How to Host an Elegant Bridal Tea Party

I just love to entertain! When Ellen accepted my offer to host a bridal tea for her bridesmaids, I was thrilled to collect the best tea party recipes. Planning this fancy party was extra special because the menu became a collection of tried and true family recipes. I also included several new spring flavors I was excited to try. Following the tea we did a do-it-yourself station for the bridesmaids to create their own bouquets. It turned out to be a beautiful occasion!

I had so much fun planning this bridal tea for my special guests. It was a delight to host the lovely ladies that were invited. A bridesmaids tea should be a big thank you to the important ladies who have been relevant in the life of the bride and are gladly willing to be a part of the celebration in some way. This guest list included the bridesmaids, mothers of the bride & groom, grandmothers, and friends & relatives who were given a role in the ceremony. I wanted the menu and atmosphere to reflect how excited I was for the special celebration that was coming up! 

I will say there are a lot of recipes on this Bridal Tea menu and quite a collection of tea.

It is meant to give all of my guests a bite or two of several savories, scones, and sweets to reflect traditional teas. Of course, make them all or plan to serve your guests more of just a few! Most of the recipes are made for 12, but you can divide them in half for a smaller crowd. And if your group is small, definitely reduce the number of recipes or you might end up with more leftovers than you need. I’ve created a full menu, grocery list, make ahead, and shortcut suggestions to help you save some time.

This collection of tea party hosting ideas and recipes is the perfect guide for a Bridal Tea in the spring or summer!

How to prepare for your Bridal Tea.

1. Start with the basics and ask these questions…

Answer these questions: When and what time will the tea begin? Where will it be held? Will it be inside or outside? Who does the bride want to invite? How will your guests be invited? What attire will you suggest?

I have hosted teas at brunch time and in the late afternoon. I have entertained my friends for royal wedding viewings and “just because.” Everyone loves to dress up for these girly events. I usually just call or text to invite my guests when they are my close friends and family members. However, creating and mailing invitations for a bridal event is the best etiquette and makes the occasion even more special.

Purchase invitations, order them from a printer, or make them yourself. Etsy has lots of great templates that will help you create your own.

2. Decide on your final menu, pin down the recipes you will be serving from this post, and take inventory.

Make a list of your guests and final menu or print from this post. Also investigate to see if there are any known dietary restrictions and plan to accommodate.

Create your own menu card from Etsy or select & order a menu card from a printer. I created my own & printed them on pink cardstock. I hole punched and attached each guests name with ribbon at the top to serve as place cards, as well.

Once you know your guest list, decide where your guests will be seated. I love to fill up one or two tables. I sometimes will bring a small table into the great room area to accommodate 2-4 extra guests. With a tea party, you can also place a couple people at the coffee table if space is an issue. Yes, this is acceptable. Where do you think the term “low tea” came from? Locate or borrow enough tablecloths & cloth napkins and make sure they are pressed or dry cleaned. Take inventory of your china, crystal, silver, and serving pieces. I love to use my mother’s & grandmother’s china, so I can set a gorgeous table with the pieces I have.

Borrow or check out consignment stores for pieces you don’t have. These days you can do some mixing and matching without have to make sure you have entirely complete settings. I usually just go for symmetry when this occurs.

Since I love hosting tea parties I like to have more supplies on hand. I know I’ll use them again.

Here’s what I ordered from Amazon:

• White 3 Tier Dessert Stand
• Blue 3 Tier Dessert Stand
• Floral Ceramic Tea Pot
• Pink Floral Ceramic Tea Pot
• Wabi Sabi Striped Tea Pot
• 21 Piece Bone China Tea Set, complete set of tea cups, saucers, cream & sugar (this is not one I ordered, since I have plenty of pieces, but I just love this set! I would put it in my cart if I didn’t have what I needed)
• Beverage Containers

Make sure you plan on heating your water in a tea kettle for your tea, then pour into your tea pots. Put the pots directly on the table with the teas for guests to prepare their tea as tea rooms do.

3. Organize your table settings and set the table well in advance.

For a large guest list I like to set the table about a week ahead. When preparing for a smaller gathering, a day or two ahead is fine. Draw a picture to help things go faster if you have to set your table on the same day. Here are the settings I used.

Place Setting

• dinner plate
• luncheon plate
• dessert dish
• tea saucer
• tea cup
• water glass
• wine glass
• champagne glass
• fork
• knife
• spoon
• napkin

Decide on a Centerpiece

I created an arrangement of beautiful fresh flowers from Trader Joe’s in a large crystal vase for this table. The food becomes the decoration as well!

Serving Pieces

• salt/pepper
• two tea pots
• lemon wedge dish
• cream & sugar dish, sugar spoon
• butter dish, butter knife
• sugar spoon
• cake plate
• 3 tier dessert stands
• pretty serving platters for each course that isn’t going on the dessert stands

Next, decide on your centerpiece and whether you will make a menu card for each place setting. Sometimes a party can include a favor for each guest. Individual cookies decorated with the tea theme and ordered from a bakery are a popular favor right now. The bride may have a special gift for each person that is helping make her day special. Add this gift to each table setting. All these things can be added or subtracted depending on your party.

4. Make a decision on your serving style and preparation timeline for the day of the party.

You might decide you will have guests serve themselves, then you will be done & can relax with your guests at party time! Howevever, while serving your guests course by course style at the table requires a little more energy on your part, your guests will be delighted with your efforts and how elegant your tea becomes. My plan was to style the service like the tea rooms I visited in London. Keep reading to see how I performed my hostess duties.

Next decision is to decide on your preparation timeline. Will you make this entire menu yourself or a few recipes from each category? Will you substitute any recipes for store bought? Which menu items will you be able to make ahead and freeze? When will you do your grocery shopping? Look for the hints at the end of each recipe to help you with the make ahead questions for each recipe.

5. Use the following timeline for the complete menu preparation.

Week(s) to a Few Days Ahead:

• Make ahead & freeze whatever allows.
• Set the table(s) and place all serving dishes where they will go
• Fill sugar bowl(s)
• Place any orders for supplies from Amazon, bakery, or Whole Foods
• Create menu cards, place setting cards, & labels menu items (if using)

Day Ahead:

• Pick up fresh flowers (arrange if needed) and place them in vase on the table(s)
• Pick up orders from bakery or Whole Foods
• Make cold teas & refrigerate
• Set up drink station with iced teas & serving trays with champagne glasses
• Chill Prosecco
• Put any menu recipes on serving platters that can be done ahead, cover & refrigerate if needed

Day of the Party:

• 3-6 hours before
  • Ice down ice teas in drink canisters
  • Get make ahead frozen items out of freezer to thaw
  • Stir cashews into Chicken Salad & fill pastry cups. Arrange on serving platter. Cover & refrigerate.
• 2-3 hours before
  • set out butter, cream, jams & curd on table
  • Bake Vanilla Scones @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes
  • Bake Strawberry Cream Scones @ 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes
  • Bake Tea Biscuits @ 425 degrees for 13 minutes
• 1-2 hours before
  • Make coffee
  • Arrange Benedictine Sandwiches on bottom tier of dessert stand(s)
  • Arrange Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches on bottom tier of dessert stand(s)
  • Arrange macarons on top tier of dessert stand
  • Arrange Mini Lemon Tarts on serving trays
  • Set fruit tarts on small dessert plate at each place setting
  • Set out Chocolate Chip Cake
  • Wash up any dishes & put away
• 15-30 minutes before
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Ice in glasses
  • uncork & pour Prosecco ready to hand to arriving guests
  • Cook Mini Roast Beef Bites for 20 minutes @ 375 degrees, keep warm & arrange on serving tray right before serving
  • Take Chicken Salad Tarts out of refrigerator
  • Warm scones in oven on low & arrange on middle tier of dessert stand
  • Start heating water for the teapots
• Party Time!

Plan on making decaf coffee for your guests and have a variety of teas available. Don’t forget to decide which teas you will serve! The list below is quite large for a small party. I suggest one tea from each category and use tea bags. I made sure I used a few pretty tea tins for the table. They make the table look pretty. I prepared a drink station in my kitchen for the iced tea and I bought Trader Joe’s Peach Bellini and Prosecco Rose that I greeted my guests with upon arrival.

6. Have a plan so your guests can enjoy being waited on and pretend they are in a fine tea room in London! Be sure to enlist a co-host to help this go smoothly.

A traditional English Tea Time allows for a seating of at least two hours. Here’s why!

• Serving Plan
  • Greet guests with a glass of prosecco
  • Allow time for arrivals and conversation
• 30 minutes into Party
  • ask guests to be seated and refill prosecco glasses.
  • Explain the choices of teas, serving hot water and prepared hot teas. Serve iced tea if that is the preference
  • Remove tea cups & saucers. I stacked dishes as I removed them on my pantry counter and didn’t worry about washing until after the party.
• 45 minutes into Party
  • Serve the savories arranged on serving dishes one at a time (roast beef tarts, chicken salad pastries, and canapes.
  • Remove large serving trays.
  • Heat more water
• 1 hour into Party
  • Add the 3 tier stands that hold sandwiches, warm scones, tea biscuits, and macaroons to the table. Leave on the table for guest to leisurely enjoy
  • Refill water, iced tea, and teapots
  • Remove luncheon plates and any dishes guests are finished with
• 1 1/2 hours into party
  • Make sure there is a dinner plate left on the table for dessert or serve cake on a new dessert plate
  • Cut and serve the chocolate cake or cut and set on table for guests to pass
  • Serve the lemon tarts.
  • Remove plates and prosecco glasses
• 2 – 2 1/2 hours into party
  • Open favors or bridesmaids gifts
  • Speeches or Activities Planned
    • I was asked to teach the bride & bridesmaids how to assemble their own bouquets so we had a flower arranging class on my deck after eating
    • Post coming soon on how to create a bridal bouquets!

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The Bridal Tea Menu

Teas

Savories

Mini Roast Beef Tarts

Benedictine & Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Chicken Salad Pastries

Cucumber Canapes

Scones

Vanilla Heart Scones

Strawberry Cream Scones

Lemon Scones or Tea Biscuits

Sweets

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Fruit Tarts

Lemon Tea Cakes

Assorted Macaroons

Recipes for this Bridal Tea Menu

Preparing the Savories:

Mini Roast Beef Tarts

Yield: 12 Servings

Prep: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 frozen prepared mini tart pastry shells or 24 bite size patty shells
• 1 cup thinly sliced roast beef, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• salt & pepper

Inspired from Weekend At The Cottage

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove tart shells from freezer and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place a small mound of roast beef into each cup.
2. Melt butter in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Then add the shallots and mushrooms. Add thyme, salt and pepper to taste and sauté until browned. Remove from heat and spoon mushrooms over roast beef. Add a tiny dollop of horseradish over each tart.
3. Whisk cream cheese and egg in a small bowl until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon into tart shells, allowing the mixture to settle down into them.
4. Sprinkle each cup with grated cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
6. Hint: Make these ahead and freeze until party day. Thaw & bake before serving.

Benedictine Sandwiches

Yield: 24 sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green onions, minced
• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. dill, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 loaf white Pepperidge Farm thin sliced bread
• extra cucumber slices for garnish or to fill sandwiches

Instructions

1. Stir together first 7 ingredients to create Benedictine spread.
2. Spread mixture on 12 slices of white bread, and top with remaining bread slices to create sandwiches.
3. Trim away sandwich crusts and cut each sandwich into so that you have 2 rectangles or 2 triangles with a serrated knife to create tea sandwiches.
4. Hint: Make a day ahead & refrigerate sandwiches. Garnish before serving. Timesaver: Purchase your favorite benedictine spread.

Mother’s Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Yield: 24 tea sandwiches

Prep Time: 30 minutes

• Ingredients
• 16 ounces American Cheese, cut in pieces
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 – 2 ounce jar pimientos
• 1 loaf thin sliced Pepperidge Farm bread

Instructions

1. Stir egg with a fork and combine with sugar in a saucepan. Add vinegar and butter. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens.
2. Mash cheese and pour hot mixture over cheese. Add drained pimientos and mash all together until smooth. Chill.
3. Spread on 12 bread slices. Top each with remaining bread slices to create sandwiches. Trim away sandwich crusts and cut each sandwich into 2 rectangles or triangles with a serrated knife to create tea sandwiches.
4. Hint: Make a day ahead & refrigerate sandwiches. Timesaver: Purchase your favorite pimiento cheese spread.

Mother’s Chicken Salad on a Mini Pastry

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups shredded chicken
• 1 cup homemade boiled dressing mayonnaise
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits, fresh or drained if canned
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions, about 4 green onions
• 1 cup red or green grapes, cut in half (optional)
• 24 mini pastry puffs or mini croissants, prebaked

Homemade Boiled Dressing Mayonnaise

My Grandma’s Recipe

Yield: 2 quarts

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart Miracle Whip

Instructions:

1. Put vinegar & water in saucepan & bring to a boil. Stir in salt.
2. Mix sugar & flour together in a small bowl with a fork.
3. Beat eggs in a medium bowl and then add eggs to sugar/flour mixture, beating until thoroughly combined.
4. Stir in a little of the vinegar/water mixture to the bowl, then pour mixture into the saucepan and stir together.
5. Let come to a boil until thickened. Let cool.
6. Add Miracle Whip Salad Dressing and stir until smooth.
7. If too sour: mix in a little sugar; If too thick: add mix in a little cream or milk.
8. Hint: Make this several days before and keep refrigerated.

Instructions for Chicken Salad

1. Stir together the shredded chicken and mayonnaise with a wooden spoon.
2. Stir in cashews, pineapple, and green onions, one at a time.
3. Chill
4. Spoon onto mini croissants for small sandwiches or onto my favorite mini puff pastry bites. I found precooked french mini pastry bites at World Market, but you can sometimes find them on Amazon. You can also make them using this recipe from The Sage Apron.
5. Hint: Make chicken salad a day ahead, just stir cashews in just before spooning into pastry bites on the day of the party. Timesaver: Purchase your favorite chicken salad.

Cucumber Canapes

Yield: 12

Prep: 15 minutes (30 min if cutting & trimming bread)

Ingredients

• 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• pepper to taste
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• parsley to garnish (optional)
• 1 loaf thin sliced Pepperidge Farm wheat bread or sliced baguette, optional

Inspired by Diva Di Cucina

Instructions

1. Beat the cream cheese, dill, pickle juice, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and green onion until smooth.
2. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a pastry bag or a Ziploc bag.
3. Pipe the herbed cream cheese mixture onto each cucumber round.
4. Garnish each with a sprig of parsley.
5. Optional – Cut out bread rounds with a biscuit cutter. Pipe the cream cheese directly onto the bread, then top each with a cucumber round. Garnish with extra cream cheese and sprig of parsley.
6. Serve immediately or Hint: cover and store in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Preparing the Scones:

Vanilla Heart Scones

Yield: 13

Prep: 30 minutes Bake: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached white fine pastry flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold heavy whipping cream
• Garnish: additional granulated sugar

Inspired by Tea Time Magazine

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk well. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Whisk vanilla & cream until blended. Add to flour mixture, stirring until evenly moist. (If dough seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms.
4. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 4 to 5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a ½-inch thickness. Using a 2¼-inch fluted heart-shaped cutter, cut 13 scones from dough, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
5. Garnish tops of scones with additional granulated sugar, if desired.
6. Bake until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean, approximately 15 minutes.
7. Serve warm.
8. Hint: Make these a week ahead & freeze before baking. Thaw & bake on day of party.

Mini Strawberry Cream Scones

Inspired by Joy the Baker

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream plus more for brushing the top
• 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
• 1/3 cup chopped white chocolate (optional)
• sparkling sugar for topping

Instructions

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
3. In a liquid measuring cup mix together vanilla extract and 1 1/3 cups cream. Slowly pour the cream mixture into the dry ingredients tossing and stirring as you pour.  Add the strawberries and white chocolate chunks (if using).  Toss together.  Add 2 more tablespoons of cream if necessary to create a moist, cohesive, but not sticky dough.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough, shape into a disk and press out into a 3/4″ thickness.
5. Use a small biscuit cutter to cut small 1 1/4″ circles from the dough.  Brush each circle with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar.
6. Place 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
7. Remove from the oven and serve warm.  
8. Hint: Make these a week ahead and freeze. Thaw & bake on day of the party.

Mini Tea Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 tablespoons cream 
• 5 tablespoons water 
• 1 egg

Orange Butter

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 5 mandarin orange segments, cut up.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk cream, water and egg together. Reserve 1 tablespoon egg mix for egg wash for the dough.
3. Add dry ingredients and butter to food processor. Pulse a few times until butter is evenly distributed and mixture is dry and crumbly.
4. Add the egg mixture and pulse to incorporate. Dough will be rough and still crumbly. Remove dough from food processor to a work surface.
5. Knead the dough 8-10 times until the dough ball that is basically smooth and holds together.
6. Roll out with only a little additional flour if needed to a 1″ thick circle.
7. Cut out the scones with a cookie cutter. Rewrap the scraps and roll out again. Cut out additional scones. Work dough as little as possible so scones are not too tough.
8. Place scones on baking sheet(s) and brush with the reserved egg wash.
9. Bake at 425 degrees for about 13 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
10. Cool and serve with flavored butters and jam.
11. Hint: Make these a week ahead and freeze. Thaw & bake the day of the party. Timesaver: Purchase Mary B’s brand frozen tea biscuits
    
    Orange Butter
    Mash up the butter and mandarin segments together until the oranges are distributed evenly. Serve with scones.

Preparing the Sweets:

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Click for Recipe

Hint: Make a day ahead, cover & place on cake stand ready for party.

Individual Fruit Tarts

Ordered from Whole Foods

Lemon Tea Cakes

Yield: 8 1/2 dozen

Prep Time: 30 minutes Bake Time: 15 minutes Ice Time: 30 minutes

No time? Order these Petit Fours from Amazon.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel or zest of 2 lemons
• 3 cups all purpose flour

Inspiration from Pink Picadilly Pastries

Photo is Pink Picadilly Pastries – my photo did not turn out this pretty, but my tea cakes did!

Glaze:

• 5 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 8 tablespoons lemon juice
• food coloring – I used pink & yellow for this party

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray pan with baking spray.
2. Cream the butter, cream cheese & sugar until light & fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice, extracts & lemon peel. Add flour and beat just until smooth.
4. Fill greased miniature petits four or muffin pan 2/3 full, using a small cookie scoop. This fabulous petit four pan is the best & the cakes popped out beautifully!
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
6. Cool for 3-5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
7. Combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Dip tops of cakes into glaze.
8. Hint: Completely make these weeks ahead and freeze. Thaw before the party.

Macarons

Pick out your favorite macaron flavors from Whole Foods and this will save time and create beautiful color on your tea stands!

Here’s a Complete Grocery List for your Mother’s Day Tea Party:

Hosting a bridal tea is such a special way to celebrate the bride-to-be. With a little planning and thoughtful touches, you can create a gathering that feels elegant, relaxed, and full of meaningful moments. From setting the table and choosing a simple, beautiful menu to preparing recipes that can be made ahead and using a clear grocery list to keep everything organized, this guide walks you through every step of the process.

Whether you’re hosting in a garden, dining room, or cozy living space, the real heart of a bridal tea is bringing people together to share stories, laughter, and well wishes for the bride’s next chapter. With my preparation tips, recipes, and grocery list provided here, you’ll be able to enjoy the day just as much as your guests . . . sipping tea, savoring sweet treats, and celebrating the bride in a warm and memorable way.