Churches often host tea parties for the women in the church and community. Sometimes the tea party is for a special occasion, other times it is simply hosted as a time to gather together the women for fellowship and fun for no reason at all. If you are in charge of hosting a tea party, it is important to plan out the event carefully. Tea parties are generally semi-elegant events and are an ideal time to make the women of the church feel pampered for a few hours.
Set up a committee. Ask people to volunteer to help you plan this event. If the church is really small and only a few women will attend, you can avoid this step; however, if you expect a lot of women to attend, you should not plan it alone.
Determine the generalities. With your committee, choose a date, time and theme. If it is a spring tea party, choose a spring theme, such as flowers or new life. Decide how will you advertise and invite women, including response methods, such as a sign-up sheet, or ask women to send an email or fill out a response card. Another aspect to plan is whether the tea party is offered free to guests or if you will sell tickets to cover the expenses.
Choose the menu. Tea parties of course always have tea, so this is a given. Delegate someone to purchase various kinds of teas to offer the women. For the menu, some tea parties serve a light snack, such as homemade scones or muffins; whereas others serve a full lunch. One idea for a menu is serving chicken salad sandwiches on croissants with fresh fruit. You could also offer an alternative, such as tuna salad sandwiches.
Determine how you will serve the meal or snack. There are several common options for serving food. If you are offering a light snack, such as muffins and scones, place them in baskets and put a basket on each table. For a luncheon, have kitchen workers make individual plates to serve the guests or set it up buffet style.
Plan the agenda. One nice addition to a tea party is hiring a guest speaker. If you decide to do this, give the speaker the theme of the event and ask her to discuss this. For example, if the theme is new life, or spring, ask the speaker to relate her message around this subject. Plan any additional activities that will take place at the tea party, such as singing or playing a game.
Purchase decorations and supplies. This includes table covers, centerpieces, tea sets, food and a small gift for each lady. Make sure the centerpieces compliment the theme of the party.