Tea Time fit for a Royal

Are you as excited as I am about the Royal Baby's upcoming arrival?  I hear it is happening any day now!  I decided to put together a little English Tea Party inspired by the British Prince or Princess but you could give any party you host a royal twist!  Whether it is a birthday for your own little prince or princess or a simple spring time get-together, I hope you will use these ideas for your next celebration!

I love setting up a table in an unexpected place.  It is a simple party trick that doesn't cost a thing!  For our English Tea Party, I chose the coffee table in our formal living room.  I liked that my guests could lounge on the sofa with me and we could just enjoy tea, sweets and conversation.  Of course, there were also great debates on whether or not William and Kate would be welcoming a boy or a girl into their Royal household. I'm glad I had a citrus yellow color scheme so that I didn't have to take sides!  

Each guest's place was marked with a place card attached to the end of the tea bag.  I added HRH before their names to make our guests feel like Their Royal Highnesses right as they found their places.

They also found a tea bag cookie on their plate!  They were so much fun to make!  I kept the citrus theme going with this Fresh Orange Cookie Recipe but I put my own spin on it.  I rolled and cut the dough to make the tea bag shape and used a straw to make a hole in the top so that I could attach the string after baking.  Instead of using the icing in the recipe, I dipped the cookies in melted chocolate to replicate the look of a tea bag.  They were a hit!

I also served Crown Cupcakes that were a cinch to make!  These Lemon Cake Muffins were wonderful on their own but I topped them with white icing and mini-paper crowns I made by cutting the border off of a doily and spraying it gold with edible color mist.  I layered cake stands to make a two-tier display. 

 I pulled out one of my favorite silver dishes in the shape of an umbrella to hold yellow creme mints.  Umbrellas always make me think of rainy London days so I always love to add this at tea time!

The colorful Honeysuckle Napkins are from Loom Decor and the vases are vintage.  I chose a glass plate so that the colorful napkin would show through.

Photographs by John Cain Sargent