Can I wear a formal big wedding dress to an afternoon ceremony and reception?

Great idea. I read about a bridesmaids luncheon where the bride picked out and had made each one a custom hat. So cute, but I'm sure not cheap.

I also saw one where the Mom collected over time all kinds of blue and white china to set the table with. Nothing quite matched, and the table with the napkins and cloth and decorations was smashing. I'm sure it was made a gift to the bride.

Do be careful with the hats, we don't want to infect anyone with any little buggies. Think about buying some inexpensive straw hats that are new, and decorating them. Some bowler hats, or one like Burt wore in Mary Poppins, both sexes wore those about the turn of the century.

And it would be fun to include the guys. Research the cloche hat from the 1920, and do some about the 1940-50. Mom had one that was just some braided twisted material with stiffening in it that went from her ear to the other, and had some net artfully arranged.

It was bigger than a headband, but not by much. And do tell the ladies what you will be doing. I would be a little upset if I went to the beauty shop and spent big bucks on my hair, only to find that you wanted to put a hat on my head.

Invite people to wear their own English tea hat. And I agree with the others, as long as people know that they are getting sandwiches and snacks and tea, and that the time of the tea is during regular tea time and not a substitute for supper it will be fine. Be sure and have a cute little dessert.

Buy some of those small cupcake papers, and put two small cookies, or a bar cookie in themlemon would be perfect. Consider serving petit fours. They are a little labor intensive, but so cute and pretty.

Serve them on tiered serving plates if you can find one cheap or borrowed. Rivers collects bone china tea cups, and you do not want to be paying that kind of price for them. I would haunt the Goodwill and the Salvation army and other such stores.

These are easier to find at Mother's day and Valentines day. Www.he-and-she.com/cheap-tea-cups.html can purchase tea cups from them in bulk, I figured the mixed patterns, minimum order seemed to be 24, were $4.95 each. I would check places like Dollar General and Big lots, and some local not a chain general store.

Some antique sellers might have some. Also try restaurant sales, they might have something. Consider giving the cup to the ladies as a present.

Wash them up after the tea, buy some tulle and some stiff ribbon like the picture on the website I gave you. Maybe the guys could keep their hats. Those hats are very popular at conventions, perhaps someone will hav them cheap.

Try Oriental Trader. Me personally, I love tea, and would enjoy having a tea. I don't drink much alcohol, and never out in public, so that would be refreshing for me.

I would be sure and have something else for folks who do not like tea, and be ready to switch to iced tea if the day will be hot. As long as yo took care of my decidedly American tea palate, and had one plain old Lipton type to choose, I would be fine.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.