Host Your Own Birthday Tea Party Ideas

If you need help with birthday tea party ideas, one of our play experts, Hayley, has all the tea party plan inspiration for you! Check out these fabulous birthday tea party ideas and host the perfect occasion - birthday or not (who needs an excuse?!) We have covered tips on creating the best invitations, buffet food essentials and how to design the perfect table decorations. Take a look!

I’m no stranger to a birthday tea party, I had them most years as a child and now that I’m older, I ask my mum to recreate the nostalgia every September 25^th, although more recent years tend to include a bottle of fizz as opposed to a jug of summer fruits squash. (A mix of the two sounds great now I think about it).

A tea party is a lovely way to celebrate; you’ve got your closest friends, you’re in the comfort of your own home and you’re enjoying all of the foods that as a child you’d go mad for (and perhaps still do).

I recommend posting handwritten invitations. There’s something special about getting a letter through the post that isn’t some sort of bill or a flyer from your local takeaway (but save the latter for another day).

Your friends will appreciate the effort you have gone to and it’s a lot more personal than sending the usual Facebook event notification... 'Decline'.

If you’re hosting a themed tea party, you could decorate your invitations accordingly. For my cabaret theme I wrote on fuchsia pink A6 card, glued a black lace trim around the edge and had a feather sticking out the top (who did I think I was at age 11?)

It’s also worth adding an ‘RSVP’ at the bottom of the invitation. This will give you an idea of the numbers attending so that you don’t over-buy (or worse, under-by) the party food.

Hobbycraft sell loads of bits that you could use to make the invitations, have a look at there website here.

This brings me nicely onto choosing what food to have, there’s nothing better at a party than a good spread.

There are some particular sweet and savoury treats that take me back to my childhood (I’m still only 24 but you get the picture). So when looking for birthday tea party ideas when it comes to food, for me, the following are absolutely essential:

• Finger sandwiches – Filling options could include, ham, cheese or jam

• Cocktail sausages – Hot or cold

• Party rings – A British favourite since 1983

• Chocolate fingers – A firm favourite in my household

• Cheese and pineapple hedgehog – See below, you’ll get it

• Vegetable sticks – raw carrot, cucumber and celery. There’s got to be something with nutritional value on the table!

Of course the options for birthday tea party ideas are endless but hopefully these will give you a starting point.

Table decoration choices are simple yet crucial when planning your birthday tea party ideas. Fortunately, you can’t go wrong with a pretty tablecloth and cardboard cups and plates. Keep it simple, you don't need to go overboard with decorations. If you’ve decided to go with a theme, have a look online for something that fits in. If you're struggling to find something that matches, then colour scheme tableware always looks aesthetically pleasing.

My "go-to" is always a pink princess theme, I just love how pretty it looks all set out in my dining room. There are however way more exciting, modern birthday tea party ideas for you to choose from.

Purchasing decorative cups and plates also means that there's a lot less washing up to do at the end of the party - bonus!

Hopefully the birthday tea party ideas above have given you all the inspiration you need to host your own Birthday Tea Party. Be sure to tag us @theplayexperts so we can see your wonderful pictures. We love seeing what you've come up with and being a little nosey!