Home/Collections/Tea party
Collection

Tea party invitations

One of the few themes that genuinely works at any age, which is why the design has to be told which one.

A quiet still life with a sage vase, folded napkin and a stack of cards

A tea party can be a four-year-old's birthday with plastic cups, a bridal shower at a hotel, or eight friends in a garden on a Sunday. The theme is identical and the three invitations should look nothing alike.

For children, it can be sweet and illustrative, and the parent-facing logistics still need their block. For adults, the design should be delicate but restrained, because an over-decorated tea party invitation tips into twee immediately and that is the failure mode of the whole category.

The detail worth including is what is actually being served. "Tea party" means sandwiches and scones to some people and cake to others, and if there is champagne involved that changes what people wear and whether they drive.

Design notes

What changes for this one

Delicate, not twee. Fine type and a lot of white space rather than teapot illustrations. Say what is being served, because the phrase means very different things to different people.

Timing

When to send

Three to four weeks. Tea parties are usually daytime weekend events and compete with a lot of other daytime weekend plans.

Palette

Colours that work

Pale and warm. Bone, soft blush, the palest green, with one deeper accent so it does not wash out.

Questions people ask about tea party invitations

How do I stop it looking too cute?

Restraint in the decoration and confidence in the type. One small botanical element and a lot of white space reads elegant; teapots, doilies and script everywhere reads like a party shop. The theme is already delicate, so the design does not need to add to it.

Is this a children's theme or an adult one?

Genuinely both, and they get completely different designs. Tell me the age of the guest of honour and it changes the whole approach.

Should I say what food there is?

Yes. "Tea party" ranges from a full afternoon tea to cake and a pot of Earl Grey, and guests plan their day around which one it is.

Demand

480

US searches a month for tea party invitations, measured rather than guessed. Nearly every page here targets a term almost nobody is defending properly.

How to have this made

Custom invitation design

Designed from nothing for one event. No template underneath.

From $285

Day-of event paper

Menus, place cards, table numbers, programs and signage.

From $95

Digital and paperless invitations

Designed to be texted, emailed or posted. Not an Evite template.

From $225

Start with a First Look

$45 for one finished concept designed for your event, back in three days. It comes off whatever you book, and if you do not love it you keep the file and owe nothing.

Nearby occasions

People who booked this also asked about