There’s something about an old-fashioned tea party that stirs a long forgotten corner of the soul. Perhaps it is the quaint British-ness of scones and jam and high-tea, perhaps it is the evocative memories of reading Alice and Wonderland for the first time and delighting in the fantastic exploits of the Mad Hatter and his retinue, or perhaps it’s just that the whole idea is so charming, lovely and timeless that it is impossible not to get swept up in it.
Whatever your reasoning, a vintage tea party theme is a great idea for a wedding. Here are a few of the stylistic touches you need to include to really set it all off.
Teapots and Tea Cups
You can’t have a tea party without teapots and tea cups. Invest in charmingly decorated tea sets and make sure that there is one on each table to delight your guests. These are the aesthetic touches that will underpin the whole theme, so it is worth extending your budget a little to accommodate them.
Remember, you don’t have to fill these pots with tea if you don’t want to. You can always use them as improvised flower holders and vases… in fact, hold that thought, we’ll come back to this.
Doilies, Doilies and Doilies
Doilies used to get a bad press, and were considered to be about as far from anything approaching ‘style’ as it is possible to get. However, thanks to the resurgence of retro and vintage fashions, things have changed somewhat.
Having a retro tea party themed wedding? You need these charming little placemats, and lots of them! Doilies under plates, doilies under cups, doilies under teapots; you just can’t get enough doilies at a vintage wedding.
Pastel Hues
Now we’ve got the tea and the accessories sorted, what about the colours and décor? To capture a true vintage effect, the colours need to be faded, washed-out pastel hues that hint at retro antiquity while retaining an element of modern style.
One of the best things about pastel hues is that their subtlety makes them easy to mix and match. Get samples for table cloths, chair coverings, drapes and decorations, and try out different combinations until you find the perfect arrangement.
Cake Domes
Some things just go together; fish and chips, knives and forks, tea and cake. To make sure that your vintage tea party themed wedding is a success, you need to complement the tea with cake, and what better way to serve it than in a beguiling retro cake dome?
Combining vintage stylistic elegance with effortless practicality, a retro cake dome is the ideal way deliver your guests the confectionary they crave. Give your friends and family what they want; let them eat cake, and let them do it in style. Click here to take a look at some of our cake domes and to get inspired!
Lots of Flowers
We mentioned this one before: flowers, a vintage tea party theme needs flowers and lots of them! Try quirky touches like turning a vintage teapot into an improvised vase, or try capturing your guests’ hearts by spreading cute posies around their tables.
Of course, ‘lots of flowers’ doesn’t necessarily mean that all the flowers must be real flowers. Try out floral bunting, floral patterned table cloths and floral decorations. In fact, go for floral this, that and the other. Seriously, you can’t overdo the floral at a vintage tea party themed wedding, it simply isn’t possible. Take a look at some of our wedding favours of the floral variety by following this link.
Have you tried out any of our tips? Have any of your own to add? Please get in touch and let us know.