4th Annual Nutcracker Tea Party

The magic of our annual Nutcracker Tea Party with Ballet Wichita always seems to come to life every holiday season. It is one of my favorite events and I always love seeing how the children interact with the ballet dancers. It was extra special for me personally because my daughter was able to attend and interact this year - once she found a little courage to jump in on the fun. Thank you to the wonderful Sally Cavanaugh for capturing the event!

Table settings were Nutcracker perfection thanks to a new line we decided to carry this holiday season - they introduced this holiday collection and it was perfect for the occasion. Ended up selling out quickly in the shop as well. I loved that the colors on the plates let you take it in a traditional or dreamy color scheme. We decided with the table to have fun with a traditional Christmas look. For head accessory, we decided to keep everyone happy this year and do all tiaras except for the extra place settings we put the extra nutcracker hats we had (they are just so cute!).

Decor was pretty easy to put together because we let the tableware be the main focus. For the holidays, I love mixing flowers with evergreen. I had some nutcracker picks from a craft store last year I added to keep the theme. The Rifle Paper Co. holiday greens paper was a fun touch and we did festive confetti in between. This year we opted for one long party table because it's best to give the dancers plenty of room. Our main statement pieces were the fun balloon wreaths. We had one hanging in the back and then a giant one for the backdrop - that pink bow is a fav! The ballet slippers we had, so decided to add for a ballet element.

At children's events, I like to keep the food fairly simple. Of course September Moon cupcakes are always a favorite (and the only way I could get a picture of my child with the dancers)! Since it was brunch time, we picked up Chick-fil-a mini chicken biscuits, I set out mini pastries and made a green grape wreath with raspberries - easy and usual way I serve fruit at this event.

Photo credit: Sally Cavanaugh

The Ballet Wichita dancers did an amazing job this year, as always. They performed for the children, showed them ballet techniques, moves and more! The way they try to make each child feel special is heart warming. The Sugar Plum Fairy did flutter spins with so many little girls - they thought it was magic. Clara, took the time to make the shy girls feel special and brave enough to join in. The Nutcracker helped teach them tricks to avoid dizziness while spinning and the Rat King taught them good fighting moves. They make the event so special for our party guests! Plus, they are able to share the wonderful story of the Nutcracker with them! This year we also added a simple craft, so kids could space out their time with the dancers and let others take turns.

Thank you so very much to Ballet Wichita for being apart of this event every year. It truly means the world to us and our customers. Shout out to the LOC team for helping pull this event together in the midst of holiday craziness - Emily and I had fun setting up one evening after finishing 2 events, while waiting for a 3rd to finish. It was a busy December to say the least ha!

Lots of Love & Happy New Year!

3rd Annual Nutcracker Tea Party

For the past few years we have held an annual tea party with the Nutcracker dancers from Ballet Wichita. We were excited to welcome them back again this year! Around twenty littles got together for a morning of treats, dancing and fun. Their faces light up as they walk in to mingle with the dancers that arrive, and we have loved keeping this tradition alive. Special thanks to my talented friend Jill for capturing the event.

The nutcracker supplies that we got in this season have beautiful tones of pinks and blues, so we ran with those colors for the look. We picked a couple fun holographic and oil slick plates to add some dimension to the table, and mixed them with a pretty blush pink. Each guest received a Nutcracker hat or Sugar Plum fairy tiara to wear. Those are a fun way to add a pop of color to the table. I worked with a shop favorite, Avery & Grey, again this year for the party favors - glitter snap clips (when we have had boys attend in the past, we usually do a mini nutcracker for their favor in case you need an idea!). We always like to have fun with our backdrop for this event, and this year was no exception. In perfect timing, Creative Heart Studio posted a nutcracker balloon mosaic template on her website  last week. We had never attempted one of her fun designs, but thought this would be the perfect one to start with. It was a lot of work, but thanks to shop girl, Emily, we had it created just in time for the party to start! The pink nutcracker was a hit and kids loved how whimsical he looked.

Food wise, I kept it rather simple and tried to stick with a morning tea theme. I happily hired my talented sweet go to girls: cookies by Sweet Sugarlicious and cupcakes by September Moon Cupcakery. They did not disappoint - all the littles were excited with their pretty desserts. I picked up some mini cinnamon rolls, muffins and scones, as well as some fruit. The fruit I laid out to look like Christmas wreaths for a fun touch.

The dancers from Ballet Wichita always do such a wonderful job! This year, they sent the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara in her nightgown, a rat and the Nutcracker. The danced with the children, smiled for pictures, and performed the Sugar Plum dance. The kids were in awe and loved dancing along (if they weren't being shy). I always love seeing the littles that are excited to show off the dance moves they know. We cannot thank them enough for coming and performing for our tea party! I highly recommend snagging some tickets for this year's Nutcracker. They have a new artistic director and he is putting together a beautiful, traditional Nutcracker with a touch of magic!

Thank you to everyone that attended our event this year! We had so much fun putting it together for you, and look forward to continuing this tradition in the future.

Shop this post: Nutcracker Hat Set | Nutcracker Cupcake Kit | Shining Star Plates | Oil Slick Small Plates | Pink Small Plates | Pink Napkins | Pink Chargers | Avery & Grey Snap Clips - Find in store or contact us | Balloons - Contact us to order

Lots of Love,