How to Plan for a Tea Party 1. Decide on a theme. -Not necessary, but can help you get some ideas for other aspects of the party. -Default theme is just “Gothic” - Black and white, crosses, skulls, etc. -You can have a more Victorian theme, good for Sweet Lolitas. -Look at books or movies for ideas. 2. Find a venue. -Think about how many people are likely to attend. -Where are people coming from? Locally? Across the state? -Who is invited? Friends? Acquaintances? Pick a location accordingly. -A house is good for a small intimate party. Some people have nice dining rooms or parlors that are well suited to the purpose. This works best if you’re fairly familiar with the people you are inviting. -Parks are good for picnics. A good choice if the weather is promising to be mild. Summer time might be iffy, as heat can make petticoats rather uncomfortable. A park is good choice is your main goal is a photo shoot, or if you’re unsure as to how many people will be attending. Take some time looking around your area for parks with nice photo opportunities. Bridges, cute benches, fountains and nice foliage all make for good Lolita pictures. -Coffee shops are good for shorter, informal meetings. If you just want to meet for an hour or two to chat, have a nice drink and take some pictures -Restaurants are good for more formal meet-ups. A little more time intensive, and a little more expensive. Lunch time is a good time for a restaurant meet, as the cost can be a little less, and if people want to do things afterwards, there’s still daylight. -Mall meet-ups are very informal, good for people who want a meeting with a less rigid schedule. You might need to check on the Mall’s photo policy (especially inside stores) 3. Things to do! -Photo Shoot. -Inexpensive group activities include things like minigolf (check websites for group deals! You’d be surprised how cheap it can be!), Shopping (or window shopping), or playing video games (Like Para-Para-Paradise) -More costly activities include things like Bowling, going to the movies, etc. -Free activities are also good! You can have a riveting game of EGL Frisbee organize a scavenger hunt, or look up some Victorian party games for your guests to enjoy. -Ask your guests what sort of activities they enjoy. Someone might have a great idea. It’s up to you how “strictly” EGL you want your party to be. If you want to have an authentic tea party, you might try looking up tea party resources online. If you just want to have a fun gathering with some EGL enthusiasts in the area (a good idea if you’re just starting) don’t be afraid to have some fun with it. 4. Coordinate food and drinks. -Potluck parties are a little more affordable, and everyone gets a chance to participate. If you have some time in advance for people to say what they’re bringing, this works well, so you can be sure to cover the bases. As a host, try to fill in spots that might not be taken care of. (If guests are bringing fruit, cookies, and crackers- bring sandwiches!) -If you’re a real over achiever, and have a lot of time on your hands (and like to impress) you can make everything yourself. Keep it simple. Take some time beforehand to check out your grocery store for pre-made items that might look nice on the table. Supermarket bakeries often have things like mini-tarts, or pretty cookies. -If you want to splurge, think about getting some nice party platters. Chick-fil-a strips never fail to please. Fruit or veggie trays are also nice. -Sandwich ideas: Cream cheese, chives, cucumbers. Egg or Chicken salad. Thinly sliced deli meats. Jam. -Cookie ideas : Decorate cookies with icing piped from a sandwich bag. Stencils aren’t just for t-shirts. Make a cute stencil (like a cross, skull, or flower) and place it on the cookie. Dust lightly with powdered sugar. -Tea: Asian markets carry a variety of teas, some bag, some leaves. Your grocery store may also have a surprising variety of fruit teas (I like berry flavored teas!) if you don’t have a tea shop handy (or the money to spend at one) For summer tea parties, when the weather is warm- why not serve iced tea? -A lot of foods featured in the Gothic and Lolita Bibles are fairly simple, but might be a little odd for Western palettes. They are more conducive to sit down affairs. -Remember that your guests will be wearing nice clothing, that a lot of time, money or effort went into. Try not to serve things that have the potential to get messy and ruin someone’s clothing. -Recipes from GLB 5: Tomato soup with hard-boiled egg crosses, frozen lemon/lime slices filled with berries. 5. Where to find people and how to advertise! -ONLINE! This is definitely your best bet. -EGL livejournal community is a good place to start. -Check out livejournal for EGL communities based in a certain area. (Like texas_lolis, etc) -Cosplay.com or similar forums often have threads (especially for specific conventions) with people looking to have certain meetups. If you don’t see a thread for EGL, start one! -If you’re going to an anime convention, be sure to check out the forums on the convention website.