A Valentine's Day Tea is a wonderful way to share the love you feel for your BEST FRIENDS. Most of us think of a romantic dinner with the one we love for Valentine's Day, but gathering the women you love on Valentine's Day {or a day close to it} is a wonderful way to celebrate friendships. And so. much. fun.
Today I am honored to be part of the Styled & Set Valentine’s Day Tour. If you came here via Randi, of Randi Garrett Design, or any of the other blogs, I'm so happy to welcome you!
I hope you are enjoying the tour, and gathering inspiration for Love's Own Day. { If you started the tour here, all the other posts are linked at the very bottom.
Best friends ~ we count on them to encourage us, support us, inspire us and help us through life's fabulous as well as painful moments.
We are all so busy these days, that I bet you don't get enough friend time. I know I don't.
Hosting a Valentine's Tea Party is the perfect way to spend a few hours catching up with each other. Talking. Laughing. Pinking away a few tears, maybe. There is no more precious gift we can give each other than the gift of time.
This kind of table setting works for friends, a tea-for-just-the-two-of-us, or a special tea to invite your children or grandchildren to.
You can also create a little tea setting like this in the home of someone who is ill and can't get out in winter. If you have a friend who loves tea, but is in the midst of chemo, for instance, a sweet tea like this, brought to her by YOU, will warm her heart immensely.
Just pack up a few dishes, tea cups, tea, a few bought or home made treats in a basket and enjoy a beautiful tea time with her.
While sharing the love is more about the company you keep, we all cherish a feminine, pretty table setting, too, right? Valentine's Day is THE day to create a no-holds-barred romantic table setting.
Here are some Cupid approved details that are easy to do.
I'm sharing them with you in hopes that you will want to set your own romantic tea table, and spend a few hours in the company of people you adore.
I played around with a few ideas, and haven't decided on which ones I like best, yet.
HOW TO SET A BEAUTIFUL VALENTINE"S DAY TEA TABLE.
1. MIX AND MATCH. I set my table using antique silver, French enamelware, an antique French linen sheet as a cloth, and new dishes with birds and flowers. While antique lace tablecloths, and precious porcelain tea cups often make their way to my tables, I love the way this rough linen cloth makes the antique silver stand out. You can mix and match a beautiful table in so many ways. Antiques play nicely with new pieces...trust me, if you put some love on your table, it will be beautiful.
You can set up a table as a tea "buffet" or set a place for every guest. I took photos of both for inspiration.
2. HAVE FUN. Fun makes the world go around. Okay, not really. But for me, everything needs a little element of fun!
There is nothing that gets conversations started faster than an unexpected touch of fun at your table.
I planted this cute little antique place card in between the treats just. for. fun. Since this party is only for girls, I really should change her little message to Mon Amie. {I used her in front of a placesetting for Mr. FrenchGardenHouse last time, mon ami is the masculine form of friend in French.
Your tables should have a little quirkiness, so your guests know you are not the serious "don't touch anything" type of hostess!
3. STACK FOR INTEREST. Bring interest to your table by using at least one cake stand. I made the creamer and sugar share space on this table with the rose topped cake, since there was room and my table real estate was quite small on this round table.
Elevating some things makes your table look more interesting. Sure, you can use a stack of antique French books too, but a cake stand has the added bonus of leaving most of the space underneath free, so that you can nestle in little bowls of treats, a stack of napkins, or another plate of cookies or macarons underneath.
4. PLAY UP ONE COLOR . Or at least stick to a color theme. The beautiful French macarons are all in soft, pastel colors. I stacked two pink ones on everyone's plate, and added a rose petal too.
5. EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES. That collection of antique sterling tea strainers is perfect to strain the tea from the pot to each cup. But what if you used one as an unusual scoop for sweet pastel candies, too? There are so many more ways to use your cherished heirloom treasures...you just have to think beyond the "usual" and let your imagination fly!
Can I encourage you to USE your precious antique pieces? I dream up all sorts of ways to use the things I love. Who wouldn't want to scoop a handful of these little pink chocolate pearls from a bowl with a sterling tea strainer as beautiful as this one?
6. CREATE SPECIAL LITTLE SETTINGS. Here I placed one of those cute cupcake plates on top of an antique cake plate, and encircled it with pink candy pearls. What a beautiful setting this would be to pop one perfect cupcake on for each guest just before they arrive!
This is another sweet idea. Place a wrapped chocolate heart on each plate, and write out your friend's name. This is such an easy and inexpensive way to make each of your guests feel loved.
I hope this has inspired you in some way. No matter how you set your table, or what you serve, it's the time you spend with the people who are important to you that makes this party a hit.
My wish for all of you is that you are able to spend time with someone or everyone you love on Valentine's Day.
Thank you so much for your visit. I wish we could all sit down together at one huge tea party. Since that isn't possible, I want you to know how much your comments mean to me. I read every one, and cherish them.
Source List – Click on the items below for direct links to the products.
- Pink Birdie Bowls
- Cupcake Plates
- Silver Tipping Teapot
- Cake Pedestal
- Ribbon Rose Cups
- Antique Spoons
- Antique Cake Plates
Monday's posts:
Maison de Pax | Cedar Hill Farmhouse | Decor Gold Designs Life on Virginia Street | Bless'er House | My Soulful Home
Tuesday's posts:
Shabbyfufu | Ella Claire | Zevy Joy Town and Country Living | Kelley Nan | Driven by Decor
Wednesday's posts:
Maison de Cinq | So Much Better With Age | Sand and Sisal Randi Garrett Design | French Garden House
Thursday's posts:
Designthusiasm | CitrineLiving | Setting for Four On Sutton Place | Design Dining and Diapers
Friday's posts:
ZDesign at Home | Finding Home Farms | Becky Cunningham Home Eleven Gables | The Wood Grain Cottage
36 comments
Sheila, thank you for the sweetest comment! I would love to have you here for tea…and I don’t think you’d drive me crazy. at all. :) I look forward to more touring with you, too! xo Lidy
Karenann, thank you! I wish you could join me too. We sell the porcelain cups in our online shop www.frenchgardenhouse.com. There are little links at the bottom of the post that can take you directly to each piece. I agree, they are the perfect cup for a hot cup of tea or coffee!
Your Friendship Tea is so lovely and beautiful, I wish I could join you! I absolutely love all the pink china you used for the tea. The bird tea cups are so unique and pretty where ever did you find them? Absolutely stunning! Thank you for such wonderful decorating ideas!
Lidy,
I am so thrilled to have “met” you through this tour! I have been a fan of your store forever, and now I know you have a wonderful blog as well!
This table is gorgeous – not a detail has been spared. I love the green and pink flowers together, such a gorgeous combination. And all the antiques – right up my alley! You wouldn’t be able to invite me though because I’d drive you crazy wanting to shop your house:))
Happy Valentine’s Day and looking forward to more touring with you!
Sheila
xo
www.maisondecinq.com
Hi, Lidy,
All the photo’s are a delight and ever so pretty I am ready to sit down right now at one of the tables and have a cup of tea, so cold here. Many wonderful ideas and you always cheer me up when I see your photo’s, Happy Valentines Day to you~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonjour, Jean~~~~~~~~~~~
ReNee, what a great idea! I hope you have the BEST time honoring your friends!
Carol, I’m so sorry you are sick! Take good care of yourself, so you will soon be better. Wish we could do that, too!
I have two very special ladies in my life and their birthdays are very close to Valentines day, so I’m doing a tea for them and going to use your beautiful design! Thank you Lidy! These are stunning!
Oh Lidy…. I’m home sick in bed and took time to just soak in all the beauty of your photos…. so beautiful and inspirational! I Love it! Love you too! Wish we could have a Friendship Tea! You’ve certainly inspired me to make time for some dear friends…. Thank you, Carol
What a beautiful Valentine tea party for your friends, your table looks not only delicious but beautiful…..
Smiles~~
Mari