A Sophisticated Ladies' Tea Party

A truly elegant taste is generally accompanied with an excellency of heart. - Henry Fielding

My mother taught me to stand up for what is right, to never give up and to be positive no matter the odds. She passed on her quickness to laughter, her ability to forgive and actually forget but she was unable to give me any sense of style or passion for crafting - that I aquired on my own. In fact, until I was old enough to maintain my own appearance, my hair was kept short because my mother had no patience for braiding or even tying a ponytail. I adore my bubbly and vivacious mama but I have found that to guide me in more feminine matters I've needed to adopt additional mentors. 

One such mentor, a lively woman in love with all things French, a collector of fine art and frequent party-thrower, recently reprized her role as "hostess with the mostest" at her annual Ladies' Tea party. 

The tea party happens once a year and always has a different theme. It began several years ago when the hostess wanted to put two collections to use - her beautiful tea pot collection and her tremendous hat collection. At every party, each guest chooses her own tea pot and each guest must wear a hat. If she does not have a hat, the hostess loans her one from her collection. It is a very fun tradition to try on her hats! This year, the gorgeous hostess impressed us all with her multiple courses of fine, home-made, French food and deserts. 

 Jouir de!

The burlap table cloth, silver candelabras and vintage portraits added to the sophisticated atmosphere.

A beautiful backdrop on a gorgeous summer day. The hanging tapestry visually reminds us of the hostess' theme.

The endless table setting.

My table setting with name plate.

Each guest's plate and tea cup were unique. Sweet details like the silver birds and votive candles lined the table.

How special does a guest feel when their dinnerware is as unique as them?

I chose this teapot for my fruit infused tea.

There were many teapots to choose from. We wrote our names and our choice of tea on Post Its, stuck them to our pots and were brought our tea.

Of course, there were other delicious drinks for our choosing. The hostess used this lovely antique silver cake stand as a drink stand. Her drink dispensers are from Pier 1.

Before dining at the long table, the ladies enjoyed some appetizers while chatting about our hats.

Another fun thing about throwing an annual party is that you can share pictures from previous years. We all enjoyed looking over the hostess' old party pictures and tea choices.

Purple, as the theme color, was of course carried throughout the house.

My favorite thing about this tea party were the bite sized, home made deserts that were served on these beautiful tiered trays at the end of the meal.

Some day I will throw elegant and sophisticated parties like this. Until then I will just dream... and post pictures.

What do you think?
Questions:
1. What types of parties could you throw that require hats?
2. What details of this party did you most enjoy? Why?