Saturday, January 17, 2009

Tea With Miss Janice, Post #6

If you have been following my tea posts during this month, by now you should be a bit more knowledgeable about tea.

When planning your tea event, the first thing you need to decide is what type of tea you want to host--tea in the parlor for 1-3 friends, tea at the dining table for 3-7 friends, or a buffet-style tea for a larger group. Then you will need to choose a date and time, figure out how much you want to spend, and write up the guest list. Today, I will address the invitations.

An invitation to Afternoon Tea--who wouldn't love to receive a lovely invitation to afternoon tea in the mail? When planning your next tea--whether it's a tea in your parlor for a few friends or tea served from a formal tea table for a large group of friends--remember that a beautiful invitation will set the tone for your event.
Monogrammed notes, formal letter sheets, correspondence cards, and informals are all appropriate to use as tea invitations. You may also want to create your own invitations by choosing stationery that will complement the theme of your event and match the formality of the occasion. These may be engraved or you can print them on your computer at home. Whatever style of invitation you choose, be sure to include all the necessary information that your guests will need to know:
Name of hostess
Name of honoree
Afternoon Tea
Day and Date
Time
Address
"R.s.v.p." (as it is properly written) on the left side and "Attire" on the right side of the invitation.
~Invitations should be mailed two weeks in advance and longer for a formal event.
~Invitations should be phrased in the third person.
~Punctuation is not used at the end of the lines.
~Do not abbreviate anything except "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Sr.", or "Dr.".
~It is not proper etiquette to mention gifts or donations to a charity on an invitation.
To be perfectly proper, you would reply to a formal invitation by handwriting your reply on a formal letter. You may reply to an informal invitation by using informals, message cards, monogrammed notes, or calling cards. For a very casual event, your reply may be given by telephone. Never e-mail your reply to an invitation.
If you do not R.s.v.p., you are committing a huge etiquette faux pas and will surely be taken off the hostess' party list!
Thank you for visiting with me today and please stop by tomorrow--I will address steps you might take to prepare for your tea event.

17 comments:

Suzann said...

I love this post. It's so informative. I actually felt the need to host an afternoon tea honoring one of my friends.

QueenBeeSwain said...

LOVELOVELOVE your blog Miss Janice! So glad that our worlds crossed paths!

kHm

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

I might be ready in my head...but not in person! No tea set!No tea accessories (and how I love those)!

I have added to my wish list...and hope to pick something up sometime soon!

Thanks for your great posts!

When I am ready for my first tea I will let you know how it goes!

Schotzy said...

Oh, Miss Janice! I love your blog! I love tea, tea parties and everything that goes along with them. if they were not so fattening I have a tea everyday! Unforutnately, I love all the sweets and savories too much to limit myself in their regard. Your blog is so inspiring. I will definitely be ahving a tea soon for my prayer team ladies. My creative juices are flowing because of your wonderful posts!
Be Blessed! Carolyn

Glenda said...

Though I'm not very likely to ever host a tea, I appreciate the information on how to respond to an invitation, should I receive one.

An iMperfect wIfe said...

Miss Janice,

If a guest does not reply to an event, how do you handle that? Do you call them? Do you write them again? Do you bring it up to them the next time you see them (if the event has passed)? Or do you simply drop them from the guest list? Assume of course that this is more of an acquaintance than a friend.

Curious,
Jenny

Miss Janice said...

Goodness gracious, please excuse all the typos that appeared in the unedited edition of this post! I was mortified this morning--because I time-delayed this draft and forgot about it. While I am not an expert at writing, that was just my thoughts flying out on the keyboard. Lord have mercy, I feel for those of who who read it earlier...and the sweet ladies still left kind comments:-)

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

Oh, Miss Janice...You have brought up some important points! So many people fail to R.s.v.p. nowadays! We dealt with that recently with my daughter's wedding where numbers for the dinner were crucial. Why is that? I am learning so much with your tea series. Have a great weekend...Debbie

Miss Janice said...

Okay, "those who who read it..." I'm still doing it! I'm so tired this weekend--I need a nap:-)

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I would adore receiving an invitation to an afternoon tea! How wonderful that would be.

^..^Corgidogmama said...

You're inspiring us all to host a tea party. I would love to do that once before I die. More often, if I ever get started at it!
I think it would be great fun to "create" the little delicacy's that would be served.

Lady Katherine said...

I love all of your wonderful advice on the invitation. Thank you so much for doing these informative tea articles.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your wonderful, informative blog!♥

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

Your posts are so informative. I'm enjoying the right etiquette for giving a proper tea party. I'm slowly putting one together in my mind. I can't wait to put it all together. I can't thank you enough for all these valuable lessons.
hugs ~lynne~

Kara said...

Now you've got me planning a Spring Tea party with hats of course..hats, party dresses, gloves, tea and great friends...
I can't wiit.

Miss Kara

Melissa Miller said...

Miss Janice,
Thank you for visiting and your sweet comment on losing my doggies. I really appreciate your kind words.

You have some informative posts I need to catch up on here.
Have a wonderful week. ~Melissa :)

Larie Carlice Proverbs 27:19 said...

I am really enjoying your lessons. Thank you so much. My daughter, five, wants to have a tea party with three of her friends. So far, have the tea set for her and that's it. What is proper etiquette for this type of gathering?

smooches,
Larie