Tea Party Girl receives a lot of search engine hits from people trying to plan an event with a tea party theme. Now, the tea party can be a novel enough theme for your event, but why not kick it up a notch? Tea parties do not need to be stuffy, pink (thought I personally love the color) or include doilies. The theme of a tea party event can change with the seasons, be based on favorite books or movies, and include costumes. The possibilities can be endless!

I like to mull over my theme for a day or two and think primarily of the guests and what they enjoy. In the case of my August event, the women are pretty conservative in their lifestyles. One of the two birthday girls enjoys autumn colors most of all. One of the two birthday girls doesn’t read hardly at all, and the other one does more than her share. Etc., etc., etc. Mull, mull, mull. What is a theme that would tie together the decorations, activities, and feel of my August Tea Party Event?

For inspiration, I always turn to my bookshelves. Having collected many event planning books over the years, such as Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions, I pull out half a dozen and spend some time pouring through them for ideas. August can be a little tricky, because in there are no United States national holidays at all to use as a springboard. I wanted to use colors of items I already own for the table and keep it feeling light because of the time of year.

Allowing time for my mind to wander, I also wandered with my eyes. They landed on another precious book I treasure that fits perfectly with this time of year, Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. “That’s it!” Sometimes the click takes longer than other times, but I wait for it. The planning and work takes so much less effort when the hostess is excited about the theme.

Aqua linens, glass plates, white teacups, favors with pretty soaps or salt scrubs. Hurricane lamps filled with sand and shells and pillar candles. White sand-dollars with names for place-cards. Click, click, click. Focuse more on a spa feeling than a luau. Gifts of pedicures from all of us for the birthday girls wrapped up in a new pair of flip-flops. The ideas roll in. And for my friend who doesn’t read AND the friend who does, excerpts from the book on the menu cards.

Tomorrow I’ll let you know if I’ll take the theme to crab sandwiches. Still thinking about that one. Yes, next up~the menu.

If you were planning a sea spa theme for your event, how would you bring the theme alive?