Nope.
Marie (no url) asked today: I was just asked this past Sunday to host a tea party for the ladies at our church. I came across your website via Google and very glad I did! I have no experience whatsoever with tea parties and your tips are very helpful.
But what if I don’t have tea cups and saucers for 20 women? Would it be too tacky to have 20 different cups/saucer sets?
Marie, not only is it not tacky, I recommend it!
Teacups are unique and add to the drama of the table when they are not all the same. The tea party with matching teacups is usually only found at the formal hotel tea or with professional caterers of large parties that buy their stock in lots.
Sometimes for events such as yours the guests are asked to bring a favorite teacup and share its history as in, “This was the one item my grandmother saved from her house fire that Grandpa didn’t make her sell during the Depression”, etc.
It is best to have the cup match its saucer unless you’re a little girl inviting your stuffed animals to the event, however.
I’m so glad you found Tea Party Girl helpful!
Be sure to come back and share how your event went.
I absolutely agree. I collect teacupss of all designs and colors- whatever catches my eye. I love how they all go together yet dont! it adds so much i terest. And each one ahs its own story to tell.
Me, too! There’s something very charming about each teacup and saucer having its own story.
An alternate option is to have each person bring her own favorite cup and saucer, and spend time in the tea party listening to the great stories. I’ve done this several times, and people love it! I hear things like, “I’ve just been waiting for an excuse to use this cup and saucer.”
I agree, I think it’s fun to mix it up!
I agree.
When you use a mix of teacups, what style teapot do you use? A clear, silver, solid color or an equally ornate one?
Thank you for everything you have done and for helping so many tea lovers. You are doing the right thing by being a good mom right now, that is your greatest calling. We’ll be in touch.
Tea Time Blessings,
Nan
Hello everyone!
I love the fun of having different cups. I have a tea party business in So. California (One Love Tea Events ) and I always use a variety of beautiful cups that I have been collecting since college. The uniqueness of different cups is always a talking point at my tea events.
Andrea S. Wong
I love mixing it up. Makes every cup individually special.
I, too, love tea cups and saucers that don’t all match.
)
Happy, happy holidays, Tea Party Girl!
Hello,
I was looking at your tea blog and wondering if you would consider blogging about a new project/website we have. http://www.52teas.com is a project of Zoomdweebie’s Tea (www.zoomdweebies.com) where “We’re Nerdy About Tea!” Zoomdweebie’s is a true microblender of teas. We have over 200 varieTEAs that we blend, flavor and package by hand on site in our shop in Wichita, KS. In order to showcase our blending talents, we have created 52teas.com where we are creating a different limited edition custom blend tea every week. The best part is, we are asking our customers to sign on to our forums and tell us what THEY want us to blend. So we really are, “Suggested by you; blended, flavored and packaged by us.” All of these short-run tea blends are available on the website for just $7 for 2-ounces (20-25 cups) including shipping to anywhere in the U.S. We also offer six week, twelve week, six month and full year Tea-of-the-Week plans which customers can sign up for and receive our Tea-of-the-Week in the mail every week.
I believe that what we are doing is unique and interesting and that tea drinkers everywhere would be interested in hearing about it. We are still a small company and don’t have the resources to do a lot of advertising to share our products and services with tea drinkers, so I am sending out a few emails to some tea bloggers and asking you for a little editorial consideration. Anything you can do for us would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Frank Horbelt
Zoomdweebie’s Tea
52teas.com
I LOVE 52teas.com and highly recommend it. Nice job and nice work. Keep it up.
Dawnya
Mix and match is the best way! Then let people chose where they like to sit.
Hi there, what a great site! I posed a link to your site on my recent blog about afternoon tea.
I have a collection of really beautiful tea cups and saucers that haven’t seen the light of day in decades. Hopefully I can host my own tea party soon! I think that having distinct cups makes the event even more special.
I’m having a tea party next week and I have a bunch of random tea cups/saucers, but the styles are really different, so I’m not sure how they would work. I love the mix and match look!
I like the idea of having different teas cups. What color dessert plate would you use to complete the setting?
Hi Jenny,
I know you were interested in my earlier reviews. I just posted this one today:
http://www.eclectecon.net/2009/07/afternoon-tea-at-the-queens-hotel-in-portsmouthdont-bother.html
I never thought to mix and match my tea cups but I do think its a good idea. I actually like blending some of my loose leaf white tea with red tea for different flavors. I havent found one I recommend but stay posted, I am bound to one of these days.
mix and match is fine for informal get togethers, but i think when its formal its best to have matching cup and saucers
The good about mixing up the teacups is that each can be matched to a guest, ideally expressing individual personalities. This works when everyone is well-known but it can also be a conversation-starter. Why did they get that cup and saucer? What does it mean about them? That can be a lot of fun. –Teaternity
I am hosting my church’s first annual winter afternoon high tea on February 20, 2010. I found the most beautiful bone china tea cups at TJ Maxx. I came across your website and decided to pulled out my Mother’s (now deceased) china she had when I was a little girl. In addition, I found the cutest tea cups/saucer at several thrift shops. I am definitely setting the tables with a variety tea cups / saucers as a conversation piece. Thanks for your web page!!!
Just found your site while searching for party games for an upcoming tea party. I will def. enjoy coming back there and going through it more fully. FANTASTIC site!
In the 1980′s I received ten of my Great Grandmother’s Demitasse cup & saucers (All differnt). That collection has now growen to over 200 sets (All differnt & made by different companies). When I have friends over they are always delighted by my collection! So, I agree-the more varity the better! I just started writing a blog on Demitasse Cups & Saucers & I will be blogging about Cup & Saucer patterns, styles, backstamps & China company history’s, check it out if your intrested @ demiq-demitasse-cups-saucers.blogspot.com! Happy blogging!