what is a kitchen tea?

[allycat06]

Please forgive my ignorance My wedding celebrations were far from traditional...I just received an invitation to a friend's hens night and kitchen tea the next day.
What is the meaning behind them exactly? Is it the same as a bridal shower?

[feeb]

My understanding is!

That hens night is a dinner followed by night out, or drinking, dancing, entertainment, winnery tour, weekend away, pamper day etc what ever bride wants.

Kitchen tea is similar to a baby shower only people bring a kitchen gift and sit around eating cakes and sandwiches etc.

I personally only had a hens night.

Hope that helps a bit

[Pandora]

A kitchen tea is a bridal shower.
IMO you have a hens night or a kitchen tea though - it seems lately people are having both.

[OceanPrincess]

You know about the hen's night right? Its the kitchen tea/bridal shower you're asking about?

A bridal shower is similar to a hen's night but generally held during the day and older female relatives/friends attend, whereas the hen's is the younger things chance to party! A bridal shower you bring a gift for the bride, they have more conservative games and stuff, etc.

A kitchen tea is similar to a shower, as in during the day and for older females to attend, but differs because its supposed to be for "kitchen" type gifts.

Back in the day when the woman would leave her parental home to live with hubby post-wedding, it was assumed they would have nothing to set up their kitchen. So a kitchen tea is a chance for the guests to buy something for the bride for the kitchen. That's my understanding anyway!

I had a kitchen tea but we themed it as a recipe book kitchen tea, as I was already out of home. So I received gifts of recipe books!

[OceanPrincess]

Can I just add that I had both but had completely different guests at the two things - my friends came to my hen's night and my aunts, grandma, cousins and mum's friends came to the kitchen tea.

That's why I had both!

[allycat06]

Oh I see...thanks
So a ladylike kitchen tea is probably what they had before trashy hen's nights were invented?
Gosh its a bit much having both...this is going to be an expensive wedding. There is a registry for the kitchen tea too...far out!

[OceanPrincess]

Gosh its a bit much having both...this is going to be an expensive wedding. There is a registry for the kitchen tea too...far out!

Yeah it sounds like it might be!! That's why I didn't have people at both events for mine, and also I didn't get any gifts at my hen's - people paid for their dinner, that was enough for me!

I've heard of people doing registries for the kitchen tea - that is a bit excessive in my opinion! Which shop is it??

[allycat06]

A week before the wedding I had people over for dinner and drinks and all the ladies got their hands henna'd so I guess I did have a kitchen tea of sorts without even knowing it!

[Pandora]

OP that makes sense when it's for different guests.

[allycat06]

The registry is at House...so yeah not overly cheap. Their bridal registry is at DJ's which I had a sticky beak at the other day...there was a $1000 vacuum cleaner, Kitchen Aid and $600 knife block on there. I think we'll be giving them cash

Lovely couple but not short of a buck by any means!

[Astrid]

Back in the 80's my brothers fiancé had 4 teas! There were a couple of kitchen ones, a laundry one and another one. Way over the top!

[smiles4u]

The registry is at House...so yeah not overly cheap.

OMG do you mean there is a registry for the kitchen tea

... please tell me i have that wrong !!

[allycat06]

yup smiles registry for the kitchen tea.
Lol Astrid sounds like she needed to furnish every room in the house..how cheeky!

[OceanPrincess]

OMH a registry at house!!!!!

We put a few "big ticket" items on our wedding registry, with the idea being if a group wanted to buy us something big, the option was there. So our church small group bought us coffee machine which worked out well as when we had DD we moved the meeting place to our house so now they get to enjoy it

But a KT registry at House?? Waaaay OTT! The last kitchen tea I went to was a proper one and I bought a peeler and a jar of basil!

I've heard of Tupperware KTs as well.. that's a good idea, the guests can either buy the bride something from the catalogue (which can be exxy) or they can contribute some cash into a little gift chest and at the end the bride spends the cash. So it can keep the cost down for guests that can't afford to buy a hundred dollar rock n serve set!

But House... flabbergasted here! GL with that one Allycat!

[smiles4u]

yup smiles registry for the kitchen tea.

OMG no wonder this society is going broke ... and this is for only one couple for there was probably the engagement gift not to mention might have paid for your own dinner at a restaurant, then the hen's night, kitchen tea ... and that's not even the Wedding yet where you buy a gift or better still put a heap of money into a wishing well (which you need the ca$h up front) ... and oh too bad if you need a new dress & heels

Geez, what happen to the days when people took into consideration that no one is rich and was simply happy that you came at all and not fuss where the gift was purchased from and what was spent on it ... farr outt i must be old-fashioned i miss the days for a kitchen tea party when you picked up some cheap kitchen utensils from Kmart and sat around ate cake and played silly games and more importantly had some good girly laughter

[allycat06]

But House... flabbergasted here! GL with that one Allycat!

I'm glad you say that OP when I first read the invitation I was like geez is this what everyone's kitchen teas are like! I think I might skip the KT...the hen's is the night before and is costing a bit, May is also DS's 1st birthday and car rego, expensive month!

[smiles4u]

.... Ally go the hen's night, stuff the kitchen tea register that's too much besides how many are going to be there with hangovers looking at creamy cakes blahh

(What date does your DS turn 1 in May ?? ... my DD's b'day is the 6th)

[allycat06]

I know what you mean smiles! The couple both come from very wealthy families so I guess are used to a certain standard of living...unlucky for some! My wedding was very low key...small civil ceremony and ****tail party after. I wasn't even going to have a hen's as I was 5 months pg but in the end my friends took me out for dinner and a night out in a fancy hotel in the city. Bless them. The only other wedding I've been to was modest but nice. This big fancy wedding business is all very new to me!