REAL PARTIES: Vintage-Inspired Tea Party

Get ready for a serious dose of adorable!

Sarah from a Very Story Photography created this whimsical, dress-up “Vintage-Inspired Tea Party” for her daughter Emma’s birthday… and fans of the vintage-eclectic style of Amy Butler, Liberty of London, and Anthropologie should especially love this one!

From pink lemonade served in mason jars and handkerchief “napkins” to tea sandwiches and colorful paper flowers, the attention to detail here is fantastic! This is also a party that “girls” of all ages can appreciate – it’s full of lovely inspiration for occasions like bridal & baby showers too… or even a Mother’s Day brunch.

Read on for lots more pretty pictures and all the party details, as told by Sarah…

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Décor:
“I used Amy Butler’s K & Company paper craft line and Paper Iris Pattern to make paper flowers.

I also created the happy birthday banner from her paper line, as well as placemats and cupcake toppers. All of the paper crafting supplies came from JoAnn’s.

I purchased the tea cups and saucers at various TJ Maxx and Marshall stores.  The vintage handkerchiefs (used for napkins) were a gift years ago from my grandmother, with exception to one hanky embroidered with my daughter’s initial; that was a gift purchased at Anthropologie.

The floral hat box is from Target’s Liberty of London line.

The tissue paper pom poms were made following the tutorial on Martha Stewart’s site.

Food & Drinks:
We served pink lemonade in mason jars…

…“tea” (sparkling juice) in tea cups, tea sandwiches for the five year old palette (pb&j and turkey & cheese), cheese and crackers topped with rosemary sprigs, fruit kabobs, classic tea cookies and mini cupcakes. All the food was prepared by us at home.

The vintage typewriter was a find in my in-laws basement!

Craft:
The girls made custom headbands and hair barrettes with fabric flowers and ribbon we had pre-made. The girls chose their colors and flowers and the adults hot glued them to the fabric headbands and barrettes (I purchased fabric remnants from JoAnn’s, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, and Goody brand headbands/barrettes from Publix.)

Favors:
We sent each party attendee home with the tea cup and saucer they used, their headbands and barrette crafts, and custom message cookies (using the Williams-Sonoma cookie cutters and recipe)– everything was individually wrapped in clear cellophane and secured with ribbon and a tag with each girl’s name.

Smile!
We set up a “photo booth” on our deck using a pottery barn kids quilt as a backdrop, I also used a vintage inspired patchwork quilt as a rug under the children’s table during the tea party.

The dress the birthday girl wore is from Matilda Jane’s Hammond Bay line.”

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Thanks again to Sarah for sharing this wonderful party inspiration!

Photo credits: a Very Story Photography