How To Host A Grown-Up Tea Party

Hosting a tea party wearing your mom's oversized pearls and serving fake biscuits to your stuffed animals was the best way to pass the time as a kid, but it doesn't have to be a thing of the past. Now that you're an adult with refined tastes who'sallowed to use the stove to boil actual water for tea, you can host a fun tea party with all of your real friends. Don't worry; if you invited a few of the old imaginary ones secretly, it's okay, we won't tell. To help you pull off the perfect adult tea party, Tracy Stern of Tea & Co. provided tips for creating an adult tea party your friends will totally want to attend.

• Set the mood and the table: choose a theme (Alice in Wonderland, Parisian, English Afternoon Delight) and integrate throughout the décor, tableware and settings. Create designated tea stations and label the different blends.
• Add vibrancy with festive floral arrangements and props, like feathers, hats, boas, etc.
• Select a playlist of music to reflect the theme. Set a Pandora station or download songs to an iPod that plays throughout.
• Take your teas up a notch by adding alcohol; create coconut, mango, and green tea-tinis or any other signature spirit using a blend of blend of Tea & Co. as a base.
• Provide bite-size savory and sweet snacks that include teas like black tea brownies.
• Share tea samples as parting gifts with special recipes for cocktails or desserts.