Seven Ways You Can Be Annoying as a Party Guest

Meredith Sweetpea found this blog post by Betsy Cribb Watson and Southern Living and thought the author’s ideas were good points about how although a guest to a party at your home may be trying to be polite and follow etiquette rules, they can actually be annoying to their hosts without knowing it.

Taking inspiration from this post, here are seven things that hosts actually dislike:

Showing up Early

If you’ve ever thrown a party, you know the last-minute scramble to make sure everything is ready. The last thing you need is to have to deal with early arrivers at the same time. While being on time is correct, it is best to arrive at the designated hour or shortly thereafter.

Trying to Help

The hosts have everything organized in their minds and to have to coordinate extra hands at the same time can be overwhelming. You can offer to help, but be able to sit back if the host declines your assistance.

Bringing Your Own Food

Unless you are on a special diet (and you should let the host know that ahead of time), there is no reason to bring food to a party or dinner party. The hosts have set the menu and your contribution will likely not mesh with the theme. The host will feel obliged to include your dish, which may mess up the flow, and the whole situation will feel awkward.

Bringing Your Own Dishes or Glassware

Believe it or not, there are people who bring their own dishes or glassware to a party. For example, they might prefer “their own” certain wine glass because they think it makes the wine taste better. Even though you may have your particular preferences, this practice can insult the hosts and give the indication that you think their dishware is not adequate. It only makes you look like a snob, and reduces your chances of being invited back for another occasion.

Not Wanting to be First

When the host says that the buffet is open, grab a plate and join in. Don’t wait as not to be the first in line. The food is at its peak when the announcement is made, and the host is excited to see everyone dive in.

Going into the Cabinets

If you need an additional dish or some cleaning supplies, don’t start searching around in the kitchen cabinets. Ask the host to help you. They have certain dishes they’d prefer to use, and particular ways they want to clean up any spills. There’s nothing more annoying that to find guests rooting through your cabinets while you’re trying to coordinate the party.

Jumping into Cleaning Up

Some hosts want to pick up as the party is going along, while others leave everything to the end. Similarly, some hosts prefer to linger with their guests to enjoy their company rather than leaping to wash the dishes at the end of the party. In addition, the hosts have their own way of coordinating clean-up. When you jump in and start stacking dishes, it causes angst to the hosts. Let the host determine the best way to handle clean-up. If they ask for your help, let them tell you how your help is needed.

Collecting Teacups

One of Meredith Sweetpea’s favorites. Purchased in Ireland.

Miss Meredith Sweetpea loves collecting tea cups. There are so many pretty patterns, shapes and colors. That’s why she was thrilled to see an article titled “Tea Cups: From Pretty to Practical”  in one of her favorite magazines: Tea Time.

In the piece, the author talks about why teacups are “beloved collectibles,” and the evolution of the teacup from its roots in China through Europe and beyond.

Did you ever wonder how porcelain cups came into being? Or why milk is added to tea? You’ll have to read the article to find out.

One fun fact: “During both world wars, teacups helped denote status, as officers sipped from china, and enlisted troops drank from metal or tin cups.”

Tips on Collecting Teacups

Tea With Friends: a Literary Tea Party | Tea Parties

Author Elizabeth Knight

Not all too long ago, Miss Meredith Sweetpea had the honor of meeting in person Miss Elizabeth Knight, author of books like Tea with Friends. Miss Elizabeth was a charming woman, and shared her passion for tea and tea parties with our group.

What’s nice about Tea With Friends, is that it takes the reader month by month through a year of ideas o how to have tea with friends.  Following is an excerpt from that book that would be perfect for a Fall tea party.  Warm tea, crackling fire, and good company. What could be better.

Setting the Scene for Your Literary Tea Party

A living room, book-lined study, or library with comfortable seating is the idea setting for your literary tea.

For a Centerpiece

In the eighteenth century, bookish society ladies who attempted to

Valentine Tea Party | Tea Parties

What better time of year to throw a fancy tea party than at Valentine’s Day. Meredith Sweetpea just loves thinking of all the pink possibilities!  Pink tea, pink cookies, pink tea cakes, pink decorations…

Here are some ideas to throw a Valentine tea party yourself.

Invitations

Heart-shaped invitations are, of course, the way to go. Craft your own background and print out the details and attach them to your fancy heart.

Decorations

• Using a pink tablecloth with white plates and napkins, or vice versa sets a beautiful visual tone for your table.
• Sprinkle glittery hearts all over the table for a festive look.
• Decorate with pink and white balloons.
• Create heart mobiles as a party craft and use them to decorate your party area.

Foods

• Cupcakes are all the rage right now, so why not

Hold an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party | Tea Parties

Since we are so close to Halloween, wouldn’t it be fun to hold a dress-up Alice in Wonderland–or Mad Hatter–tea party for adults or children.

Meredith Sweetpea just adores a good themed tea party!

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party ideas

Alice in Wonderland Invitations:

• Create a teacup- or teapot-shaped invitation telling your guests not to be late for a “very important date.”
• You can address them from the Queen herself, the White Hare, or Alice.

Dress Up Ideas for your Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

• Your guests can dress as characters from Alice in Wonderland–or their interpretation of those characters. You may assign each guest

Hold a Pink Princess Tea Party | Dress Up Tea Parties

What girl wouldn’t enjoy being a princess on her special day!

Once upon a time a little girl dreamed of being a princess…

Why not make that dream come true by holding a princess tea party for your little girl and her friends?

Ideas for a Pink Princess Tea Party

• Dress up the birthday girl and all her girlfriends in fancy dresses and crowns…the more pink the better!

Dress up the Pink Tea Party Table

• Dress up the table with a pink tablecloth, napkins, and centerpiece.
• Wrap the back of each chair with pink tulle ribbon and make a large bow on the outside back of each chair.

Princess Tea Party Games and Activities

• Give each girl a magic wand and hold a treasure hunt for beautiful jewels, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other magical trinkets. The girls can use these items to add to their dress up.
• Read or create a princess story and have each attendee act out a role in the story. Of course, the birthday girl gets to be the princess. Stories about princesses can be fun!
• Hold a jewel hunt. Hide oversize plastic jewels around the house and let your guests search for them. Give each girl a jewel or treasure chest to keep her crown jewels in.
• Practice royal manners…learn how to curtsey and how to drink tea without raising the pinky finger! Pretend you’re having a meeting with the Queen and learn what the royals know about princess-ly behavior.

Pink Princess Tea Party Foods

• Offer up a royal feast with fancy sandwiches, and petit fours or small cakes.
• Make pink-iced cupcakes and top each with a sugar crown.
• Put a large marshmallow on a skewer and dip the end into pink frosting. “Plant” each skewer into a flowerpot for a cute and edible centerpiece.
• Serve pink lemonade served in tea cups.

It’s fun being a princess for a day!

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Order this Princess Tea Party Favors Basket!

A Rose Garden Tea | Dress Up Tea Parties

Nothing beats the pleasures of June and the abundance of roses with their wonderful scents and colors. Meredith Sweetpea thinks it’s a fine time to have a dress up tea party in the rose garden!

Using a red and white color theme, set up a table and cover it with a white tablecloth. Decorate the table with freshly-cut red and/or white rose flowers in silver, cut glass or decorative vases.  Scatter rose petals across the cloth for an added floral element. Add white and/or red linen napkins.

Use your rose-patterned china, or find a set of rosy red clear glass plates. They look striking against the white tablecloth. Floral pillows add comfort and color.

Tea Party Menu

Instead of hot tea, serve iced raspberry tea and/or freshly-squeezed lemonade in cut glass crystal. Pull out your punch bowl for extra fun.

Finger sandwiches filled with chicken salad, thinly sliced salmon with cream cheese, or cucumbers with cream cheese and dill make a striking presentation.

Decorate around the base of a white-iced lemon layer cake with thin slices of one lemon. Slit each slice halfway on one side and twist it to give a 3-D presentation. Space them evenly around the base of the cake. Add a strawberry or raspberry to the middle of each lemon slice and garnish the edges of each lemon slice with two sprigs of mint to look like leaves.

Cut lemons in half, hollow them out, and fill them with lemon sorbet. Place in freezer until ready to serve. Garnish with lemon twists, raspberries or sliced strawberries, or mint leaves.

Dress Up

Ask your guests to wear either red or white, to match the theme. And of course, since this an outdoor garden party, your guests should wear hats! As a craft, you can decorate straw garden hats with red roses and white ribbons and wear the hats for tea.

Set up the croquet game around the yard and enjoy a wonderful afternoon in the garden.