Royal High Tea

Laura, from Decor to Adore has been doing a weekly focus on the Royal Wedding, coming to a television station near you on April 29. Her posts are fascinating glimpses into facets of royal life and procedure.

She's hosting a blogging tea party today. If you pop over to her site you'll find links to all sorts of wonderful tea parties taking place all over blogland.

I'd like to invite you to tea chez moi. I've set the table with English bone china, from Paragon in the Romance design. 

When I was about 15, my mother, my sister and I were downtown and spied a wonderful collection of teacups. That day, mom told my sister and I to each pick out a pattern. This was mine and I've loved ever since. 

Unfortunately it ceased production quite soon and my pieces are limited. All the pieces I do have - salad plates, tea pot, cream, sugar, tea cups and saucers were gifts from my mother and mother-in-law. All the pieces but one. A friend gave us a cake plate for our wedding.

In keeping with the royal theme, here's the back of the plate showing the coveted "By appointment to H.M. the Queen" warrant on the back.

"Royal warrants are a mark of recognition to individuals or companies who have supplied goods or services for at least five years to H.M. the Queen, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh or HRH the Prince of Wales. Warrants have always been regarded as demonstrating excellence and quality and are highly prized." There are about 850 royal warrants.

Around the time of our marriage I also chose this crystal pattern. I found it at the Hudson Bay Company. It's name is, fittingly, Prince Charles, however I do not know who made it. And like the china, production ceased soon after I started collecting it. 

Since the tea is partially to celebrate the upcoming nuptials, I thought it fitting to place a piece of romantic sheet music under the place.

The linen napkins are vintage, over 50 years old, and a wedding gift to my in-laws. There is small tablecloth to match. I love thinking about the history of linens and dishes and of all the people who have sat around tables enjoying food, conversation, and laughter. 

Let's keep the centerpiece simple - a bouquet of pink roses, in a crystal vase given to me by my husband on our second wedding anniversary. Softly textured roses glowing in the sunshine are the prettiest things.

For a little light entertainment, let's play a word search with all the words having to do with the wedding.

It's often common, around these kind of celebrations, to look at the past and ooh and aah over the bride and groom. I have no photos of the bride's past, but a book of the groom's. 

Here is William's mother, Princess Diana, beautiful and glowing.

William going home from the hospital with his parents.

And of course, there must be good things to eat. How about blueberry scones?

This raspberry meringue roulade is delectable, and there's plenty for seconds.

Or some cucumber radish nibbles?

For tea, let's be sure to have something English, like Twining's Earl Grey. Twining's also holds a royal warrant.

Crystal servers for sugar and milk (not cream and NEVER the powdered chemical stuff) for those who want it.

The best part of this tea table would be the conversation. How fun would that be!

Be sure to check out the links at Decor to Adore.