Hosting a Virtual Tea Party with Tea Cloud

Post Update April 2020: Tea Cloud Social has since updated their website information and is now shipping their beautiful tea boxes via Etsy. I’ve updated the links below. With everything going on hosting one of these virtual parties is a perfect idea to bond with the loved ones you miss seeing in person!

If you’re like me, getting all of your best girlfriends together in one space is almost impossible. We live in different cities and have crazy schedules so we don’t get to meet too often. This is where Tea Cloud and their virtual tea parties can help!

My friend Jen from Girl Meets Party introduced me to the founders of Tea Cloud (Bonnie and Christina) who also happen to be sisters! They have made a small business out of a beloved family tradition of hosting tea parties and added a modern virtual twist, that lets folks near and far join in. So what is a virtual tea party and how can you host one? Read one to find out!

What is a virtual tea party?

Here is a little excerpt about the family tradition that inspired Bonnie & Christina:

When our mother, Ellen, was engaged to be married in Chicago, Aunt Florence knew she would not be able to celebrate with her, so she prepared gift boxes of tea and goodies and sent one to all the ladies of the family around the country. Each box was beautifully wrapped with instructions enclosed for all to sip and nibble together at a designated date and time in honor of the bride. We have always loved that story, and we wanted to bring that tradition to life once again.
– Tea Cloud

How to host a party

Schedule a date and time that work for your tea party attendees.
Gather address info from virtual attendees.
Order tea sets from Tea Cloud. For your guests who are virtual you can easily provide their addresses on the website during the order process, and the boxes will get there safely. We used their Ephemeral Tea Gift Set and it was stunning! More details on that below.
Coordinate tech logistics before hand with your virtual attendees. We used Apple’s group Facetime to connect virtually and it worked seamlessly. I recommend setting it up on a laptop since the audio and screen size make for a better experience. You can also use Skype or Google Hangouts.
On the day of the event purchase some flowers and small treats to add to the party ambiance. I made my popular and easy No Bake Mini Tarts and they were a hit!

What’s included in the boxes?

I was super impressed with the quality of the Ephemeral Tea Gift Set. It comes in a gorgeous ribbon tied box that smells of fresh wood. Inside are:

Tea Cloud signature tea
Faceted rock tea cup
Plant dyed napkin
Tea round spoon
Stainless steel infuser

Everything is put together with a hand-crafted touch.

How does the balance between virtual and in person attendees work?

This was the part of the tea party that I was most unsure of. I was nervous those on camera would feel left out or it would make the conversations awkward, but it was so natural! Everyone was just excited to be able to see each other and connect that the conversation and fun flowed seamlessly. The tea boxes gave us something to open together and further connected us since we were able to say how much we like the tea, and the beautiful contents of the tea boxes. Even my husband Ted joined in half way through to talk with everyone.

So that’s how its done! I seriously could not recommend this idea enough. In this busy world it’s so hard to get everyone in the same place so me and my friends will go months without getting together. But with Tea Cloud that’s no longer a problem and their gorgeous boxes helped bring us together for a wonderful afternoon!