Christmas Tea (Part 1)

Christmas Tea at my church is a wonderful annual tradition that I was so blessed to take part in for the first time this year. More than a thousand women gathered this weekend to kick off the season with tea and friends for the afternoon.

I (along with dozens of other women) signed up to host tables for the tea. Hosting a table required us to provide all the plates, cups, glasses, etc and decorations for our table. I am still amazed at all the beautiful and creative tablescapes (which I will share in another post).

Shopping for my tableware, decorations and linens were so much fun and I did it on a budget. I found some amazing deals!

- white salad plates from HomeGoods: A set of 12 plates $10

- all purpose goblets from Crate & Barrel : $1.50 each

- butter knives : A set of 6 for $5 at Ross

-teaspoons: a party pack of 12 was $10 at Ross

- satin overlays from efavormart.com : $ 7.99

- cloth napkins from efavormart.com- 5 pack for $ 2.79

-tea cup saucer rental was $.40 per set at my local party rental company

I hosted two tables, one for my personal guests and the other for women who signed up to attend through the church. The church provided each table with a plate of scones, tea, cream and sugar and each guest was asked to bring a plate of tea sandwiches or sweets to share. The treats the guests brought were collected upon arrival and distributed to each table.

We started the afternoon with a service in the sanctuary that included singing and a reading of A Cup of Christmas Tea. The service was followed by the tea where the men of the church served as our butlers.

I had a red and silver theme for both tables. My centerpieces were inspired by the mod table tree centerpiece on Hostess with the Mostess.

My awesome husband folded and ironed the napkins. Didn't he do a great job?!

Tea sandwiches and sweets await my guests coming from the sanctuary