Christmas is finally here and for the first time I decided to organize a vintage themed tea party at home to celebrate these holidays in a very vintage way!
I studied a lot to succeed in this first attempt and I can now feel comfortable to share my five best tips to host the great vintage tea party in town this Christmas!
1.Choose the right location: no matter if it is an evening party or a brunch, finding the perfect location for your party is essential! Just think about how many people you are willing to invite to make sure you do the right choice! Personally I decided to do it at home because, isn’t it true that it is always the best location for the best parties? It’s comfy and relaxed and you can play to create your perfect vintage corner just how you want it. If you have the chance to have a huge outdoor space then definitely go for your house! Speaking of outdoor spaces you can also imagine to host your party in the city gardens or in a nice park: the nature is always a perfect location but make sure that the weather is nice and to host your event in the daylight! Baskets and checked tablecloths may be an idea for a 50’s inspired party! But one of the most interesting things about where to have your party is hunting for the perfect location: you will discover so many unknown places in your town that you could ever imagine! Just ask around and you may find incredible gems where you can host your tea party!
Don’t forget to send a beautiful vintage invitation for your party…we now use social networks for that but it’s a VINTAGE party, a handwritten invitation is the classiest thing that you can do nowadays!
2.Wherever and whenever your party will be, it is very important that before even thinking about cooking, you have to make sure that you have vintage porcelain. You can find incredible tea sets online (I had most of mine on eBay!) or in the antiques markets or charity shops. It is a bit harder to find them in Italy but if you are in the UK you will find loads almost everywhere and for really low prices! People right now are more on the Japanese-tea side but nothing is better than real 19th or 20th century china for your vintage party. Don’t forget that you will need at least teapots, teacups, milk jugs, sugar bowls, saucers, dessert plates, cakestands, forks, spoons, teaspoons and knives for eating and serving. It is important to add your vintage touch with little flags, tins, embroidered napkins, vintage games or Christmas decorations and pieces that can add “something” to your table.
3.Now that everything is set you can focus on what to prepare! I have dozens of English vintage books to prepare the perfect scones, cupcakes, pies, eggs and potatoes to add salty, spicy and sweet taste to my tea and I decided to try many of them to match my favorite teas. You can easily find English recipes to use for your tea party online. You can also use Christmas themed recipes if your party will be during the Christmas holidays. As it is a TEA party, please pay a lot of attention to tea! You may prepare different types of tea (depending on the season you can also think about iced tea) but make sure you have a strong black tea (Russian black tea is the best for me), a delicate white tea, and a good Chinese green tea. Earl Grey is always a good option, but I prefer it with bergamot .
4.Now it’s time to think about your essentials to be the perfect vintage host. There are three things that you definitely need: a vintage apron (please don’t go for funny or cheap ones: you need a classy one, better if vintage and in a sober color –black or white); a silk scarf on your head (type how to tie a vintage headscarf on Google to find hundreds of tutorials on how to knot your headscarf in a perfect 40’s style) or a vintage hairstyle (victory rolls are perfect if you have longer hair – and YouTube is full of tutorials on how to make them! – but a poodle is also very nice. If you have shorter hair like me you can go for the side waves, very 40’s!); red lipstick (no need to add anything on this point!)
5.Last but not least, your vintage dress! You can choose your favorite one in your closet, the one you feel super sexy yet super comfortable in it, or you can go through the vintage shops and markets of your town to find “the gem”! Personally I will opt for something velvet, silk or lace, my favorite textures when it comes to vintage. Shoes must be comfortable but still sexy: no flats or sneakers are allowed at your vintage tea party!
I hope you’ll have (or you’ll be invited to) a wonderful vintage tea party and I wish you a very Happy Christmas and an amazing New Year!
See you next year with a new story of The Vintage Series!
Vintage Love,
TLC
If you want to know more about me or contact me you can visit my blog www.theladybugchronicles.com, like me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/vintagetlc ), follow me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TheLadybugC ) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/theladybugchronicles).