The changing seasons are a time for joyful celebrations as winter comes to an end and delicate spring blossoms and blooms start to peek out in colorful displays. Spring tea party ideas are all about light, bright colors, fresh-cut florals, and friends who are ready to celebrate the warm spring breezes dappled by the melody of songbirds.
Bloomin’ Decor for Spring
My favorite way to decorate my spring tea party table is with fresh-cut flowers. The local markets have beaucoup bouquets in the most eye-catching and vibrant colors. Take them apart and trim the stems to scatter across your table like fresh flower confetti. Or turn a large bouquet into a few mini bouquets tied with string for your guests to take home. Divide the bouquets into monochromatic choices for a stunning floral display.
I keep on hand pretty pink paper flowers that have a tiny little wire attached to them. I can string them together to make a garland or use them individually as toppers for scones, cupcakes, brownies, or anything that I want to dress up with some springtime flair.
If you are a regular thrifter like me, you may have noticed how your favorite shops do an amazing job merchandising for each season. For spring, you can find all of the tea party table decor your heart desires at a local thrift shop, in pastels and creams, whites, off whites, and rustic metals, too. It’s a great way to continue the story for these lovely little finds, by giving them a new role to play in your tea party adventures.
Sweet Spreads for Tea Parties
Colorful jars of sweet spreads make for a lovely addition to your tea party table. Jams come in all different size jars which lend themselves to crafty table decor, and make great guest gifts, too! Lemon curd is a delightful treat that makes a wonderfully delicious spread for homemade biscuits, bread, or scones.
If you are in need of a go-to spread to doll up your tea party treats, try this whipped honey butter recipe. Whipped honey butter is perfect in great big dollops on scones still hot from the oven. It’s such a simple thing to make, taking only a few minutes to prepare, with ingredients that nearly everyone has on hand as pantry staples: butter, honey, and salt.
Whip half a cup of softened butter until it’s light and fluffy, add 2-3 tablespoons of honey and a pinch of salt, and continue whipping until it returns to its light and fluffy state.
An equally yummy tea to compliment your honey-butter-slathered baked goods is the Oregon Breakfast Tea. The earthy base of black and honeybush tea provides balance while the zing of orange livens your senses. The nuttiness of hazelnut mimics the nuttiness of coffee, so if you’re trying to break up with coffee, this is a great substitute to keep on hand in your cupboard.
Speaking of Scones…
I recently had the most amazing scones at a yoga retreat at Lake Tahoe. The dough was buttery fresh and melted in my mouth. The berries added a sweet and tart flavor that balanced the overall taste. It reminded me of what a sweet experience it is to serve quality scones to my tea party guests, made with love and gratitude.
Scones can be dressed with jam, honey, butter, or anything you like. With a spot of tea on the side, they can carry an entire spring tea party menu for you.
If you have the time to whip up a batch of homemade scones for your friends, try this amazing recipe for Refreshing Lemonade Scones. These sweet and tart scones pair well with a bit of lemon curd or orange marmalade. This recipe employs the technique of flavor infusion for the liquid ingredient—cream.
Infusing the heavy cream is simple and creates a sophisticated flavor layer for your scone recipe. Simply heat the cream over moderate heat until warm, remove, and steep the tea of your choice in it for 15-30 minutes. Like brewing tea, the process extracts the essence of an ingredient to flavor the liquid, in this case, cream instead of water.
A perfect pairing for lemonade scones is the Afternoon High Tea white tea. Inspired by the light, fruity flavors of many European teahouse “high tea” teas, the Plum Deluxe signature afternoon “high tea” blend uses a white tea base flavored with favorite fruits: peach and pear. Lightly caffeinated, with a touch of apricot and a splash of bright marigold petals, it provides a beautiful healing boost.
Make time to celebrate the changing seasons with your tea friends this spring. Your spring tea party ideas will provide the perfect setting to share tea, love, and friendship—things we can all use more of in our lives.
