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| Before the tea with Andrea and the lovely tea trays |
How much fun should a guest speaker have when
presenting at an afternoon tea affair?
That’s somewhat of a rhetorical question, but I found
myself having a tremendously good time two weeks ago in Lansing, presenting at a
tea luncheon to a group of ladies who were part of a large convention of a major
fraternal organization. Held in the lovely Crowne Plaza in our state’s
capital, the banquet room was already primed for a fancy occasion with rich
carpeting, chandeliers and starched linens. What amazed me more, however, was
the commitment to the afternoon tea theme beautifully executed by Andrea
Troutman, organizer and lady-in-charge of the
event.
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| Crowne Plaza Hotel in Lansing sets the stage for high-end afternoon tea |
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| Table set with tea tray that had many claims |
The good times started immediately when two of the
ladies assisting in the set-up, and later to be attendees at the luncheon, told me the centerpieces were
going to be raffled off and they had already designated the one they wanted.
They were in a lively debate as to who should receive it, but, even as a “guest”
speaker, I was told with good-natured warning, not to even think about taking
that one home. Ah, yes, the (white)
gloves were off and I knew this was going to be one fun
group.
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| Tablescapes with beautiful tea cups and tasty goodies |
Lunch and conversation were delightful and soon I was
invited up to the podium to discuss the history and etiquette of tea, the latter
of which included the dreaded “tea faux pas” that tea drinkers will want to
avoid at all costs! Although I did not police the room during the tea, several
guests offered up confessions. The penalty is remedied by a good dose of
laughter, which this group easily
dispensed.
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| Program featuring Barb's TEA Shop |
After a raffle of the Elmwood Inn’s series of “Tea in
the City” books, concluding remarks and short meet-and-greet before leaving,
Andrea did present me with a tea tray to take home. I had my choice of three
pretty, but very different, trays and I picked the little black teapot that was
inscribed with an adorable paraphrasing of a famous English saying. This teapot
displays the words, “Keep Calm and drink Tea”. It was such a fun teapot. It
reminded me of the group I was with and thought it would be a great keepsake of
the event.
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| Assortment of pretty tea cups filled with goodies and wrapped in a bow |
The most incredible part, though, was learning that
Andrea had made all these tea trays herself. A year’s worth of scouring vintage
shops and estate sales had paid off big-time in these one-of-a-kind serving
pieces. It was like seeing a Pinterest page come alive. I left the tea luncheon not only with a smile
on my face, but a year’s worth of inspiration to motivate me on all my various
tea projects.
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| Tea trays provide inspiration and motivation |
A great time with the ladies group in Lansing with words to the wise: have fun and "keep calm and drink tea".
