or an  orchestrated mix of lullabies for a baby shower. Visit your local music retailer for specific suggestions or do an online search for CDs that pertain to your theme.

Invitation Ideas

Use your theme to determine the types of invitations you will use. Get creative and make your own using specialty papers, or throw in a few loose tea leaves for a scented and enticing invitation (although some people
may not appreciate tea leaves falling out, so consider some type of mesh envelope!).  Because you’ll be centering your party on tea, think of using naturally colored invitations and alternative papers.  A traditional birthday invitation may not be quite what you’re looking for, so look into blank cards as well, as you can then add your own words.

Foods

What should you serve at a tea party? Again, your theme will have a lot to do with the food selections. If your theme is an anniversary beach party, for example, serve exotic fruits and finger sandwiches. If you are hosting a famous baby tea try collecting and serving favorite recipes of the stars then let your guests vote on the best appetizer.

Teas

Many parties lend themselves well to lighthearted and fruity teas and tisanes. Consider offering teas that your guests may not encounter otherwise. This is a fun way to introduce new teas and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Creativity is a fountain of youth. Now grab a pencil, jot down your ideas and get started.
(C) Dawnya Sasse

Dawnya Sasse is the creator of the ultimate tea business training school allowing students to discover the secrets of the tea industry, “quickly and easily” without ever leaving home.

Why do some people succeed in the tea business? Discover how to “Unlock the Secrets of the Billion Dollar Tea Industry from the Comfort of Your Own Computer” and make your tea dream a reality. Free audio mini course http://www.StartATeaBusiness.com

Copyright 2006 Dawnya Sasse All Rights Reserved. Tea Events http://www.TeaEvents.com

 

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Oct 18

Planning an Autumn Tea Party

by teaattheunicornwineguildllc

I couldn’t say it better myself, so I include this post from my mentor, Dawnya Sasse

The Guide to Planning a Tea Party–Autumn Edition

To begin planning your tea party event, no matter what the season, you need start by answering a few questions:

  1. How many people will you invite?
  2. Who will they be?
  3. What is your budget? How much does that give you per person?
  4. When will your event take place?
  5. What will be your theme? Some ideas for your autumn event are available through my post, “Six Possible Themes for your Autumn Event”. Other possibilities are:
    1. Halloween/Reformation Day/All Saints’ Day
    2. Election Day
    3. Thanksgiving (both America’s and Canada’s Thanksgiving holiday take place in Autumn)
    4. a Costume-Planning Party (thank you Sarah Ban Breathnach…I love your book! If you own it, be sure to check out her Autumn-themed party for Martinmas…so inspiring!). What a great idea for you crafty/seamstress types! Why not plan an afternoon to gab over tea and your handiwork in time to prepare your children’s costumes?
    5. All Soul’s Day–November 2nd. A great theme for a tea party. Really. Have you lost someone dear to your family? Why not set aside time to share memories over tea with your children and tell them stories about your loved one. Has a friend lost a loved one in the past year, maybe even in a season of grief? What if you planned a tea and invited a small group of some of her friends that may have struggled to help through this time. Allow her to share freely and “weep with those who weep”.

Once you make these decisions, you need to send out your invitations. These can be done a number of ways. Remember, keep your budget in mind. I’ve listed some options below.

  1. E-vites (free)
  2. Snail-Mail Invitations with
    1. fall-themed papers and your computer
    2. preprinted Hallmark invitations you pick up at your local store and handwrite.
    3. handmade, scrap-booking materials
  3. Telephone Calls (personal, but take up your time. depending on the number of people you are trying to coordinate).

Next, you need to plan the menu. Remember to keep your budget, theme, and time of day in mind. And DON’T forget to plan the tea. I’ve written a thorough article on The Steps to Creating a Tea Party Menu to help with your planning. Specific ways to incorporate flavors of fall in the traditional tea menu are with:

Tea flavors I suggest to serve at an autumn-themed event, depending on your menu, are:

Once you’ve decided on your menu, think through how you will set your table. I’ve written some about setting the tea table already. Now is the time to think through what you already own, what you need to purchase, and what you can borrow. How many tables and chairs will you need? Remember, intimate is never more than eight, so take that into account when you think through your seating arrangement. What will be your centerpiece(s) and how you will incorporate your theme? Some ideas for autumn centerpieces are:

  1. hollowed-out pumpkins as vases filled with chrysanthemums as they are prolific in fall.
  2. large-pillar candle surrounded by mini-pumpkins and unusual gourds.
  3. beautiful bowl filled with fall fruits like pomegranates, apples, pears, or a combination of all.
  4. colored leaves from your neighborhood with unscented and protected tea-lights.

Part of setting your table means polishing any silver pieces and ironing any linens. Will you include a printed menu for your guests benefit? This is also the time to make/purchase some place-cards and decide what you want to give as a favor.

Take time now to decide what to wear and what music to play. How can these two elements add to your theme? Warm colors of red, orange, yellow, and peaches are associated with autumn. Can you wear one of them to your event? Some ideas for autumn-themed music are:

Once these decisions are made, you will see your theme come together with all the elements that help us celebrate autumn’s beauty. Be sure to spend some more time perusing Tea Party Girl’s archives for further details you might need to plan your tea party event. As always, feel free to email me or leave a comment with your questions as well.

May your event bring blessing to all who attend, and to you as well.

 

Resource Box:

Dawnya Sasse is the author of Tea Party Girl.com and is a long time educator in the art of tea. Grab 52 FREE Afternoon tea recipes by subscribing at http://www.TeaPartyGirl.com You are going to love it!

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Apr 23

Planning Your Tea Parties

by teaattheunicornwineguildllc

There are a lot of details to remember when planning a tea party, be it a corporate, club, or personal function.  And the best way to keep track of everything, and to bring back memories later, is to keep a journal.  Choose whatever size you want. (I personally like a loose-leaf half-size binder.)  If you like to scrapbook, you may want to use a journal that matches your favorite size.  If you are a computer lover, you can keep it on the computer.  I have more than one computer and invariably the information I want is on the other one.  Yes, there are flash drives – in the other computer case.  So, a loose-leaf notebook is my choice.

In your journal you can collect decorating ideas, themes, guest lists, recipes, and more.  After each event you can critique what you would do differently, note where you stored your equipment and journal other thoughts about the day.  Maybe you want to take pictures and place them along with your notes of the event.

The first things you should do for your party are to set the date, the theme and the guest list. Be sure to track your RSVP’s once you send out the invitations.  Plan details such as decor,  room arrangement, table settings, menu (with recipes) and beverage matches.

You will want to develop a shopping list and may even want to do some comparison shopping.  You may find that a recipe or favor is out of your budget.  You can also decide with your budget in mind whether to hand-craft your invitations, use pre-packaged ones or even use an electronic invitation.

A very important checklist is actually the timeline for the event.  Be sure to double the time needed for any one thing.  Distractions, cooking mishaps, and more can set you behind.  Be sure to leave time for you to relax before guests arrive.

Depending on the size of the group you may even want to ask a few friends to help in exchange for a service for them.  Barring that, you might offer a civic group or church a donation in return for help or, if large enough, hire help.  Again, a checklist.

You might decide on a potluck.  In which case you need to keep track of who is to bring what item and what items you borrowed or rented from whom.  You might also want to create playlists for background music (soft classical or light jazz).  You might even want to make a few notes about topics of conversation so you don’t forget the blessing for the meal or to toast the guest of honor or even topics that are taboo for the day due to sensitivities of a guest.

Your attention to detail will make the party memorable.  By planning well ahead your guests will be amazed by the little things that make your party unique.  Be sure to take pictures, have small gifts for the attendees and boxes to send leftovers home with the guests.  Pictures you will want to have are of the centerpiece and table setting before guests arrive, pictures of the party in progress and afterwards.  You might even want to send pictures to the guests afterwards.

Checklists will help you know you are well prepared and allow you to relax and enjoy the party, too.  Remember though that not everything will go perfectly.  Plan for contingencies and you will sail through the event.  Tea parties are fun, for you and a friend or as a corporate event for 500.  Preparation will ensure that.

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