Make a Traditional Lunch Party Modern

A Tea Party for Today

History Highlight
Base your modern tea party around the traditional afternoon teatime that originated in England. During the seventeenth century, tea was the beverage of choice and replaced ale as the national drink. By the 19th century the Duchess of Bedford Anna Maria Stanhope, had started the custom of the afternoon tea for herself and her female friends. She sent cards to her closest confidants asking them to join her for a light, five o'clock meal that centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, assorted sweets and tea. Inviting friends to tea became a common practice for many other fashionable hostesses thereafter.

• Activity & Dress: Wear beautifully decorated hats suitable for a royal lady to coordinate with floral sundresses perfect for tea in the garden! After your tea, take a stroll through the neighborhood as many royal ladies once did after teatime.

• Home Décor & Set-up: Use a traditional teapot, teacups and saucers. Don’t worry about having a perfectly matched set. A variety of prints, solids and china patterns make for an interesting and eclectic place setting. Also consider using tea bags as your place cards. Decorate the labels to match your décor and theme or attach these Thank You Hang Tags to each of the tea bags with your guests’ names.

• Food & Drink Menu: For drink—tea, of course! Authentic English teas are readily available in the International sections of most grocery stores. For more tips on types of tea and how to serve, plus deliciously modern twists on traditional tea party fare like Chai Tea Cupcakes and Cucumber Pizzas, read Light and Fun Tea Party.

• Handmade Invitations: Mail or hand-deliver invitations with a tea bag attached. There are all kinds of fun and fancy tea bag styles out there and their packets are often like little works of art. Affix a piece of cardstock to the tea tag to provide space to write in your details.

• Theme Suggestion: For a more literary crowd, suggest an Alice in Wonderland theme. Ask guests to wear clothing inspired by the classic Lewis Carroll tale and play card games while you enjoy your tea. If going with the Alice in Wonderland theme, consider using playing cards folded in half as whimsical place cards.

Historic Book Club

History Highlight
A book club can be based around any subjects and genres that strike your fancy, but why not begin with books focused on female relationships and women in history? Classics such as Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Sense and Sensibility or Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen are great places to start. Historically, book clubs were a place where women could socialize, discuss the issues of the day that concerned them and talk about their daily happenings—so don’t hesitate to use this time to catch up as well!

• Activity & Dress: Encourage each member to talk about the history behind the books, the novelists' lives and social positions or even the character that they most identify with and why. For more ideas on choosing themes, leading discussions and setting the ground rules for your book club, read Start a Book Club.

• Home Décor & Set-up: Keep it simple and focus on creating a cozy area that fosters discussion. Add a few extra comfy pillows or floor cushions and circle your furniture so you can gather around and talk.

• Food & Drink Menu: Prepare food and beverages that match the setting of the novel or the era in which the novelist was living. For a cost-effective alternative, you can also have each member bring a drink or dish that is related to what you’re reading.

• Handmade Invitations: Create a special bookmark that doubles as an invitation. Write the club details on one side and decorate the other with quotes from some of your favorite books or authors. You can also try a simple embossing technique, as detailed in Embossed Creations.

Ladies' Lawn Party

History Highlight
Women’s involvement in sports delved deeper than just the spirit of competition. Female trailblazers in the world of sports have participated to demonstrate equality, experience a new level of socializing and many times, to exhibit a rebellious nature! Celebrate this spirit by hosting an afternoon of sporting and competition. This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy an active afternoon with the girls!

Featured Lawn Sports Suggestions:

Bocce ball: This is one of the only sports that historically been enjoyed equally by all classes and both sexes. It is rumored that Egyptians played a form of bocce with polished rocks as early as 5000 B.C., and Queen Elizabeth I was known as an avid player.

Badminton: Although men in England and the United States first played it in the late 1800s, women became enthusiastic about badminton soon after. The first international women’s badminton tournament was held during the 1956-57 season.

Croquet: In 1900, the first 19 women to compete in the modern Olympic Games in Paris, France, participated in just three sports: tennis, golf, and croquet. Croquet was also the first US sport to be played by both women and men. To this day, it is one of the only sports where men and women share the same handicap.

• Activity & Dress: Post the rules to each game and assign teams when appropriate to encourage new friendships and allow the ladies to mingle. Encourage everyone to show up in sassy golf and racquet sport attire. Guests can sport argyle, knee socks, saddle shoes, visors and more. Most importantly, they should be comfortable and prepared for fun in the sun!

• Home Décor & Set-up: Start by choosing a yard with space available to host several “matches.” Consider displaying black boards, poster board or white boards around the yard for score keeping and tournament brackets. Elect someone to keep score so that teams can track their progress throughout the event. Finally, create a festive banner with a name for your event (i.e. The First Annual Backyard Women’s Classic).

• Food & Drink Menu: Try fruity refreshments along with lemonade, iced teas and plenty of water. Consider putting out drink coolers so your friends can easily stay hydrated. Fresh fruit and light salad or sandwich fare will keep your athletes energized! If it’s hot, consider homemade popsicles for dessert.

• Handmade Invitations: Get really creative and create a “playbook” for the afternoon’s event as your invitations. Include the history of each sport and how it affected women in history. If you can, include brackets so that players know when they are scheduled to play, with and against whom, and the basic rules of each game.

However you choose to spend an afternoon in with your friends, take a moment to celebrate the women who originated the enduring pastimes we still enjoy today.