How to Host a Victorian Tea Party for Your Child's Birthday Party

There is something sweet about little girls playing dress up and having tea parties. For your daughter's next birthday why not host a classic Victorian style tea party for all her friends? You can even invite their mother's and make it a mother-daughter soiree.

Start setting the tone for your event with the invitations. Make your own dainty tea party invitations yourself and then mail them or hand deliver them in true Victorian era style. Try decorating your invites with pressed flowers (or faux flowers from a scrapbook store will work) and pretty paper doilies. Handwrite them yourself or ask someone with nice penmanship to do it. Include the date, time, place, what the occasion is and, of course, to wear their prettiest tea party dresses. Make sure your guests know they don't have to purchase anything special, Sunday dress or any nice outfit will do. The important thing is that they feel like they dressed up to come. If the guests are very young girls invite them to bring their favorite stuffed animal friend to share in the fun.

Next plan your menu. Most little girls don't drink or even enjoy traditional tea. Pink lemonade in a teapot will work just fine. If you are hosting adults as well you may want to have real tea ready for them.

Food is the fun part. Stick with little sandwiches, pastries and fruit that can be eaten with just the fingers. Most bakeries will be able to provide traditional English scones. Serve these with butter and jam. You can also serve petite fours (tiny decorated cakes), croissants, little muffins, biscotti, sugar cookies and ribbon sandwiches. For fruit try strawberries and grapes.

Decorations can be simple or elaborate. If you would like your guests seated at tables check with your local rental company for crisp white linens and napkins. Most rental companies have child sized tables and chairs which will be useful if your guests are really young. Remember to have extra seating for adults. If you don't have a tea set or one large enough you can rent these as well.

Centerpieces can be as simple as fresh picked flowers in a bud vase or pretty violets arranged in a pretty shallow dish. Flowers are a classic pick for decorating a tea party, but you can use other things. Use old photographs in ornate frames propped up in the center of the table. Or try floating candles in old-fashioned china dishes.

You should plan an activity for everyone. You can do a craft project like making bracelets or decorating paper fans. A classic pastime for girls in the Victorian time period was making collages. Gather gardening magazines and have each guest make a collage by cutting and pasting pictures of flowers onto a piece of construction paper.

Another fun idea is to have a dress up party. Fill a trunk with things like long strands of pearls, gloves and old-fashioned hats. You can borrow these items or find them at a thrift store fairly cheaply. Have each guest dress up and then take turns taking her picture. Use a digital camera and email each girl her picture or print it out right then on a home printer for her to take home. Make sure you get a shot of all the guests together with the birthday girl.

Have fun planning and hosting a Victorian tea party and remember it can be as simple or elaborate as you like. The most important thing is that you have fun.