One of my passions in life is throwing parties for people. I LOVE to have a creative, fun outlet and throwing a party of some sort for a family member or friend just makes my heart sing. Truly. I fall asleep dreaming of creative, unique, personal, and special touches to make someone feel loved or to really make an event stand out.

One of the first bridal showers (of many!) I threw was last Spring for two dear friends, Megan and Kate. They are both in my small group, and both got married in 2012. I decided to throw them a joint bridal shower at my home with a fabulous Tea Party theme! 

Luckily we have a large, open, bright sunroom to begin with! I knew I wanted a Springtime, garden-feel tea party. I loved that the tablecloth was fairly simple (for a flowery design) and that the flowers were more heavily concentrated at the bottom of the table. This let the other table-top decor and the peonies (oh the peonies!) really shine.

I collected china teacups and saucers for several months leading up to the shower. Much of the china is really special, as several pieces come from both of my grandmothers! I found some additional china teacups and saucers at thrift shops.

I also incorporated lots of pretty hardcover books (thank you Penguin Classics), lanterns, mercury glass candles, candles, and a plethora of fresh flowers to finish up this Tea Party garden vibe. Everyone had a matching china teacup & saucer and namecard to complete the place settings.

Here is the (not completely filled yet) food table! We had lots of finger foods, cucumber sandwiches, cheeses and crackers, fresh fruit and veggies, lemon cookies, and a layered strawberry champagne cake. Yum! I wanted to incorporate the colors into a backdrop with the ribbons and hanging poms.

In keeping with the tea party theme, I served hot tea (with lemons, sugar, or milk!), sweet tea (I am from the South!), and lemonade. If people wanted, they could combine the lemonade and sweet tea for an Arnold Palmer, of course. I served the hot tea in the teacups, and the cold drinks in mason jars – tied with a coordinating ribbon and a polka dot straw! To me, the little touches really set a party apart.

We also played a lot of fun bridal shower games and opened presents. The shower gifts I made these two lovely brides (and most of the other 17 brides in the past two years!) were:

hand-calligraphied “Mr.” and “Mrs.” mugs

hand-painted mongrammed serving trays for their new homes

It was such a fun, memorable, and meaningful shower for these two, and I absolutely loved dreaming up and creating each little detail. I only hope they felt as loved as they are!