12 Elegant Tea Party Ideas For Adults

4. Consider eating outdoors

One of our top tea party ideas for adults that will really amplify your gathering’s ambiance is to have your party in a beautiful outdoor location, particularly a garden.

You want it to be somewhere comfortable and well-shaded that you can decorate to make it feel extra special. For those who lack access to an outdoor space of their own where they can throw a party, an alternative is to rent a space for a few hours such as this unique old world English garden and home located in Fayetteville, Georgia.

It is a “Southern traditional exterior home on an acre lot that exhibits privacy trees, a quaint little greenhouse space, water fountain, exhibiting an old world garden aesthetic”. We can’t think of a better location for a tea party!

5. Serve traditional British afternoon tea foods

We associate certain foods with British afternoon tea, and you can add authenticity to your own tea party by including them in the array of foods you serve.

For this tea party idea for adults, these recipes include cucumber finger sandwiches, scones, lemon drizzle cake, and more. For even tea party recipes, check out this list of over 80 afternoon tea recipes from BBC Good Food.

6. Pastels all the way

If you’re unsure about the right color scheme for your tea party, you can’t go wrong with pastels. They’ll give it the ultra-delicate feel that works so well with this aesthetic.

Where to begin? Kara’s Party Ideas blog has some incredible photo inspiration for a pastel tea party.

7. Label your foods

Use elegant paper cards to label everything you’re serving so guests can know exactly what they’re eating. This is useful both for safety (allergy) reasons and for the purpose of making everything feel that much more special and thoughtful!

8. Tea-flavored desserts

Preparing pastries yourself or having a baker/chef who will be doing so for you? Then incorporating tea leaves into the dessert is a way to add color and delicious flavor.

For instance, these Earl Grey tea cookies from Martha Stewart use 4 bags of Earl Grey to transform regular cookies into something special (the inclusion of orange zest really doesn’t hurt, either).

But there are tons of recipes out there for desserts that use tea, so take a look at what’s available on your favorite recipe site.

9. Use vintage decor

If you have the opportunity to decorate the space where you’re holding your tea party, vintage or vintage-style decor is a wonderful way to make it feel more authentic. We’re talking white lace tablecloths, doilies, elegant antique teapots and teacups, and intricate place cards for each of your guests so they feel like true VIPs.

You can also incorporate our pretty brunch decoration ideas to achieve a chic vintage vibe!