Your Guide to Throwing a Tea Party Bridal Shower

Bridal showers are a fabulous time to celebrate the occasion of two people dedicating their lives to each other – and what better way to celebrate than a tea party! Here are a few ideas to get your tea party bridal shower started, from themes and menus to activities and favors.

Tea Party Bridal Shower Ideas

Multi-Generational - The bride’s family may want to celebrate this big moment in her life with a family event. Family and close friends involved in her life since childhood can gather to celebrate the next big step. This shower is usually planned by the maid of honor with the help of one of the bride’s parents.

Maids Only - A traditional gathering, the bride’s maid of honor organizes the bridesmaids, bridesmen, and/or additional friends of the bride for this celebration. Play games and share stories of the bride and groom during a laughter-filled time together.

Afternoon Tea - An afternoon tea party lends itself perfectly to a bridal shower. Pretty tea cups and place settings, a customized tea blend, and tea sandwiches are all great ideas for making this shower a fun event. Plum Deluxe will even custom-blend a tea for your event - just give us a shout!

Beach Theme - Bring the tropics home with a beach bridal party theme. Provide the guests with leis, and decorate with beach balls, sand buckets, and seashells. Serve Pups in a Blanket with a side of fruit skewers, and highlight a fun cocktail for the event, like this Sweet & Refreshing Pineapple Agua Fresca. It’s a quick, light drink that will be a hit with everyone.

Bridal Brunch - Host a brunch bridal shower for a relaxing morning of sipping tea and celebrating the bride. Serve warm cinnamon rolls or make a hearty breakfast casserole. You can bake your own delicious gluten-free rolls using this mouth-watering recipe for Honey Butter Cinnamon Rolls. It uses a gluten-free dough mix to make things a bit easier on you in your party planning.

Pajama Party - For a fun evening of bridal shower entertainment, ask your guests to arrive in their favorite pajamas and slippers. Pick out one of the bride’s favorite romantic comedies to watch together, a whip up some chocolate hazelnut lattes for chocolate lovers. Make a cozy space with blankets and pillows on the floor for everyone to sit in a circle and play a laughter-filled game such as bridal Mad Libs.

Swanky Mad Men Party - Get the whole gang together and dressed in costume for a Mad Men themed party. Break out your drink shakers and martini glasses to host an early 1960s-inspired cocktail party with retro hors d’oeuvres, classic alcoholic beverages, and period-perfect attire.

Tea Party Bridal Shower Favors

Your bridal shower favors are reminders of your fun day together. They can be simple or extravagant, but my favorites are ones that are useful.

I like to gift wildflower seed packets because they will provide years of pretty reminders in their blooms. They only need to be scattered on some soft dirt for them to take root – no green thumb needed.

Plum Deluxe will create a custom tea blend or bulk sample for your event, so you can concoct something extra special that blends the bride’s favorite flavors. Simply contact us by email for more info.
Vintage teaspoons tied with a bow make a great gift for a bridal shower (our "Just Keep Stirring" spoons come ready to gift). Pair them with a tea sample, or even a tea cup, for a beautiful take-home memory of your event.

DIYers can create a custom bath salt scrub as a party give away with this easy recipe, below. Or make sachets of relaxing bath tea!

Tea Party Bridal Shower Games

Games provide an opportunity for your guests to work and laugh together, as well as get to know the bride even better. Here are a few to try at your event.

Where were we? Hang up ten or so pictures of the lovely couple on different trips or outings. Let the guests write down where they think the couple was in each picture.

Classic Paper Dress game - Divide into two teams (or more, depending on your group size) and select one person to model the “dress,” which will be made by wrapping toilet paper on the model by the other people on the team. The bride will decide which team made the best dress.

Wedding Word Scramble - Create a sheet of scrambled words related to the couple. Print out copies for your guests to write on and try to unscramble them in a set amount of time.

Whose Memory? There are a lot of memories within this group of friends! Have each person write down a memory of them and the bride and place it in a jar. The bride can read them out loud and let the group guess who the memory belongs to.

Wine Tasting - Have a blind wine tasting of the bride’s favorite wines. Place the bottles in bags and mark them with a number. Let the guests vote for which one they like the most and try to guess what varietal it is. The best guess wins the wine. Here are five more ideas for incorporating wine into a bridal shower game.

Tea Party Bridal Shower Menu

Your party menu will be determined by your theme, or by the time of day of your party. Here are a few ideas to get you going.
Casual Afternoon - Serve three different savory finger food appetizers, like this Pear Brie Bite. Warm, creamy, and decadent, you’ll want to make these a staple in your appetizer rotation. Buffet-style eating offers a convenient and relaxed alternative to a formal sit-down event. An easy-to-eat dessert such as cupcakes or brownies will satisfy the sweet tooth or your guests.

Beach Theme - Your beach theme menu can include many different foods, such as pulled BBQ pork sandwiches, pasta and fruit salads, and this tempting tea granita, a semi-frozen, flavored, and shaved ice treat. You can also serve mixed tropical fruit skewers, Pigs in a Blanket, and warm, sweet Chai Monkey Bread. This recipe is made easy by using pre-made refrigerated biscuits, but gets its sophistication from the addition of traditional chai spices.

Tea with Bread - This apple cinnamon brioche caught my eye in the bakery, and I found the perfect accompaniment for it: Chai Infused Apple Butter. Unfamiliar with apple butter? It's cooked using the same sugar and spices as applesauce, however it’s cooked much longer, resulting in a thicker and more caramelized spread. Pair this lightly sweet bread with a pot of hot Portland Rose City Chai with hints of cardamom, ginger, and blackberry for an autumn shower.

Pro tip: Any leftover brioche will make killer thick-sliced French toast for breakfast the next day!

Tea Party Bridal Shower Attire

Throwing a beach party? Ask your guests to arrive in Hawaiian-inspired gear, such as shorts and flip flops, grass skirts, coconut shell tops, and flower leis. Is your beach party in the winter? No worries! Crank up the heat so your guests can shed their jackets and scarves.

If a pajama party is your jam, then get your guests to arrive in their coziest, fleeciest, and most lounge-able outfits to make for a kick-back evening. Encourage them to bring their favorite blanket and pillow as accessories.

So, you’re super set with the Mad Men themed party? A trip to the thrift store can supply you and your guests with all kinds of vintage clothing accessories. Tell your guests that you want to see their best 60s dresses, suits, and fedoras.

Tea Party Bridal Shower Cake

If you’re short on time (or you’re not prepared to tackle a homemade layer cake), simply order a layered round cake or sheet cake from your local bakery with a special sentiment scripted on it for the bride to be.

If you prefer to bake your own bridal shower cake, try this incredible Matcha Layer Cake. The matcha buttercream icing on this three-layer cake blends sweetness and tea, making this cake a real stand out. Or, go for a traditional showstopper with a classic Victoria Sponge.

This single-layer Raspberry Cake with Raspberry Snow is sprightly and tart with notes of lemon and ginger and a sweet, creamy topping. The “snow” is made by blending freshly pureed raspberries, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and lemon zest.

Cupcakes are great for any size group. To save yourself some time, you can purchase them pre-made and then embellish them with bridal shower-themed toppers. I found the pieces for my toppers at my local craft store, and then assembled them at home, using toothpicks for my sticks.

Alternatively, cupcake decorating can be a group activity! Provide the cupcakes, frosting, and decorations for your guests to get creative. These Gourmet Vanilla Cupcakes topped with a lavish swirl of whipped honey buttercream frosting are just the ticket for a celebration.

Tea Party Bridal Shower Centerpieces

The cost of a bridal shower can add up quickly. Save some bucks by asking friends if they have leftover decor from their shower or wedding, or check your local online marketplace for people selling their decorations. You can find stunning pieces for your table in perfect condition at a fraction of the cost of new.

I bought a $10 bouquet of pale pink roses, baby’s breath, and greens at my local market. After trimming the stems, I separated the buds into three short vases, reusing the greens with which they came. Then I clipped some greenery from around my yard – rosemary and eucalyptus branches – and created a stunning and inexpensive centerpiece.

Hit up local thrift stores for vintage place settings and glassware, table cloths, fabric flowers, banners, and more.

Engage your guests in creating the table centerpiece by having each guest bring a framed picture of them and the bride, or of the couple, and display them in the middle of the table to create a fun conversation-starter.

Buy bottles of the bride’s favorite wine and embellish them with ribbons, stickers, bows, or other decoration. Arrange them in the middle of the table and give them away to the guests as party favors or game prizes.

Spruce up any centerpiece with strings of fairy lights and candles.

Your own personal and creative touch combined with elements of the love and life of the bride and her partner will be certain to create a memorable tea party bridal shower that your friends will be talking about for a long time!