Vintage Tea Party Baby Shower

03 Aug Vintage Tea Party Baby Shower

When my dear friend Kelly Kay had her second baby (a little girl!), our friends gathered together to give her a high tea to celebrate her sweet bundle.  Since the party was going to occur after KK’s daughter was born, we called it a “Sip & See”.

Note:  I do not know if this is a regional thing (Texan?  Southern in general?), but if you give a party for a mother and baby after the baby is born, we call it a “Sip & See” versus a “baby shower”.  Sip & Sees are generally given for a baby that is not the first because the mom usually has the “stuff” she needs already.  Gifts given at a Sip & See are usually smaller, more cutesy items versus the changing pads and more practical items you get at a baby shower.

These beautiful invitations were mailed, and we were in full planning mode.

Invitation Tip:  I love Minted and have found that exploring different invitation categories can help me pinpoint the look I am envisioning.  For example, this invitation is in the wedding category {the baby shower category had lots of cute stuff, but I was not wanting anything decidedly baby}.  I have actually used wedding invites for a few celebrations that were not weddings – it’s a great spot to find pretty designs that are not particularly themed.

Using a photo we had of Kelly and her sister’s high tea in London, we formulated the menu and how we wanted the event to look and feel.

Between several friends, we compiled multiple settings of china, pretty flatware, teapots, vintage linens, and cake stands.  

We rented tables, collected tablecloths from various people, borrowed some gold chairs from a friend, and gathered our items in the home of one of the hostesses to create one of the sweetest home party venues I have ever seen.

After draping the four tables in a white tablecloth, we laid a floral linen runner down the center of each.  (okay actually, the “runners” are cafe curtains of mine not currently in use.  : )  )  A vintage handkerchief was tied at the top of each chair for decoration.  With the round tables and extra seating of a household (sofa, chairs), there were plenty of places for people to sit and eat.

Each table had a stand in the center filled with tea sandwiches, sweet & savory scones, a few dessert items, and delicate demitasse cups with a mini cupcake inside.  We also added fresh flowers to each stand for color and texture.  One of the hostesses, our super talented friend Kat, designed, hand painted (!!), and printed beautiful menus we attached to the top of each stand with a vintage clothespin.

Each place at the table had a different china pattern complete with plate and teacup.

Inside each tea cup were these adorable shortbread tea bag cookies.  (yes, the hostesses made all of the food)  Using bakers twine, we  affixed a white gift tag stamped with a gold teapot to each teacup with bakers twine.

We also covered the dining room table with a white tablecloth and had a delicious spread with extra sweets and food.  We stacked cake stands so we could add height to the table, and made sure to have each delectable delight labeled.  (again, with Kat’s pretty tags)

Besides tea sandwiches and scones, we made sure we had plenty of sweets.

On the kitchen island, we had a drink station with hot and iced tea, coffee, and water.

Vintage handkerchiefs were displayed as extra napkins in case they were needed.

For decor, we displayed a collection of teapots, some filled with flowers.

It sounds silly, but one of the things that made me so happy about each table were the sugar cubes!

Of course, we delighted in all of the work it took to pull this together, and we were so excited when the special day arrived, and Kelly Kay could see all we had planned for her and her lovely new daughter.

As a hostess gift, we wanted to give Kelly Kay and her daughter a tea set for future tea parties.  It was quite the hunt finding the perfect one, but when we found this amazing antique set in the original box, we could hardly believe it!  (seriously, if anyone out there finds another one of these, please let me know! I would so love to have one!)

Kelly Kay’s reaction was just perfect, ha!

It was a joy to celebrate our friend and her baby.

Tea parties can be tiring though.

As a party favor, I made tags using vintage baby items I have collected (post coming soon on how I made them), and attached them to a muslin drawstring bag stamped with a pink teapot.  Inside each bag was a small packet of bath tea.

They were the perfect little gift for our high tea guests!

While writing this article, I was reminded yet again of the beauty of friendship.  It is such an awesome thing to have people who love you.

I think these ideas could be applied to several different types of celebrations, and let me tell you, this was a really fun party!  Everyone enjoyed having a bit o’ tea, and it was so pretty and yummy!

I’m curious, do you have Sip & Sees in your part of the country/world?

(P.S. I’ve got a couple of other celebrations to show you.  Plus I still have more to tell you about our garden that premiered on Domino last week.)

Also, in case you like party posts, see the baby shower we gave Kelly Kay for her first baby here.