June – The Summer issue

Welcome to The Summer Issue of we-love-to-tea-party! We have got loads of events, projects and parties happening over the coming months, so we will be regularly updating over the coming weeks!

Eco-Vintage Photoshoot :...

 

What we love about ‘’Vintage’’ is that it does not have a set formula it’s all about expressing your own style, individual interpretation and above all experimenting and having fun!  We thought it would be great to get together some local wedding and event suppliers to our HQ in Devon and all showcase what we have to offer.

The theme of ''eco-wedding’’ came about from speaking to many brides over the past few months who are all pulling in the purse strings and who are using more eco-friendly and in turn purse friendly solutions for their big days.

 

The morning of June 1^st came and first to arrive were Hooe 'sYurts - a Devon based family run business who specialise in stunning round wooden tents based on a Mongolian nomadic design. The yurts come in various sizes from huge dining spaces to cosy snugs and it is possible to link yurts together creating an amazing space for a wedding reception for up to 200 guests. The yurts create a very special atmosphere and offer something really different from the traditional marquee. Amy from Hooe's Yurts is passionate about textiles and travels the world collecting items to lovingly decorate and furnish the yurts adding a real wow factor to the interiors. To compliment the reception venue Hooe's Yurts also offer exquisite honeymoon or guest bedroom yurts – which are simply chic and very romantic! Bedroom yurts are excellent for the bridal couple or special guests who want to stay at the wedding reception till dawn but also have a luxurious place to sleep. All the yurts can be well heated with traditional wood burners which make spring and autumn weddings a real possibility…needless to say we love them.

TETP Hire Parlour was raided for some of our beautiful early 1900’s vintage china. We opted for delicate patterns of summer roses and dainty floral patterns teamed with some darker, richer and bolder colours which worked well against the colourful and more tribal prints of the Yurt. We created simple place settings with dinner and tea plates in which a gorgeous tea cup and saucer was sat on. Instead of using the traditional favour and table centre pieces we used freshly cut and in season flowers placed into each cup – the effect was simply stunning.

Bold three tiered cake stands where used to showcase the homemade cakes from Tricky treats and homemade scones and sandwiches from TETP farmhouse kitchen (the team tucked into these during the day). TETP Hire Parlour also provided a selection of our finest Silver cutlery to finish off the table settings. We also used some gorgeous accessories from birdcages to pearls, Victorian tablecloths, Storm Lanterns and floral jugs.

TETP Out anf About
Last week was a busy week… Victoria went to Boutique 1 in Dubai to the launch of Lucy in Disguise – a vintage inspired fashion label by sisters Lily Allen and Sarah Owen – the collection is stunning and they have taken the best bits of vintage to make a modern day and wearable collection – we love it! Boutique 1 had put on a fabulous party feel to the event, yummy canapés, flowing drinks and music by Dubai's finest DJ Bliss…the guests were taken from a who's who in Dubai and all (of course) dressed in their finest regalia. 

Designers  and sisters Lily Allen and Sarah Owen

International stylists to the Stars and Guest Judge on Americas Next Top Model with Victoria Moy from TETP

Theresa Tsui, Dubai hot fashion video blogger, Victoria Moy, James Osman - hair stylist

The uber oool DJ Bliss

Clare and the City…
Clare is quickly becoming the IT girl of Dubai…her style is edgy and retro and her personality is somewhat effervescent, she hosted her first girls night out at The Address Dubai Marina….yummy cocktails where placed in our hands on arrival along with uber trendy moustaches on sticks, ladies than walked through the entrance of  floaty bubbles! Ladies could receive a relaxing message or others could tuck into the bucket loads of Lindt chocolate that were on every table, along with marshmallows and lollypops…for Victoria the choice was a no brainer…the chocolate won! Fashion bloggers, make up artists, hair stylists, businesswoman and socialites all mingled and had a very Clare and the City night...and of course all went home with a rather large goodie bag...as Clare would say we ''loves it'' !

Moustaches and ladies!!!!

Events...
The English Tea Party was really excited to be involved with the soft launch of My Ex Wardrobe- a portal for selling pre-loved clothes in Dubai. A really fabulous concept by three sisters all of whom have that entrepreneurial flair. The soft launch saw around 50 invite only ladies browsing through rails and rails of clothes from Zara to Chanel. Guests snacked on cucumber sandwiches, Victoria sponge slices and uber cool lemon cake pops from the Kitchens of Lilybakes. Tea, coffee and pink lemonade was served in our fashionably gorgeous vintage tea cups! The team had also provided a make up artist and stylist to keep the ladies occupied inbetween fitting room dashes! Great day!

Alice Temperley & Elemis

Off TETP went to Alice Temperley in the Dubai Mall for the launch of the ''Temperley for Elemis Traveller Safari set'' in aid of Mothers4children charity. It was obvious that it has been a busy social week as the best of Dubai's fashionistas and bloggers were all tucked up in bed. Even with attendence  low the quality was at its highest! TETP went along to the event with Sian from My Ex Wardobe, Carrie from La Belle Epoque Jewels and Dubai's elite fashion blogger Lisa Strannesten... we oogled at the beautiful fairy tale dresses, we munched on red velvet cake pops and relaxed with dreamy hand massages from Elemis! I think we should be in the running from a little Temperley gift??

Cakes for the shoot were supplied by Tricky Treats who are a fresh young Bournemouth based company that creates alternative cakes and desserts for private and commercial clients. They take great pride in using locally sourced raw ingredients, such as Oakdene Farm's Free-range eggs, from Verwood, and Cann Mill's Organic Flour, from Shaftesbury. All Tricky Treats products are free from artificial colourings and only use time honoured preservatives....mmmmm we love!

We were delighted to have Claire Sloane as our photographer for the shoot; Claire is based in the coastal town of Exmouth and took some really fabulous shots of the day. Claire is passionate about her work and the people she photographs. When Claire takes a picture she wants your personality to shine through in the images. Her photography sessions are all about you – her client:  your children, your pets, your life, and your moments. Claire’s shoots can be in the studio, or on location – like we had.  Above all her motto is to have fun together, get creative, and come away with images you will love….and the result yes we love them!

We were also delighted to be joined by the wonderfully fresh and chic Marry Me team. A web based company whose sites are your dedicated source to all things Wedding in Somerset and Devon from stunning, unique & quirly Venues to quality reputable Suppliers! Marry Me in a Flash is dedicated to professional UK Wedding Photographers and Videographers. They also have a fantastic forum for Wedding chat, help, advice, ideas and great discounts/offers exclusive to Marry Me - best of all it focuses on the Westcountry...we heart!

Credits:

A HUGE thank you goes out to all our suppliers who very generously provided all of the photography, food, flowers, props and styling for the shoot. It couldn’t have been achieved without them and they made it so much fun!

Production: Nat Haydon at The English Tea Party
Yurt: Amy at Hooe’s Yurts www.hooesyurts.co.uk
Photography: Claire at Claire Sloane Photography

Venue: TETP HQ UK

Vintage crockery: The English Tea Party www.theenglishteaparty.co.uk
Accessories and Props:The English Tea Party

Flowers: From the garden - Rosemary, Mint, Sage, Thyme, Chives, Purple Sage, Peonies, Rose, Lupins, Lavender, Pink Elderflower & Rhododendrons

Cakes: Lisa from Tricky Treats www.trickytreats.co.uk

Lisa made miniature Carrot cake filled with cream cheese frosting and topped with Butter cream Roses (made from natural colourings using turmeric and strawberries). The large top cake was also a carrot cake filled with Cream Cheese and covered in Royal Icing.

Media: Marry Me

and now for some more fabulous photos....

May/June - The Spring Issue

Welcome to the May/June issue of we-love-to-tea-party and we have just so much to write about....now we have to start we the wedding of the Centuary; The marrage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and WOW what a truly special day that was. The Dress, the dress, the dress, we loved it, the Duchess channelled Grace kelly through the wonders of Sarah Burton at McQueen. naturally we loved the vintage inspiration and the wonderful British carftsmanship, she looked elegnat, regal, graeful and simply stunning. The English Tea Party wish the newlyweds a wonderful, long and happy life together.

The English Tea Party offered a Right Royal wedding Tea Party package and we SOLD OUT!! It was wnderful to see so many host their own tea parties to celebrate this wonderful occassion and using beautiful British crockery to do so!

On the Cakestand this month...
This month we are really excited to have been able to grab a cuppa (in a vintage teacup of course)! and an interview with the founders behind SolidariTea Arabia, Kellie Whitehead and Theresa Tsui, aka Mrs Pot and Mrs T...

 

How did you come up with the concept of SolidariTea?

K: SolidariTEA Arabia is the result of a very late night conversation between us both. The seed and input comes from Theresa and Theresa only  (Theresa: *blush* *blush* *blush* not true!) – as she learned about the UK concept via her daughter having worked on something at school. As my mamavents business works in bringing women together holistically online and off, the ‘events’ part of the logistics, the contacts etc was already in place – Dubai is already as multicultural as they come, and it seemed a perfect fit – I’ll let Theresa tell you all about the concept itself…

T:  My 15 year old daughter was involved in the organisation of her school SolidariTea which took place at the beginning of 2011.  Pupils from all year groups came together over iced tea and cupcakes – there are very few occasions at school when *ALL* the pupils are able to congregate socially for no other reason than getting to know one another.  The event was a success and she thought that the SolidariTea concept would be a novel way of bringing a community together but was concerned that such a simple yet powerful way to raise awareness would just pass by the UAE/Middle East where meeting over tea is an integral part of the culture of this region even suggesting I host one at home and open the invitation to all.  At the beginning it was overwhelming; I didn’t know where to start and *that* fateful   ‘Late Night Conversation’ took place.  Kellie thought it was something that could be done regularly to keep the momentum and with the support of Mamavents; SolidariTea Arabia was born.  4 weeks later, we launched SolidariTea Arabia and 45 women came together.

How does it work and how can people get involved?

K: It’s *really* simple – or I think it is J We will hold  Bi-monthly events at nice venues for get-togethers over tea, of course, and breakfast/cake etc – we will choose a local charity each time, and all event proceeds go to the chosen charity, we’ll offer prizes and goody bags, and every attendee will go home feeling that the have enjoyed a fabulous morning of social banter, great refreshments, and all for a  good cause, making new friends  - learning a little and laughing a lot! Anyone can attend these ticketed events that we market via our database and social media – www.facebook.com/solidaritea www.facebook.com/mamavents and twitter @loveteauae. The real community part is that people can hold their very own, in as simple, or as extravagant a way as they see fit.

T:  As Kellie said – it is really is a very simple concept.  Aside from our bi-monthly big tea we want to encourage women in the community to host their own.  Using the concept of SolidariTea, a gathering can be as small or large as you wish. It can be with a few friends coming together or a large afternoon high tea with an open invitation to the wider community. Anyone is welcome to participate or host their own.  Creating awareness is hugely important and there are so many different ways in which you can help a cause and it does not have to be monetary.   Our first community SolidariTea was a request from the Palestinian Childrens Relief Fund who asked supporters to donate soft toys for the ‘Teddies for Gaza’ initiative.  Fundraising can be as simple passing around a collection jar, suggesting a donation for attending the tea or as creative as selling cakes, handmade cards or jewellery.  The beauty of the SolidariTea campaign is that it is NOT affiliated to any particular cause, country, religion or political organisations.

What do you hope SolidariTea will achieve?

K: Well, as well as the ‘obvious’ elements of having a nice time and raising monies for charity, we hope to stay true to the original concept of multi-culture/faith – mamavents has always had a multi-national fanbase, but we want to work harder at maintaining this and building up a connection with Emirati women in particular as many expats express a desire to socialise and get to know local ladies better. We also really want to give a platform to the causes that might not get as much exposure as others , and staying true to the UN development goals wherever possible

T:  In the short term I hope that the community will adopt SolidariTea as a basis of meeting and strengthening ties between women and the wider community through the medium of tea.  The launch was a perfect example of women from many different cultures/religions/nationalities coming together.  Going forward I’d like to see the concept of SolidariTea growing organically, helping to shape the community and inspire others to keep the momentum going and persist in creating awareness for charities which come under the umbrella of the 8 Millennium Development Goals where possible.  Some of the charitable organisations which seek support fall under this umbrella are *right here* on our doorstep and need *your* help.   As Kellie said – we are providing these causes a platform to connect to supporters in the region.   Going forward I hope that SolidariTEA will be a forum which helps grow multi-faith understanding and co-operation, helping to build better solidarity in our local community and globally between people. 

Is it only possible to host a SolidariTea event in the UK or is it available elsewhere?

K: There is one happening in Florida as we speak! We *urge* people to hold them anywhere, for any reason, in any venue with as few or as many attendees as you wish. We will lend all the support we can – from providing delicious Numi Organic Tea to goodies and giveaways, to promotion if a public event and more…

T:  Many communities the world over have enjoyed SolidariTea to date and we can help you to host one of your own in Dubai, UAE or wherever you happen to be. Getting together over tea is such an accessible medium – the only ingredients you need is a venue and people! It can be as simple or as fancy as you like and wherever you like!  If you’d like to step up and host your own we’re on hand to suggest how the event can be organised; from which cause you might like to help to suggestions on how to create an event; to creative ways of raising awareness and how to invite the community to your SolidariTea.  Where possible we will also come and join in the fun! 

I see you are hosting a BeauTea event soon…tell us more?

K: We have always planned variations on the SolidariTea theme in order to keep the events and the brand itself ‘fresh’  - we plan SolidariTEANS to engage young people, MarTEAni evenings, where the ‘tea’ may be a bit stronger and so on – BeauTEA was always in the plan and came about organically when an associate  - ‘Sugaholic’ needed to raise funds to  continue their sponsorship of the education of an underprivileged child. They are currently selling their cakes for the cause and we wanted to help too. We are having an ‘intimate’ event on May 16^th at an exclusive medispa www.biolitedubai.com where attendees will enjoy makeovers and demonstrations; of course, delicious organic tea and cake, and all proceeds will go to help Anjali. A limited number of places are available at AED 125 per person and must be reserved by emailing info@mamavents.com

T: After the launch of SolidariTea we started to think of different ways to spread the word whilst keeping in line with the message of SolidariTea.  The beauty (excuse the pun!) of the word ‘Tea’ is that is so versatile and words can be manipulated to include it.  We had lots of fun coming up with the various different events.  BeauTea is our first non-tea party style event and we will get to know celebrity skin guru Dr Mona Mirza and get the low-down on non-invasive surgery and aesthetic surgery.  Pampering and taking care of our appearance is massive in the Middle East and  something which most women have an interest in!  And best of all – we get support Sugaholic.  Cake for a cause who can resist?!

We at The English Tea Party in Dubai wholly support the work of SolidariTea and think its a fantastic concept...we are looking forward to the next one on June 14th at The Ritz Carlton DIFC....well done ladies! xx

TETP HQ UK...
We are busy planning our Eco-Vintage themed photoshoot using local suppliers and products to showcase how you can recreate a vintage theme to your wedding or event - whilst being eco aware and not blowing the budget....we will keep you posted...or follow us on FB to see how we get on!

In the Press...
Its been a busy old month; however we were very excited to be invited to do an interview with our favourite wedding magazine: Martha Stewart Weddings Middle East...here are some sneaky pics from behind the scenes on location in our fave Vintage store Bambah www.bambah.com !...