Tea Party
The Mill District hosted our first Tea Party on May 5th, 2024. We were all thrilled with the way it turned out and hope to give you all some ideas for your next gathering!
The Plan
Planning this tea party took a few sets of hands. We had Marie, who designed our menu and made the food from scratch. Selena created and tested the tea-themed bar menu. I created the event, marketed, helped Jourdan, and designed the flower bar. Haley helped me design our printed menus. Of course, Jourdan had too many responsibilities to even list, including planning decor, layout, etc.
All that goes in to our events is done by our small group of employees. The invitation design, the marketing, the planning, the designing, the execution— it typically starts months in advance.
Our guests arrived, had their tickets scanned, and were assigned to tables. One error we stumbled upon was not knowing who was with what party, so we had to make a few changes along the way. Learning is always a part of using new technology!
The Vision
Jourdan’s goal for this event was for guests to feel as though they weren’t just having tea in Fremont, Indiana.
Jourdan’s vision for the decor was elegance, color, and french garden. She and I agreed that we needed to use real teacups for this gathering. Jourdan told me she had plenty, but I was skeptical.
Who on earth has enough china for an event of this size?
Jourdan does.
Rule 1, I have learned, is to never underestimate Jourdan. If she says she has it covered, she always delivers. I was floored by the tubs and tubs of vintage china she brought to me.
We implemented our new chiavari chairs to elevate the outdoor space, which can be rented for any wedding or event here. The tables were decorated with candles, napkins of different colors, and a variety of china.
Tea Bar
The Tea Bar was easily our favorite part of this entire affair. It was a new objective for us, but Jourdan pulled it off and it was simply exquisite.
Jourdan scattered china teacups and saucers along the table and completed it with fresh flowers, hot water, lemon slices, various sweeteners, cream, cookies, and more. Guests could help themselves to whatever flavor of tea they’d like.
Flower Bar
We decided to add a flower bar to give guests a little something to do. It was a hit! All greenery and flowers were from Trader Joe’s.
Any chance we get, we pull out these chairs for cute photos. We set out a Polaroid camera for guests to snap some photos.
The Menu
Marie and Jourdan got the menu squared away with finger sandwiches and desserts. Marie featured our Everything Cheeseball on cucumber sandwiches, baked from scratch various decorative cookies, scones, and cinnammon rolls.
She layered angel food cake with lemon curd and whipped cream, assembled fresh fruit cups, and chicken salad.
Something very special we do is create custom bar menus and this was one of my favorites to date! Every drink on this tea-infused menu was specially created and crafted by our Selena.
Everything you see was done by The Mill District— the china and the chiavari chairs are available for rent for private parties, weddings, and events. You may not believe me, but we had not one single china casualty the entire day. Every piece made it safely back in it’s box. I’ll call that a win!
Our guests looked stunning in their dresses and spring colors. To those who bought tickets, thank you for choosing The Mill District! We look forward to serving you again soon.
- J.S.