Traditional Tea Party Recipes

Do you prefer structured parties or would you rather have unusual theme parties? There is no right or wrong answer, but you need to determine what kind of event you want to plan. Traditional does not have to be a negative experience; it does not mean “no fun.” It is just a different style, but it doesn’t have to be boring.

If you are a traditional party planner, you take pride in sending printed invitations. A modern party planer may e-mail party invitations. Traditional parties have been making guests and hosts happy for a long time. It is a proven system that works.

Modern hosts like to do things out of the ordinary. You may server food in nontraditional surroundings with an unusual theme.

It is quite possible that your party style is a combination of modern and traditional. It is perfectly normal to have a fusion ideas guide you throughout the party planning process. A traditional person can throw a modern party with a little imagination and vice versa. If your friends know you as a casual persona, you may be able to surprise them with an unexpected formal affair. Either style should work for anyone.

A traditional party may be more expensive. Serving a formal sit down dinner can be expensive. It may require more work than an informal pizza party.

You have nothing to worry about when it comes to mixing up the styles. Your creativity can shine through either whatever style you embrace. It is your creativity that can shine through your planning efforts. As long as you have the right attitude you will have a success. Know how much of modern and traditional you want to use, and you will have no problems finding the kind of event that works for you.

Coming up with your party style is one of the first things you should consider. Be honest with yourself when you decide. Think about which style would make you and your guests happy and stick with it. Don’t be pressured into a style that doesn’t work for you. Take some time to reflect on your personality, and start planning your next party.

Tea Party Etiquette Kids

Coming up with a range of kids birthday party ideas before your child's party will ensure you have plenty of options for keeping the kids amused. Here are some games the kids might enjoy playing.

Egg And Spoon Race - This is a classic game, that is best played outdoors to avoid too much of a mess. Everyone is given a spoon and an egg, and a start and finish line are marked out. The first to cross the finish line without dropping the egg off the spoon shall be declared the winner. This can also be done as a relay race with two teams. If you are playing indoors, it is a good idea to hard boil the eggs, or replace them with ping-pong balls, so if they do fall, there is less of a mess to clean up.

Build A Marshmallow Tower - The object of the game is to build the tallest marshmallow tower using only marshmallows and toothpicks. This game can be played individually, with everyone competing simultaneously against one another, or opt to break your guests into teams. Either way, give everyone 5 minutes to complete their tallest marshmallow tower. Boys seem to really enjoy this game, as it gives them an opportunity to build!

Musical Chairs - Tried and true, but always a favorite that brings many smiles and giggles. Place the chairs for the kids to walk, dance and run around, ensuring there is one less chair then there are children. When the music stops, everyone must find a chair and sit down. The one left without a chair is out, and another chair is removed. The game carries on in this fashion until there is only one chair left, and whoever manages to sit down on it when the music stops, is the ultimate winner of the game.

Pin The Tail On The Donkey - Here's another classic party game that is always a winner with kids. This is also a great game to vary according to your party theme and tails need not be involved. For example, pin the bat emblem on a Batman poster, pin the bow on Hello Kitty's ears, and pin the backpack on Dora the Explorer.

To play pin the tail on the donkey, all you need to do is hang a large picture of a donkey on a wall. The children line up to take turns being blindfolded, handed a tail, spun around, and sent on their way to pin the tail onto the donkey's bottom. Whoever gets the tail closest to where it should be is the winner.

Musical Statues - Have the kids all dance while music plays in the background. When you stop the music, then they all have to freeze in whatever position they are in at the time the music stops. Anyone caught moving when the music isn't playing, shall be out of the game. The last person who remains in the game shall be declared the winner.

Birthday Tea Party Love

What’s a birthday party without games? No party at all that’s what! Games bring excitement to any party and birthday parties are no exception. Sure there are the traditional birthday party games like pin the tale on the donkey and smashing the piñata open, but times have changed and while these traditional games remain classics, there are a few more out there that are sure to go down in the history books. The next generation will definitely be calling these games ‘classic’.

Balloon Stomp – Here’s how this game works. Tie balloons to your ankles and stomp on each other's balloons and try to pop them. A lot of movement may be required. Six or more players can play. You'll need rubber bands and balloons. Blow up a lot of balloons and tie a rubber band to each of them. Put a balloon around each player’s ankle by stretching the rubber over their foot. If you want you can put a balloon on each ankle. Make sure players wear shoes to protect their feet. Play some music and have everyone stomp around, trying step on and pop the balloons of other players. Whoever has the last balloon left around their ankle is the winner!

This next game is not called ‘The Ultimate Water Balloon Game’ for no reason! Here’s how to play. Depending on how many guests you have, you may need to fill up one hundred or more water balloons before the party starts. This is a four part game and every game can have a different winner. The first game involves teams of two. Each team gets one balloon. They start really close to each other and the teammates have to toss them back and forth, with each successful toss they both take one step back. If your balloon pops then you are out. The last team standing wins. The second game is hot potato but you sit the kids further away from each other so they have to toss it. Everyone who gets wet is out. Each person left with the balloon is out too.

The third game is a free for all! Let them have a water war with the balloons. And for the last and final game, you give everyone a bucket as a party favor, and you tell them who ever picks up the most balloon pieces out of the yard gets the last and final prize. The kids will clean the yard so well!

Party Tip

You're ready... your princess has invited the belles of the ball to the finest Princess Birthday Party of the year. You've purchased decorations, planned a few games and have some lovely take home gifts for your guests. Now it's time to plan the finest menu for your royal princess and her court. Let's make it so fabulous that the girls will remember this day when they're planning their future daughter's parties and one that will make your princess throw her hands around your neck and say, "Oh mom! You're the best ever!"

What follows are 5 tips for you in creating the menu of the decade for your princess birthday party.

1. Keep it simple. The last thing you need on a busy day is for you to be running around like crazy trying to make cherries flambé or tiramisu with crème fraise. However, with a little creative planning, you can make something spectacular and still be able to take photos of the lovely girls eating your birthday dainties. There are SO many recipes available at your fingertips that are not only delicious but easy to make with items you probably have in the house or can pick up in your local grocery store at minimal cost (another key!). You can just punch a name of a recipe into your google search box and hundreds of recipes will pop up. Just keep it simple!

2. Presentation is everything. Think about it, mom. A peanut butter sandwich is nice, but, make that sandwich and cut it with petite cookie cutters into various princessly shapes and you have something spectacular. Even just cutting the sandwiches with a glass into a circle and then cutting the circles in half would work. Display them nicely on a glass plate with some red grapes or flowers and it's no longer just a boring sandwich but a delicacy that's a delight to look at AND eat.

3. Throw the "no sugar" rule out the window. Ok, I'll get hate mail for this one but c'mon mom! Your princess only has the bash of the century once a year, so break the rules a little and provide something sweet to eat. Balance it out with a lower sugar drink and other dainties that aren't sugar laden.

4. Make the drink pink! Pink lemonade, pink Kool-Aid, pink soda... anything pink in a clear plastic cup and you'll be the coolest mom on the block. Float a half of a strawberry in the cup and you may as well get a revolving door to your house. You'll be the hit of the neighborhood!

5. Work with a timeline and schedule for the day of the party. A checklist of what you'll be serving and when you need to pull it out of the freezer or fridge, what goes where, etc., and how long each thing takes will insure that you won't forget any of the details and insure that you won't go to open the fridge for a late night snack after your princess is in dream land and see the strawberries that you meant to put in the royal goblets.

The perfect, stress free Princess party menu is within reach, Mom. Just keep it simple, fancy, tasty and pink! Write out a checklist and you're all set for the finest party menu for your princess and her royal maidens.

Wedding Tea Party

Your wedding day is approaching and included to your wedding checklist are different task and responsibilities to be properly done. Wedding is perhaps one of the most memorable moment for couple's lives, thus proper planning and preparation matters most. Literally, planning and preparing for a wedding isn't easy as one-two-three. One of perhaps minor items included in any wedding checklist are wedding party favors. Although they can be very minor, but the fact that giving favors during weddings is one of marriage tradition and until now is widely recognized.

Party favors come in wide variety of selection to choose from, you can find these items usually at local bridal gift shops and even at online stores. Manufacturers of these items made variety of option according to different wedding themes. Weddings like beach themed, travel themed, formal and non-formal themed weddings have their own appropriate favors. Example, for beach themed weddings, party favor choices could be something that are related to beach-like atmosphere. You may consider favors that include beach sand, stone, seashells and the like. Or perhaps, if your wedding fall in other season, a winter wedding for instance, you can find winter themed favors also like Snowflake Bottle Stopper, Snowflake Gel Candle, Snowflake Place Card Holder, “Snow Fall” Exquisite Glass Photo Coaster and more. For fall weddings, consider a Fall Leaf Tea Light Place Card Holder or Fall Leaf Cookie Cutter Wedding Favor.

Wedding party favors are accessories that can make a big difference to your wedding. They were given to simply show deep appreciation to all the attendees and participants during the said celebration. Though they aren't mandatory, but the fact that they can make a thoughtful remembrance for your guests is enough reason to definitely include them in your checklist. These favors however can be presented also during pre-wedding parties such as bridal shower party and bachelor's party. Also, the idea of choosing appropriate favor is important to not just accentuate the party but also to commemorate the celebration.

Popular kind of wedding favors today are those that were custom-made. These options are ideal in today's fashionable weddings for they can be very stylish to jazz up any wedding themes. The choices for custom-made favors are plenty, from simple to exquisite. You can find custom-made choices like personalized favors, a sure hit not only during wedding but also for other occasions and gatherings. Personalized items are from simple things that were enhanced by means of decorations and personalizing. Personalizing can be through embroidering, engraving and even monogramming. The advantage of personalized option is, something that was made with personal touch can be very meaningful to any receiver. Whether it is a expensive or inexpensive, a personalized gift are likely to be more appreciated that any other gifts.

Engagement Tea Party

Engagement Tea Party  are not only fun but also a great way to announce your engagement to the world. Your engagement party offers an excellent opportunity for your families and friends to get to know each other.

There are no hard-set rules about when an Engagement Tea Party must occur. Your engagement party could be scheduled anytime after your engagement and before your wedding day. Normally, engagement parties are scheduled within a couple of months of the engagement. The party should provide an opportunity for friends and family to celebrate the engagement together. Engagement parties are informal gatherings, and the main purpose is for the families and friends to meet and become friendly.

Even though, traditionally the parents of the bride host the Engagement Tea Party , it can be hosted by anyone close to the bride and groom. The location of the party is insignificant. As long as it is conveniently located, a friend's house the parents' home are both popular choices. It is quite common for the bride and groom to host. Both sets of parents could throw a party together for the bride and groom. You should invite anyone that's important to you, friends, family, coworkers, and school friends. You should only invite people to the party who will be invited to the wedding too.

Engagement Tea  parties are informal events. The food is usually finger food, or something simple. For people who require more formal surroundings, it is not unusual to have engagement parties held at restaurants.

Do not use the engagement party to introduce the parents for the first time to each other. It would be best to choose a more intimate occasion when only the parents and bride and groom are present. A pre-engagement dinner might the perfect solution to introduce your parents to each other.

While engagement parties are fun, they can be expensive. They are more advisable for couples with long engagement; it may be awkward to have an engagement party only a few months before the wedding.
You shouldn't expect gifts as etiquette does not dictate that guests should bring them. The engagement tea party provides a good opportunity to start thinking about gift registry. After the party, don't forget to send thank you notes!

Birthday Tea Party

 Birthday Tea Party cut across cultures, countries and caste barriers and are celebrated with as much enthusiasm and zeal as any other festival. This commemoration of one’s age anniversary has taken the public fancy and how!

The history of Birthday Tea Party celebrations is age old. Soon as the human race began to be able to read the cycle of the moon and calculate when a full year had passed, they began to hobnob with the idea of anniversaries. Believe it or not, the first birthdays were celebrated as a means to ward off evil spirits by conglomerating all one’s kith and kin in one place.

Traditions most popularly encountered at a birthday party are:

Birthday cake – cakes used to be round previously; today they come in many shapes
Birthday candles – number of candles is traditionally equal to the person’s age; some people take one candle more than the age and leave it aflame for good luck
Blowing out of candles/Birthday wish – if all the candles are blown out in one attempt, the person asks for a wish secretly and gets it!
Birthday song – ‘Happy Birthday to you’ is most popular
Birthday gifts and cards
Birthday decorations –balloons, crepe streamers, confetti, whistles and cheerfully coloured long pointed paper hats

One cannot do without celebrating one’s birthday with a party. Especially because planning a birthday party has become very simple these days.

Birthday party supplies were never so freely available. Cakes, candles, balloons, crepe streamers, return gifts – you name it and you have it – in packets neatly arranged according to popular party themes.

Birthday party supplies are themed, too –

Age – birthday party supplies for age-themed parties are easily available for all ages – one or seventy. All décor items bear the figure or come in the shape of that figure.
Colour – select a colour and order supplies in that colour. Choose solid colours or prints or stripes.
Culture – choose your theme from among many like Egyptian, Oriental or Island.
Apparel – the dressing up theme is a great hit with children. Themes like fairy tales, toon characters, world leaders is selected and the guests are asked to dress according to the theme – also, the birthday party supplies are ordered accordingly.

All birthday parties are incomplete without birthday party balloons.

‘Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon,’ was what Winnie the Pooh said and summarised what every young one felt.

There is a history behind balloons. The first balloon was made in 1824 by Professor Michael Faraday in the Royal Institution, London for experimental purposes. Hydrogen was used as the filling gas.

Toy balloons were first made in 1825, a year after their experimental usage. Thomas Hancock, a rubber manufacturer, made them. The balloons, though, that we see today were closest in appearance to balloons made as late as in 1847.
The earliest models of today’s balloons were made by J.G. Ingram who used vulcanized rubber.