My business plans events. One type of events we plan is tea parties. Tea parties are popular and fun for little girls and women. Planning events can be as stressful as it is fun since planning should always be considered a loose term. However, it can be rewarding for all involved if you are prepared.
Are you interested in planning tea parties as a home business? If so, then you need to know some basics and some resources to get started. Preparation can prevent headaches later on. First you need to know what type of tea party you are interested in planning. Do you want to plan tea parties for little girls? Do you want to plan tea parties as community events? Do you want to plan tea parties as charity events? Do you want to plan tea parties for bridal showers, baby showers or other private parties? Do you simply want to do it all? Narrowing down your field in the beginning will help you get established and build up your resources and business before expanding.
Planning Tea Parties for Little Girls:
My favorite event to plan is a tea party for little girls. I love the fun, fantasy and flair. You can break rules or go completely traditional. No matter which way you go from a Mad Hatter Tea to a Princess Tea you need basics to get you started.
Minimum number/Maximum number of guests: When you are a party planner you need to give an estimate to your customer on the cost of a party. My business has a base cost for a minimum of 8 girls. Additional girls are an added fee per guest. I do not have a maximum number but no matter how many attend I always base my price off of a party of 8.
Supplies: When you envision a little girl tea party what do you think of?
Hats, gloves, demitasse spoons, teacups and saucers, tea, boas, jewelry or other dress ups.
Tea Party Adventures has a tea party kit that comes with the basics for each girl which would be a hat, gloves, jewelry, boas, tea cup and saucer, demitasse spoon, flowers to decorate the hat, and even a teapot shaped cookie cutter and tea bag. My company has purchased a base number of these kits to use at our parties. You can also plan a party and give the kit away as the party favor. Tea Party Adventures also sells each product individually so you can continue to use the tea cups, hats and gloves, and then replenish the rest as you need them. This is the best complete kit per child I have found. Now, it would be expensive to purchase the kits to give away to the guests as a party planner unless you wrote it into the price. So, I recommend buying a base amount and replenishing the little things like the cookie cutter and tea bag.
Another wonderful resource is Garden Party Teas. This site has everything you need for little girls to women. You can find a variety of hats, gloves, demitasse spoons and more for toddlers and girls. The items are nicely priced. You can get beautiful hats for only $3.99! The customer service is phenomenal. The products are sweet and very proper, beautiful and brings out of time and into a world of tea, proper manners, and elegance. The items I have received from them are high in quality and came perfectly shipped. When you go to their site you will find “Sales” and there you will great deals. They offer tea hats with flaws for under $2.00. I know you flinched when you read “flaws” but trust me this is worth looking into. I have several “flawed” hats from this company and it took me quite some time to find the flaws.
Another supply you may need is tulle and a lot of it! Tulle is a wonderful way to bring elegance and fantasy to any tea party. You can simply cut a sash of tulle to use on chairs to make a beautiful chair sash. You can use tulle to enhance your table or make centerpieces or hang from the ceiling light to the table for a beautiful effect. Look here for tutu tulle ideas and a fun centerpiece.
Once you have your supplies you are ready to set a business plan and develop a menu! We will talk more about that in posts to come.