A few years ago, our daughters and I hosted an English Tea Bridal Shower for our youngest daughter. It was such a fun experience, we still smile and giggle about it to this day. For months, we studied traditional English Teas, decorations, and recipes and finally came up with what we wanted.
The entire experience became the onset of our current tea party enthusiasm, or should I say addiction. I’ve outlined the various steps from beginning to end in the following post. Perhaps it will help if you are considering a tea party bridal shower. See more tips on Hosting a Tea Party Here and be sure to download my free Tea Party Checklist at the button below.
English Tea Bridal Shower – The Invitation
We fashioned our own invitations to match the wedding theme of green ivy and lace.
Hats, gloves, and pretty dresses were encouraged for those who attended. Many of us purchased tea party hats on Amazon. You might be surprised at how many inexpensive options there are, available in all shapes and colors.
The Decorations
We held the tea in our church fellowship hall, so we had plenty of table space available. For our theme, we chose an English Garden with decorations of lavender, ivy, herbs, and succulents. Hobby Lobby became our best friend for nearly a year. We called on close relatives (mostly grandmothers) for any available china, tea sets, and pretty serving dishes.
A Tea Table for Little Girls
We also prepared a special table for any young girls who might attend the party, complete with miniature tea sets, decorations, and coloring books. Due to their young age, we opted for tea menu options that included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrots, celery, and candies.
The Bridal Shower Menu
Our menu consisted of four courses, and all of the recipes were tested to make sure they fit the bill for the day! We tried different loose leaf teas from Tealyra, The London Tea Merchant, and Plum Deluxe. Carefully laid out plans were made for serving, with helpers in the kitchen keeping the tea brewed, while others pushed serving carts around to the guests to serve the courses.
THE FIRST COURSE – Savories
The first course consisted of three tea sandwiches served with an Apricot Brandy Tea. Egg Salad with Watercress, Curried Chicken Tea Sandwiches, and Smoked Salmon Mousse with Cucumber. We served the sandwiches on tiered plate stands placed on each table.
THE SECOND COURSE – Scones
For our second course, we selected English Scones with Clotted Cream served in baskets to keep the scones fresh-from-the-oven warm. Set out on each table were dishes of Lemon Curd and Strawberry Jam. To go with the scones, we served Rosy Earl Grey Tea. You would not believe what we went through to make the clotted cream, but it turned out fabulous! Read about it in the recipe below.
THE THIRD COURSE – Dessert – Sweets
During our third course of desserts we served our only herbal tea–Soothing Trio, a blend of chamomile, mint, and hibiscus. This plate consisted of Lavender Pistachio Shortbread, a Raspberry Cream Tart, and a Miniature Chocolate Fudge Bundt Cake based on my Easy Fudge Cake with Ganache Icing.
We also made available on each table bottles of Mint Lemonade for a refreshing cool drink. See a similar recipe below for Sparkling Raspberry Mint Lemonade, which you could easily adapt by leaving out the raspberries.
THE FOURTH COURSE – Bonus Dessert
Last, we served a Strawberry English Trifle in these sweet little trifle dishes that I found on Amazon. To go with this course, we chose a blended tea of Margaret’s Hope (Darjeeling) and Jasmine Silver Needle. For anyone still thirsty, we made available a special loose leaf blend called Royal Wedding, from the London Tea Merchant, which is still one of our favorite teas.
Tea Lessons
Rather than traditional “bridal games” we offered little lessons on an English Tea–The History of Afternoon Tea and a Memory Tray Game; English Tea Etiquette; Tea Party Attire; and the Language of Flowers. All very wedding/bridal-oriented.
I loved this little Tussie Mussie given to the “moms” for a keepsake treasure. If you’re not familiar with what a Tussie Mussie is, you may read about their history HERE.
To end the afternoon, we sent all of our guests home with little satchels that included handmade Tea Booklets, a packet of tea, and a honey stick. The booklets included special tidbits about an English Afternoon Tea and a few recipes.
Attendees also took home sweet handkerchief roses that we made. We formed so many of them that we had the skill down to a science that took less than 2 minutes to make one rose.
How to Make a Napkin Rose
Below are instructions on how to fold a napkin rose. Begin with an ironed napkin, 8″-10″ square napkins work best.
We had a wonderful time as we showered the bride-to-be with lots of love and laughter at our English Tea Bridal Shower. May you enjoy and gain pleasure from tea as much as we do!
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“But indeed I would rather have nothing but tea.” ~ Jane Austen
Your bridal shower tea party looked so sweet and lovingly prepared! Love the photos, information, and the recipes. I had the same metal tussle mussy holders for our wedding for myself and my maid of honor. I would like to learn how to make the handkerchief roses.
Hi Lee. The shower was so much fun and we have such fond memories of it to this day. Here’s a video showing how to make the handkerchief roses. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DQM-C-hMGU