With 4.7 stars across 75 reviews on Google, Aimee Provence is setting the standard for Sunshine Coast high tea venues. However, it’s not just their traditional British high teas that are bringing people from far and wide to their Buderim parlour.
Aimee Provence High Tea Parlour has become the hotspot for baby and bridal showers, birthday parties and even wedding receptions on the Sunshine Coast. The stunning views from the parlour atop of Buderim mountain, the gorgeously decorated parlour and the homemade scones, jams, clotted cream, cakes, ribbon sandwiches and other treats are a unique way to bring people together.
We had a chat with the owner of Aimee Provence, Aimee Russell, about planning a high tea party to mark a special occasion. She shared her tips, tricks and some ideas for the most popular events she sees at her own parlour.
11 Events Ideal for a Sunshine Coast High Tea Party
1. Baby showers.
Baby showers celebrate the approaching arrival of a baby into the world and a woman’s journey to becoming a mother. The occasion is normally marked with gifts to the parents-to-be (showering of gifts, if you will), baby-themed games, delicious treats and time spent with friends and family.
However, many people are steering away from the traditional gaudy games and choosing a more elegant, stress-free option—such as a high tea baby shower.
“We’ve had expecting mothers tell us they love simply being able to turn up on the day of their shower and not have to lift a finger,” Aimee told us.
“Some hosts bring a few personal decorations, but our modern-French-Provincial-style décor makes for stunning photos. Plus, they don’t have to organise catering or clean up.”
If you do want to play a few baby-themed games, there are always the ones to leave a lasting memory. A good baby shower game is to give each guest a nappy to write their own parenting tip, a quote, joke or anything they’d like you to read during those late-night changes.
2. Gender reveals.
A gender reveal is a fun way to announce your baby’s gender to yourselves, family and friends. Many parents-to-be have begun to live stream the moment of truth so they can share the excitement with those who can’t be there on the day.
Like the baby shower, hosting a gender reveal high tea means not organising catering, you’ll have staff to wait on you and your guests AND you won’t need to clean up at the end. There is also the addition of the unique gender reveal tea ceremony available at Aimee Provence High Tea Parlour.
“When the time comes to announce the gender of the baby, one of the parents or our servers will pour from a teapot into a cup,” Aimee explained.
“The colour of the tea will reveal if the baby is a boy or a girl. It’s a really special moment and the photos are always so precious.”
For a finishing touch, you can ask guests to wear either pink or blue to share what they think the gender reveal will announce.
3. Birthday parties.
Is it even your birthday if there is no cake? And you know what’s better than one cake? Lots of little snacked-sized sweet treats served to you on silver towers during a high tea birthday party.
Planning birthday celebrations can be tricky. Most people will end up with a family meal and a separate party or evening with their friends. A high tea birthday party lets you gather all the people you love in one room, be waited upon like royalty AND the chance to dress up in your finest.
It gets even better. Aimee Provence High Tea Parlour caters for all dietary needs and appetites, with petite, luxe, gluten-free, vegan and crème de la crème menus. You can also add champagne to your menu or tea-infused cocktails for that extra special finishing touch.
4. Bridal showers.
The bridal shower tradition began when dowry was the to-do thing, but the bride’s family were either too poor to give gifts or did not approve of the marriage. In Victorian times, giving gifts to the bride was a way of wishing her and her marriage well. Today, the tradition continues, giving the bride a chance to have a relaxing party with her friends and family before the wedding.
However, it tends not to be as relaxing as it is in theory. There is the planning, location scouting, catering (or having to home cook everything), supplying drinks, organising activities and then there is the serving and clean up on the day. The alternative is hosting a Sunshine Coast high tea bridal shower experience.
“Planning a wedding is stressful enough without adding all the organisation for a bridal shower,” Aimee said on the topic.
“When it came to our packages, we wanted to include the option of tea-infused cocktails, bubbles, tea, catering, flower crown making—whatever they want, we can pretty much do.”
5. Hen’s parties.
Are boozy nights out full of debauchery not really your thing? You’re not alone.
Many brides-to-be are opting for a relaxing spa day or a high tea experience over traditional nights of who knows what. And just because you’re hosting your hen’s party at a Buderim high tea parlour, it doesn’t mean you’re without that glass of champagne or fun activities.
Remember the flower crown making Aimee mentioned above? Well, imagine your entire bridal party making their own floral arrangement head pieces for the wedding! You can use real-look silk flowers to create the hair features, which can even be in-place of floral bouquets for your bridesmaids. Double win!
6. Wedding receptions.
Intimate wedding venues can be hard to come by, especially on short notice. Add in needing to find decorations, catering, floral arrangements and the like, and you’re in for some stressful wedding planning. A high tea parlour, like Aimee Provence, can provide everything you need in one neat package. All you need to do is send out the invitations, find your wedding dress and arrange your ceremony.
Aimee Provence provides an intimate wedding venue on the Sunshine Coast, with stunning views, classy décor and delicious food and drinks. The staff will be there to enhance your experience, serve you freshly baked and made sweet and savoury dishes, champagne, cocktails, tea or coffee and be there to ensure your day goes smoothly.
7. Galentine’s Day.
It’s Valentine’s Day for the gals! As adults, it can be hard to balance work, life, family and a social life. Galentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to get dressed up, gather your girlfriends and head to Buderim for a high tea experience.
A stylish setting, like Aimee Provence High Tea Parlour on the Sunshine Coast, provides the perfect backdrop for some updated photos. Pose in front of the beautiful views over the coast, with fine tea cups or ask to have a photographer snap some candids of your catch-up.
8. Mother’s Day.
Our mothers brought us into this world, raised us and influenced the people we are today. Mother’s Day is a reminder to us all to appreciate our dear mums and show we care. If your mum is like a lot of ours at the Localsearch office, she’ll love a good quality cup of tea. See where we’re going with this?
Give your mum a day to rest her feet and take her to a Sunshine Coast high tea parlour! She’ll love the thought put into the morning or afternoon tea, getting to dress up and, of course, spend some time with you (and perhaps your siblings too).
Aimee Provence hosts Mother’s Day high teas in Buderim every year, so keep an eye on their social media accounts for more information leading up to the second Sunday of May.
9. A princess party.
You may have heard of a little something called a Victoria Sponge Cake. This cake dates back to Queen Victoria herself who would enjoy a light cake with buttercream and fresh raspberries during her afternoon tea. To this day, the royal family still partake in tea time between 4:00pm and 5:00pm each day. So, what better theme for a princess party than a high tea?
The little tea cakes and ribbon sandwiches are perfect for child-sized hands and there are many flavours of tea to suit different tastebuds. As for activities, every princess must have a crown, so decorating toy tiaras or flower crowns, even threading beaded necklaces, may be suitable, depending on the age.
10. Melbourne Cup.
Looking for a classier way to watch the Melbourne Cup Race? Gather the usual gang for a Sunshine Coast high tea experience!
Gentlemen, don your suits and ladies, preen your fascinators as a high tea Melbourne Cup is as glamorous as being on the fields. You’ll still be able to sip on champagne or a delicious tea-infused cocktail while watching the race, while being free from crowds and queues at the bar.
Keep an eye on the Aimee Provence Facebook page leading up to November for more information.
11. Actually, any reason will do!
If royalty can enjoy afternoon tea every day, then so can you. Go solo, with some friends or family, organise a client meeting or as a team-bonding session getting to know the people you work with.
Aimee’s Top Tips for Planning a Sunshine Coast High Tea Event
Dress to impress.
High tea is a time to dress up—think halfway between cocktail and smart casual. If you’re hosting a particular event, you may wish to even set a theme, such as Ladies in Pearls, Spring Fling, Gender Reveal, etc.
Brush up on your high tea etiquette.
“The elegant setting of high tea can be intimidating for many first timers,” Aimee advised.
“It often surprises people when they find out some of the traditional etiquette, such as not having your pinkies out when you sip tea! But really, as long as your respecting those around you, there really isn’t anything to be too concerned with.”
However, Aimee has provided us with her top tips for following traditional high tea practices:
- Place your napkin on your knee before beginning tea time.
- Ribbon sandwiches should be eaten with fingers and sweet treats with a petit fork.
- Scones should be gently broken open using your fingers, not a knife.
- Tea should be stirred by moving your spoon gently back and forth without clinking the side.
- Proper etiquette says pinkies should be tucked in, and the cup handle should be held with the thumb and index.
- Unless you’re posting on social media, keep your phone on silent and tucked away.
Remember to take photos.
Give yourself memories of your Sunshine Coast high tea experience! Ask your server to snap a photo of you and your group, or even hire a photographer if it is a special event.
Learn more about Aimee Provence High Tea Parlour in Buderim on Localsearch.