Are you as excited as I am to watch the royal wedding between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Saturday morning? There is something special and magical about a royal romance, AND this one involves an American!
I have memories of being on vacation the summer before fifth grade and waking up in our hotel room at 5:00 AM to watch the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. I don’t remember where we were vacationing, but I remember every detail of her dress and train on that early morning in late July. And it was just a few short years ago that my daughters invited a few friends to our home the morning of April 29, 2011 to watch the wedding of Princess Catherine and Prince William. We enjoyed a small tea party, watched the royal wedding…and then I sent them all to school for what was to be a long, tiring day. Thank goodness the upcoming wedding is on a Saturday…everyone can take an afternoon nap after arising early to watch the ceremony!
And what better way to celebrate the wedding than with a tea party! Now while I’m no expert on a proper English tea, I have attended and hosted a few tea parties in my life. Today I’m sharing some tips for having your own tea party…and who knows, maybe you’ll have one of your own while you’re watching the royal wedding this weekend!
Most teas are served on a three-tiered tray, with three courses being served. The first would be the tea sandwiches and the savories. There are so many options for creating those adorable little sandwiches. First, choose a variety of breads…marble rye, pumpernickel, wheat or even some thin crackers. Some possibilities for sandwiches…chicken salad, egg salad, cream cheese with thinly sliced cucumbers, spreadable Brie topped with smoked salmon and dill, radishes with dill spread. Topping them with some edible flowers adds such a festive touch, also.
One of my favorite savories is a hollowed out cucumber slice with some Alouette garlic and herb cheese piped into the center. So flavorful and refreshing! And don’t they look fancy…they really are simple to make, though.
The next course is a favorite at our house…the scones! Serve them with various jams, jellies, marmalades, lemon curd, and Devonshire cream. It is a course within itself!
The final course is the sweets…and we just had those scones, right?!? If you’re like me, you probably need no help thinking of possible sweets, but if you do here are a few ideas…macarons, mini chocolate croissants, madeleines, truffles, petit fours, cookies.
One last thing…the TEA! You can’t have a tea party without the tea! There are so many varieties…Earl Grey, English breakfast, Darjeeling, jasmine, green teas, chamomile. You can use loose leaf tea or tea bags. Serving it in beautiful teacups (perhaps even vintage ones) makes it even more special.
So if you are going to watch the royal wedding, I hope I’ve given you some ideas to make it a bit more special. I’m getting so excited that I might even find a fascinator to wear that morning!
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