Category: Party Tips

Treat Your Bridesmaids to a Tea Party

2/26/2016

Invariably, weddings are catalysts for romance and love, but also friendship! As the bride, most likely, you will want to invite the important women around you to become your bridesmaids. We think that is a big ask - not only because planning and helping you execute a wedding is a big deal, but also because often times, these women will remain close to you throughout your marriage and all of its great stages.

Having said this, why not taking some special time to celebrate these precious friends! A "Be-my-bridesmaid" Tea Party is a sweet and intimate way to tell them how meaningful they are, and how together, you will embark in an adventure of a lifetime.

"Be My Bridesmaid" Tea Party

The concepts in the photography below are the result of the creative genius of d.Royal Engagements, a Palo Alto-based events firm and wedding planner. We thank them for inviting us to include My English Tea Party's rental crockery in this very royal tea party styled shoot!

The perfect tea party food in these pictures was created by Chef Stephanie, with whom we proudly collaborate to offer all-included tea services around the Bay Area.

The DIY flower station is available for your events too! Blush and Honey, an online DIY floral boutique, ships wholesale flowers to your doorstep so that you and your bridesmaids can start to create memories together!

Contact Us to Plan Your Tea Party

We are classic tea party specialists and unruly collectors of vintage crockery looking forward to helping you create delightful and memorable events - hassle free.

We offer vintage crockery rentals and an all-included tea service around the Bay Area.

Learn More Here

Other collaborators and vendors

More images of this styled photo shoot are available at Emmaline Bride.

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Add a Make-your-own-bouquet Station at Your Bridal Shower Tea Party

11/6/2015

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A make-your-own-bouquet station is a great way to add beauty and fun to a Bridal Shower Tea Party. Basically, your guests are making their own party favors while they spend some happy precious time with you!

Take a look at these pictures we received recently from a bride-to-be during her Bridal Shower Tea Party. My English Tea Party provided the vintage crockery and the bride's mother, lead florist at Waterlily Pond, provided the flowers.

With very little, you too can buy your favorite blooms, a few scissors and ribbon, and rent a tea party crockery and cutlery package. We guarantee you lots of color and joy!

Now get inspired by these beautiful photos, courtesy of Jessica McGowan-Vanderbeck.

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Win the Chance to Host the Perfect Tea and Impress Everyone on Your List

9/16/2015

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Want to indulge with your friends and experience an authentic afternoon tea? Do you have a bridal shower, baby shower or birthday party to plan?

Submit your name to My English Tea Party and Chef Stephanie's tea party drawing by September 30th 2015, and if you have 20 or more guests on your list, we will upgrade your tea service in 5 extra guests at no cost.

This is your chance to rejoice with everyone on your list and let us spoil each one - including you!

View the Details & Enter the Drawing

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New Afternoon Tea Party Friendly Event Space in Bernal Heights, San Francisco

9/1/2015

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This summer a new event space opened up in Bernal Heights, San Francisco and they are afternoon-tea-party-friendly!

The place is called Avenue and in their own words, their modern studio is a blank canvas for your creativity - wether you are hosting a baby shower, bridal shower, art show or professional meeting. Their main room is open and filled with light, yet private and cozy while in the middle of the Bernal part of the Mission St. corridor.

This is a space where you can perfectly host 20 or more guests sitting comfortably, in a very convenient location, and where expert event professionals will make you look like a star party planner (with zero stress!).

Check out Avenue's Tea Party package, created in partnership with Chef Stephanie and My English Tea Party.

Because a tea party is always a good idea!

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3 Perfect Venues for Tea Party Showers and Afternoon Tea Wedding Receptions in Marin, San Francisco, and the Peninsula

5/26/2015

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Are you planning an afternoon tea party for a bridal shower, baby shower or wedding in the San Francisco Bay Area? Here are some favorite event venues to host a tea party affair. They are all unique, full of history, beautiful and also quite affordable!

Falkirk Cultural Center - San Rafael (Marin)

1408 Mission Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901 | (415) 485-3328 | falkirkculturalcenter.org

Falkirk Cultural Center is a 19th century country estate. The Queen Anne victorian building, large L-shaped verandah and gardens are a truly elegant site for any type of event. The interiors offer exquisite coffered ceilings, rich wood paneling and decorative fireplaces to enchant.

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Their weekday rental fee is very reasonable. Plan your next gathering here and surprise everyone, including yourself!

History of Falkirk

The house was once the home of Captain Robert Dollar, who named it Falkirk after his birthplace in Scotland. The structure was saved from demolition in 1974, listed on the National Historic Register and now owned and operated by the city of San Rafael as a Cultural Center and a venue for private events.

Falkirk Virtual Tour & Rental Fees

Sunnyside Conservatory - San Francisco

236 Monterey Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94131 | (415) 831-5500 | sfrecpark.org

The Sunnyside Conservatory is considered one of the most beautiful hidden sites of San Francisco. The hundred-year-old octagonal redwood structure is now a polished, light-filled and elegant building surrounded by an exquisite garden with thriving drought-tolerant plants, succulents and imposing palms.

The gardens's menagerie is comprised of 23 fantastical and elegant bronze creatures that decorate the space so well and to some, hint at the possibility of still unknown worlds! Altogether, this is an extraordinary location for a small celebration.

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Rental fee includes the use of 70 wooden-padded chairs, and an assortment of round and rectangular tables. There is no kitchen on site, but there is a special space with a kitchen sink designated for final food prep.

History of the Sunnyside Conservatory
English inventor and stargazer William Augustus Merralls originally built the Conservatory in 1898 on his estate, then a remote part of the city. Over time, the Conservatory passed from private to public hands, and despite its city landmark status, the site ended up in need of vast stewardship.

The large trees and overgrown bushes covered the structure, but in 1999 a few neighborhood residents discovered the Conservatory, having that Alice-in-Wonderland feeling of entering another world. They decided to organize and advocate for the renovation of the Conservatory. Ten years later, after a $4.2 million renovation project, the building and grounds re-opened as a San Francisco Recreation and Park site for the enjoyment of all.

Sunnyside Conservatory Rates

The Rengstorff House - Mountain View (Peninsula)

3070 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94043 | (650) 903-6088 | r-house.org

The Rengstorff House is Mountain View’s oldest historic house and is one of the finest examples of Victorian Italianate architecture on the West Coast. The mansion offers a gracious dining room and four lovely parlors, all decorated in classic period décor. The exteriors offer brick patios and ample gardens for lawn games or additional outdoor seating.

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Also very reasonable rates! The Rengstorff is not available during public tour hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 am - 5 pm, and Sundays from 1 - 4 pm.

History of the Rengstorff House
Like so many others of his generation, Henry Rengstorff was lured to California by stories of the gold rush. At the age of 21, young Henry sailed around Cape Horn and arrived in San Francisco in 1850. Too late to join the gold rush, he took a job on a Bay steamer traveling between San Francisco and Alviso.

Later, he became a farm laborer in Santa Clara Valley where he saved enough money to purchase squatter's rights to 290 acres of land in San Jose. As Rengstorff's fortune grew, so did his land holdings. Finally in 1864, Henry bought the 164 acres of land which is now part of Shoreline Business Park north of the Bayshore Freeway. Near where Rengstorff House stands today, Rengstorff built a ship landing. The Rengstorff Landing played a significant role in the economic development of Mountain View and the Peninsula.

A succession of owners held the Rengstorff house over the next 20 years. In 1979, the house was purchased by the City of Mountain View, eventually moved to its present site and restored. In March 1991, the Rengstorff House was dedicated as a public facility by Mountain View's City Council.

The Renstorff Rental Rates

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Spring Baby Shower Tea Party at San Francisco's Cookhouse

4/20/2015

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Cookhouse is an amazing space in San Francisco's North Beach where you can host parties and do (or hire) all the cooking for your party without having to move an inch!

Besides being a beautiful venue, one of the greatest things about Cookhouse is their state-of-the-art cooking equipment. They also provide seating, flatware and delicate white plates to serve up to 25 guests without no extra cost.

This spring, My English Tea Party helped facilitate a Vintage Baby Shower Tea Party at Cookhouse. Our client hired us to provide additional tea crockery in soft colors to match the aqua table runners and Sally's Stripes-Robin's Nest napkins from the also local company, La Tavola.

Here is the end result in a few amateur pictures I could not help sharing!

My English Tea Party has vintage crockery and cutlery packages for parties of up to 8, 14, 20 and 30 guests. You can also solicit a custom quote for larger events, or to accommodate a special need.

An all-included tea service is also available, so you don't have to worry about rentals, set up, decoration, catering or hosting! Contact us for pricing and availability.

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Ice Cream in Vintage Teacups - A Stylish and Simple Dessert for Any Occasion

2/9/2015

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Here is a very biased opinion: anything goes in a pretty teacup.

Serving ice cream for dessert can be seen as a little lazy, but if you serve it in a vintage teacup, it immediately becomes a stylish experience.

To make an even bigger impression, you can serve a signature sorbet, sherbet or ice cream created for the special occasion. I vote for a herbal tea flavored sorbet!

Want another idea for teacups? You can also serve a creamy soup in vintage teacups.

You can rent vintage teacups from My English Tea Party by requesting a custom quote.

Request a Custom Quote

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How to Host a Mystery Tea Tasting Party

1/15/2015

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I love a tea party and tasting different types of tea, so here is an idea that can make tea with friends or children the more fun and exciting: host a mystery tea tasting party!

Steps to Host a Mystery Tea Tasting Party

Select an assortment of teas: Get 5 different flavors. Pick some old favorites with added ingredients, and others with fanciful names.
Brew a pot for each type of tea: Make sure you keep track of which is which by assigning a letter to each type of tea, then label the teapots. You can write the letters in non-permanent stickers and paste them to the lids or simply place a little sign next to each teapot.
Prepare the playing cards: A piece of paper with two columns, one with the letters of the teas in alphabetical order, and another one with the names of the teas in a random order.
Sampling and matching the teas: Provide each person with a teacup, a playing card and a pen. They can now start to sample the teas, and try to match the letters to the correct names.
Reveal the correct answers: You can now reveal the answers and give a gift to the person who has had the most correct guesses!

And as in any other tea event, you also get to enjoy yummy finger sandwiches, scones, cake or pie and any other tea treats you love.

Oh! And there is an additional benefit to mystery tea tasting parties: it is polite to slurp your tea! As with wine, professional tea tasters slurp their tea from a spoon to experience the full flavor of the tea in all parts of their palate.

Check out My English Tea Party's vintage tea party packages. They include everything you need to host a mystery tea tasting party.

Rent a Vintage Tea Party Package

Photo credit: The Heirloom.

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Soup in a Teacup - An Easy Appetizer that Will Impress Your Guests

1/13/2015

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A creamy soup in a teacup may be the ultimate way to serve a delicious and beautiful appetizer, and cut your cooking and prep work significantly. This is an even better idea when you are hosting a large event, and still want to have a plated meal.

The winter is a particularly great season to serve creams and soups, but this idea works great anytime. It is perfect for wedding receptions, christenings, birthday parties, board meetings, you name it!

By way of using vintage teacups and saucers, you will add a stylish layer to your event. And to make an even better impression, always garnish your soup with herb flowers, leaves or crumbled cheese.

How To Rent Vintage Teacups

To further help you execute this idea, I'm sharing below three flavorful and creamy soups recipes you can serve in teacups.

Watercress-Buttermilk Soup in a Teacup

Look for watercress with small, bright green leaves and thin stems to make this peppery cold soup.

View the recipe here.

Cream of Green Herb Soup in a teacup

The recipe for this soup is an adaptation from the book Cooking with Herbs by Emilie Tolley.

View the recipe here.

Cream of Tomato and Red Pepper Soup in a Teacup

A classic combination, best with vine-ripened dry-farmed early girl tomatoes.

View the recipe here.

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Baby Shower Tea Party for a Boy

1/12/2015

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I just received the pictures from a client who rented My English Tea Party's vintage crockery for a baby shower tea party, for a boy. Her color palette was comprised of different tones of blue with a splash of light green, deep red and pinks. It turned out to be a lovely combination!

Also notice the charming baby clothes hanging line in the pictures. It is such an easy way to decorate a baby shower tea party. To complement these pictures, I took the freedom to add three other DIY ideas for baby shower tea parties: