Enchanted Teas with Dahlia

Today I was invited to a Marie Antoinette inspired tea party hosted by my friend Sophia at her home. I really thought that this was such a clever idea for a theme and everything was so elegant that I actually felt like we were French nobility in the 1700s ourselves throughout the entire afternoon! (haha!) Also, it was my first time having both caviar and champagne! She served adorable finger sandwiches; chicken salad (my favorite!), cucumber and radish, and cream cheese on cinnamon raisin swirl bread. In the picture with the crackers is the caviar spread/dip she made using her mother's recipe that was very tasty! "Let them eat cake!" Check out the assorted French pastries and desserts that she displayed on such charming silver dishes! Also, how precious are all of the floral touches on the table? We got to try out Peach Blooming Tea from Teavana! It was so cool watching the flower slowly bloom in our cups while waiting for the tea to steep! Not only did I...

Although I absolutely love hosting my own tea parties, I also enjoy visiting local tea rooms! This week I decided to try out a place in downtown Orlando called "The Tea Room Experience". All of the details at this tea room were so fantastic. In fact, I was so intrigued by all of the beautiful decorations around me that I kept forgetting to drink my tea!                                                           I ordered the Afternoon Tea Experience package which included a choice of loose leaf tea (enough for three cups!), assorted finger sandwiches, scones with devonshire cream and raspberry preserve, miniature pastries, and their signature tea infused cupcake! Everything was so fresh and flavorful! The atmosphere was very relaxed and peaceful. The style, I would say, was more contemporary than most tea rooms I've seen...

Tea parties are a classic way of celebrating Mothers Day so of course I had to put one together for the mothers in my life this weekend! But I decided to mix things up a little by hosting it outside by the pool instead of in the dining room where I typically set things up.  To keep everyone cool I served homemade iced fruit tea!  To make this I combined Earl Grey loose tea leaves with cold water in a pitcher and put it in the refrigerator over night to steep and stay cool. In the morning I strained out  the tea leaves and then poured the liquid back into the pitcher. Next I mixed in some frozen lemonade, frozen orange juice, and granulated sugar to  the mixture.  Then I added some slices of fresh lemons and oranges. Just as it was time to serve, I put in some ice cubes and garnished the drink with a few sprigs of mint. Definitely keeping this refreshing idea in mind for my summer tea parties too!  To eat we had chicken salad sandwiches. This ...

I love getting creative for birthday tea parties! There is so much more you can do than simply serving tea and cakes. Make the occasion extra memorable by adding activities to the event. One year I provided a craft station at a separate table where guests could make themselves a simple paper fan or two to take with them as a keepsake from my party. I also like to add a little extra flare to the room when decorating for a birthday tea party to set it apart from a typical tea party. I hope these pictures can give you some ideas for any birthday tea parties you might throw in the future!                                                    

There are so many yummy treats for Easter, which makes it a perfect holiday to celebrate with a tea party! I had a lot of fun incorporating some of my favorite Easter sweets into a tea party I hosted for my family!  It wasn't anything too fancy, but was definitely a hit!  And the colors of the foods were all so pretty and vibrant themselves that they actually doubled as decor! Here are some pictures of my table to give you some inspiration for your's next year!                                                                          

The new live action version of the Beauty and the Beast movie came out this year and there was one line that really stood out to me, though I have to admit... I don't remember it word for word! It was said by Mrs. Potts (the Enchanted Tea[pot]) at a point in the film where Belle was feeling angry and so determined to leave the castle, "I've found that troubles seem a lot less troubling after a bracing cup of tea." How true is it that life can be so stressful and overbearing? Often we find ourselves rushing to conclusions when we're in the middle of a difficult situation. But when we take the time to think (and prepare a spot of tea) before reacting, we just might end up seeing things from another point of view. And maybe whatever it is that is troubling us "isn't as terrible as [it] appears." That's another line from Mrs. Potts in the film! So it isn't that tea is some kind of magical potion that makes your problems completely go away, yet ...

This past week I celebrated Easter, my sister's birthday, and my own birthday with lots of friends and family around for the occasions. So of course that meant plenty of tea parties! With all of the time that I spend planning and setting up for special events like these, it can be easy for me to get so caught up in the details that I end up losing sight of what tea parties are actually all about! So as I began preparations for my three events last week, I did my best to remind myself of what I love so much about hosting tea parties in the first place... how they bring together those you love for some conversing, relaxing, and indulging... keyword here: "relaxing"!!! One of the ideas behind having a tea party opposed to any other kind of party - for me - is to keep things relaxed. But if I let myself get stressed out about making every little thing just right, then I'm literally missing the whole point! Here is something clever I came across once before: "Sereni...