Cinderella Mother’s Day Tea Tablescape

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! And with a new mom in our family, I’m thinking of something special to mark the occasion. This year, I’m thinking a Mother’s Day tea, Cinderella style.

In other words, something that the men in our family just don’t have the tools to pull off. They’re wonderful men, but their wheelhouse when it comes to this holiday tends toward either the grill or a nice restaurant. 

We have a formal dining room that we rarely use, that I painted an incredible shade of navy blue two years ago. So I’m thinking of going with a Cinderella theme for the tea (Cindy loves blue too!). With decor we already have, plus some themed pieces, we can set a lovely table for our Mother’s Day tea.

Cinderella tea party table setting ideas 

So where to start in creating this princess-y table? Well, we’re gonna need a tea pot, right? And something to hold some tea sandwiches and scones. Plates and cups too. That’s the practical stuff.

But how do we make it look pretty and where does the Cinderella theme come in? Well we have our color scheme of blue and white, thanks to Cinder-elly and her fabulous ball gown. The pumpkin coach and the glass slipper are also iconic symbols of the movie.

We can also look to the now defunct (so sad) Princess Tea at the Grand Floridian Resort in Walt Disney World. Though not specifically for Cinderella, the table settings relied on a heavy dose of florals plus shiny accents. Think fine china and fancy cake stands.

Shopping for the Mother’s Day tea

Did someone say shopping?? Yes!

Side note: not sure what you all think, but the retail experience is just not the same since the pandemic. At least in the area where I live, retail is still really lacking. You have to go further and look harder to find what you want. Often you can’t find what you want in a store at all. Yes, online is convenient, but returning things is SUCH a pain. But I digress…

For this Cinderella-themed Mother’s Day tea, I shopped at the following:

• Home Goods – this store has become a bit of an addiction
• Dollar General
• Michael’s
• Etsy
• Amazon
• My house

Yes, my house! Always, always look around your own home and see what you already have that might work. This rule holds for a simple tablescape or a full-blown remodel. Most of us don’t have unlimited budgets, so some thoughtful re-use of items is always a win. I actually used my mom’s china for the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long for this tea tablescape.

Place setting fit for a Queen 

Cinderella is a princess, but the end game is to become queen, am I right? And we all know moms are the queens of their households, so we need a really special place setting. And here is the place setting for our tea:

We have a white charger plate with a gilded floral design around the edge. These were super inexpensive on Amazon. I had found these awesome placemats on Amazon that were perfect, but I just couldn’t swallow the price ($100 for 2 sets of 4). I’m really happy with the chargers.

[insert photo of placements]

Next is a Cinderella plate that I found at Home Goods. There were also matching bowls, but alas no matching teacups. I loooove the pumpkin carriage, the clock, and all the scrollwork around the edges of the plates. So elegant looking.

The smaller plates and the teacups and saucers are from my mother’s china set. Her china is white with embossed scrollwork and a silver edge. It really compliments the Cinderella plates!

Also from Home Goods (although a purchase from last year) are the blue water goblets. They’re actually plastic, but still look very elegant on the table. The color was perfect so I had to use them.

To finish off the place setting I found the gold pumpkin coaches on Amazon – again, surprisingly inexpensive. They have a small door that opens, so I imagine I’ll put some kind of treat inside there. And from Etsy, the “glass” slipper place card holders are perfect. I think these were right around $1.50 each!

Cinderella Tea table centerpieces 

Other than the blue color, the centerpieces don’t really scream Cinderella, but for me, that’s ok. This Mother’s Day tea is meant to be elegant, so I didn’t want to cross over into kitschy. Plus, I got to utilize some décor from other areas of the house and save some money.

The centerpieces are fairly simple. I LOVE chinoiserie and have a bunch of ginger pots. I chose some of my favorites and filled them with faux blue and white hydrangeas. So pretty, so elegant, and so easy.

It’s a little too early in these part for the real deal. If you’re lucky enough to have hydrangeas blooming, go for it!

I used candles to fill in the empty space. I found some simple glass candlestick holders at the dollar store, and pretty blue taper candles on sale at Michael’s. Total cost for the four candles and holders was $11. You can’t beat that.

Also on the table is a pretty blue and white floral teapot I found at Home Goods, just $13. They have so many choices for pretty tea pots and a nice selection of teacups as well.

And I dug out of the closet the tiered cupcake stand from my daughter’s bridal shower. It looks perfect for the occasion.

Dishonorable mention goes to the blue cloth napkins I purchased at World Market. After ironing them for over 30 minutes, they still looked like Anastasia’s and Drucilla’s gowns after a cat fight. So they’ll get returned. And we’ll use the fancy paper napkins instead. 😊

So This is Love 

I’m so happy with how this tablescape turned out for our Mother’s Day tea. I wanted something simple yet elegant with a healthy dose of princess. And it was achieved without breaking the bank.

Mother’s Day is still a few weeks away, but I hope my Disney daughter, now a Disney mom, will love her special day. And while she’s enjoying tea and scones, I’ll be squeezing my new grandson’s cheeks!

What are your Mother’s Day plans? Share below!

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