BrendaTX...

What fun. With 50 or 60 ladies, you probably will need to keep it simple so the details will be the key to success. Will the ladies be served seated, or is it serving line style? You can elevate the food to mimic the trivets used in a real tea room. Just put boxes or containers under a large cloth or gingham sheet or quilt.

How about making sweet sandwiches from tea bread sliced horizontally, filled with flavored cream cheese (date, nuts, strawberry, apricot, etc.) If you freeze the bread slightly before slicing it is a snap. Also mini tarts filled with lemon curd or pecan tassies. Truffles are wonderful for just that needed bite of chocolate. Scones are good, but tend to be a bit large. Do you have a good teacake recipe?

A really pretty way to serve cucumber sandwiches is on a single round of bread spread with the filling and then a slice of cherry tomato and sprig of dill on top. Egg or cream cheese and olive are traditional sandwiches. Also pinwheels and checkerboard. Swiss cheese cream puffs filled with chicken or ham salad are great.

Pansies and fresh fruit on the serving trays perk up the even the plainest foods. Nosegays or teacups filled with violets or daisies on the tables are pretty and inexpensive. Put some old hats, stoles, and gloves on some of the chairs and watch the fun as the ladies act like little girls again.

A good fruited iced tea is a good cold drink alternative to the hot tea and coffee.

Gee, this is fun. Can I come, too?