- 1). Create a guest list. Typical Victorian tea parties featured eight guests. If possible, choose a group of women with similar interests.
- 2). Create a set of Victorian calling cards. These will serve as your tea party invitations. You can find a number of online sites that will feature calling card formats. However, there are thousands of clip art sites that have free images of flowers, so it's pretty easy to create them yourself. Here is a sample wording for a calling card:Mrs. Robert WilsonWould like to extend her cordial invitationTo a Victorian Tea PartySunday the Twenty-Fourth of AugustAt two o'clock in the afternoonHosted at her residenceAt Twenty-Four North Harris StreetBreckenridge, ColoradoFine teas and finger sandwiches will be servedTo reply, please call 970-888-8888Notice, with the exception of phone numbers, numbers are written in full.
- 3). Peruse thrift shops for old china, tea pots, doilies and lace table cloths. Then, create a table setting. The tea pot, milk and sugar saucers, and food will be in the center of the table. Each place setting should have a matching cup and saucer, and small plate. A fork should be places to the left of the cup, and the knife and spoon on the right.
- 4). Purchase loose tea. Tea bags are a modern creation. As such, they will make your party seem less authentic. While Earl Grey was the most popular form of tea, if you prefer, you can serve a variety of different teas.
- 5). Make finger food sandwiches. Typically, the bread crusts would be cut. You can use cheeses, watercress, cucumber and cream cheese, tuna or other creative ideas. Scones with jam were also popular. remember to "think small." Over-indulgence was frowned upon during the Victorian era.
- 6). Set a musical background. You can use ragtime music, such as music from the soundtrack of The Sting, or you can use classical music.
- 7). Decorate your home with flowers. Flowers were an important form of expression in Victorian times. There are many websites that will tell you the different meanings of various flowers. It behooves you to research them, lest you inadvertently insult your guests by displaying the wrong type of flower.
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