Are you a bridesmaid looking forward to hosting a tea party-themed bridal shower? If you’ve been painstakingly searching for bridal shower tea party ideas and planning tips, consider this article your one-stop shop.
This guide covers everything about bridal shower tea party planning process, from choosing a theme and game ideas to gifts, choosing a good location, and more. You’ll find steps to planning and hosting an unforgettable bridal shower tea party here.
Bridal Shower Tea Party: What is it exactly?
As briefly noted earlier, a bridal shower is more of a pre-wedding celebration organized for the bride-to-be. It’s more of a modern event, with the invitation list mostly ladies close to the bride-to-be.
At bridal shower tea parties, tea is served at any time, mainly due to the variety of available tea types. For a bridal shower tea party, it’s crucial to note the number of attendees and the time of day for you to determine the type of tea to serve.
The main event is when you shower and “spoil” the bride-to-be with gifts. In other words, she gets to open her presents, mostly the items her guests buy from the couple’s wedding registry. Most bridal tea showers are themed in a bid to reflect the interests of the bride.
Steps to Planning and Hosting the Best Bridal Shower Tea Party
1. Make a sufficient budget for the bridal shower tea party.
The first step in planning and hosting the best bridal shower tea party is to decide on the budget. While your initial instinct would be to go all out and spoil the bride-to-be, among other tea party bridal shower ideas, we suggest settling for an amount of money you can afford without breaking the bank. After all, traditionally its the host who pays for the shower party
2. Set the perfect date for the shower.
Once you have your budget for the bridal shower tea party sorted out, the next thing to do is to set a date on when to have the bridal shower. Hosting the tea party shower at least six months before the bride-to-be’s big day is ideal and no less than three months out.
We recommend consulting the soon-to-be missus before finalizing the date to ensure that everything works perfectly for what might be her busy schedule and accommodates members of her family.
3. Draft a bridal shower tea party guest list.
After settling down on when to host the party, the next step of the bridal shower tea party planning process is the who. It would be best to ask the bride-to-be about her must-invite people and each guest’s home address or phone number.
The ideal guest count should be 30 to 50 people, depending on where you host the party. Remember, anyone invited to the bridal shower tea party should also be on the wedding guest list, meaning you need to clear the guest list with the bride before including them.
When drafting the guest list, people close to the bride-to-be, such as her friends, family members, or co-workers, should be present to commemorate this joyful and wonderful occasion with her.
4. Pick the perfect venue for the bridal shower tea party.
The tea party venue is where all the magic happens. It’s where the bride-to-be will be celebrating her last days as a single woman.
If space isn’t a problem, you can host the bridal shower tea party at your house, the most popular and traditional option. If not, you may host the tea party at the home of a relative close to the bride-to-be.
You can also choose to host the bridal shower tea party at a private banquet room, a restaurant, or any other venue that speaks to the interest of the bride-to-be, such as a spa or an art gallery, as the ideas for bridal shower tea party host venue are many.
If you’re in doubt, inquire from the soon-to-be missus for her opinion and, most importantly, ensure that the location you settle for is easily accessible, has ample and secure parking, and sufficient space to accommodate all the invites, assuming everyone will attend.
5. Choose a theme for the bridal shower tea event.
Once you’re done collecting the addresses, and the bride-to-be approves your final guest list, you must choose a tea party bridal shower theme. Choosing a theme helps you set an overall tone for the party. It’s important to know the bride-to-be preferences to enable you select a theme that matches her taste.
If the soon-to-be bride is into heartfelt conversations, chill, and relaxation, a lavender-themed party would be ideal. You can use incense sticks or scented candles to amplify the ambiance. If the bride or her invites prefer a more exotic taste, consider settling for a Moroccan-themed bridal shower tea party with a spiced and sweetened menu. If the bride and her guests are nature lovers consider an evening garden theme .
Should the bride lean primarily towards the traditional stuff, go for a simple yet sophisticated British afternoon high tea bridal shower party.
6. Send out the tea bridal shower invitations & specify the dressing code.
Once you settle for the theme that the bride-to-be finds ideal for her, proceed to mailing the bridal shower invitations to your guests. It’s sensible to send invitations about six to eight weeks before the main event.
Doing the above will give your invites a good time to clear their schedules, purchase a gift, and let you know those who’ll make it to the tea party.
When drafting invitation letters, make sure to include the essential details on your invitation cards, such as the name of the guest of honor, your name (or the person who’s hosting), the theme, the dress code if appropriate, time, date, location, alongside the wedding registry.
In terms of the dress code, traditionally, bridal tea party attire in many places follows a semi-formal dress code. When attending such parties, you need to aim for sophistication and elegance. Ladies may want to find a lovely dress or a blouse-and-skirt ensemble in floral prints, soft pastels, or classic neutrals.
Bright colors, short silhouettes, and patterns are appropriate. You need to avoid anything revealing or too casual.
7. Purchase the bridal shower tea party decor
It’s time to move to the bridal shower tea party fun part: decorations!
While shopping for your bridal shower tea party decor, you don’t have to overdo it unless necessary. Again, while you can find several tea party bridal shower ideas, below are a few decoration ideas worth considering:
- Setting up tables with beautiful and affordable tableware such as silverware, plates, and napkins
- Hanging up pictures or banners
- Setting up a nice photo booth (make sure to include the entire accessories and fun props)
- Adding flowers plus some beautiful centerpieces
- Adding curtain streamers or mylar letter balloons
- Photo backdrops that will make the space feel instantly personal for the bride-to-be
8. Plan for the bridal shower tea party games
As you shop for your bridal shower tea party décor, make sure you factor in tea party bridal shower games meant to entertain guests. Bridal shower tea party games are an ideal way to help your invites break the ice, especially if many haven’t met before.
Are you looking for some of the best and most fun bridal shower games to play at the tea party? While there are many tea party bridal shower ideas on the games you can play, the He Said, She Said, and Would She Rather bridal shower games are ideal for the occasion.
First, the He Said, She Said game is an interactive game for such an occasion. It is a guessing game about evaluating or figuring out who (between the bride and the groom-to-be) said what. Here, the guests are supplied with phrases, characteristics, or questions and decide if it belong to the bride or groom.
With the Would She Rather game, the invites get to prove how better they know the future Mrs. by correctly guessing which she would prefer, this or the other style. The Would She Rather game will undoubtedly keep guests entertained and happy regardless of who wins.
9. Create a nice playlist.
Even though music isn’t the primary focus of the day, it’s good to have some slow background music as the guests arrive, chat, and enjoy their refreshments. Come up with an excellent bridal shower playlist of age-appropriate and mood-boosting songs. It will be a bonus point, especially if they’re about marriage or romance.
10. Make plans for the drink menu.
So, what’s a bridal shower tea party without the tea? Tea is the second most crucial part of the occasion (next to the bride-to-be). You must select the right type of tea for your guests to ensure an unforgettable experience with every sip.
You may want to try the following high tea menu for the party:
- Coffee tea (caffeine tea) – an excellent alternative to coffee, you’ll find coffee tea healthy yet robust, rich in flavor, and, most importantly, caffeine-free.
- French Earl Grey tea – both aromatic and tasty, the French Earl Grey tea has a floral and fruity taste with some hint of natural sweetness.
- Crystal Blue tea – iced or hot, you can try to fancy your palate with this excellent and colorful tonic that comes with a taste of unique dried butterfly pea flowers.
- Red Hibiscus tea – if the bride-to-be prefers a sweet-like tart flavor, you’ll find red Hibiscus tea ideal. Not only does it offer multiple health benefits, but it also comes with a pleasant and unique taste.
Ensure to include healthy tea party bridal shower snacks and light foods such as sausages, crisps, biscuits, and waffle bars.
11. Plan for bridal shower tea party gift session
Bridal shower etiquette dictates you get bridal shower tea party gifts for the soon-to-be bride. But again, you don’t need to spend too much than you feel uncomfortable with.
If you are unsure whether to bring a gift, you may have to politely ask the hostess if she can share the information registry of the bride when you RSVP. If she’s under instruction to inform guests from bringing gifts, then she should be able to do precisely that.
12. Plan the flow of the program.
Finally, develop an organized flow for the upcoming party you’re about to host. Ensure that everything is in place so you don’t overlook the essentials.
Will the guests have to eat first before presenting their gifts? Should the tea party bridal shower games commence before or after meals? It would be best to devise a clear program flow for everything to run smoothly.
Wrap Up
A tea party bridal shower is among the modern and trending pre-wedding events that add entertainment, happiness, and joy to the soon-to-be bride alongside her closest friends.
Interestingly, though, the etiquette of a bridal shower has changed over the years, currently consisting of many aspects such as music, decorations, gifts, different themes, and games.
If you’ve been searching for the best tea party bridal shower ideas and innovative ways to host such a party; consider this article your helpful guideline.
