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Host a Laundry-Tea

Home > Sydney > Weddings | Party Ideas | Fun Things To Do | Family
by tara j (subscribe)
puppies are tops
Published July 8th 2012
Throw the bride-to-be a laundry tea and now we're talking. Kitchen Tea's and Bridal Showers are so 2000's. A laundry tea party ensures that the bride gets many of the necessary items she will need to efficiently run a household that people will not buy her as a wedding or engagement gift. We all know that purchasing buckets, mops, rubber gloves, cloths and cleaning products quickly escalate the cost of a weekly grocery shopping trip. And besides, when was the last time you turned up to a wedding with some Pine O Clean?

Not only will you effectively cater to the bride's needs for cleaning and being domesticated, but you will also reduce the risk of the newlyweds receiving multiple toasters. Any newlywed will be extremely grateful for this.

laundry tea decorations
Decorations for a Laundry Tea


Venue & Decorations

If you have access to a large and spacious laundry room then this will be the perfect place to host your Laundry Tea. If not, a large backyard or room will do.

Using wool and small adhesive hooks one can easily recreate a colourful washing line across the room. This adds atmosphere and brightens any space. Just be sure to string it up high enough so that it can't be accidently walked into or knocked down.

Stringing bunting is also a great idea. With the addition of small colourful pegs holding up each piece of cardboard, it once again recreates a washing line and brightly welcomes all.

Some brides will want to have a wishing well. This way they can gather a small fund and buy a washing machine, or a dryer, or any other large laundry item that will cost a significant amount of money. Get creative with the wishing well. If it's a washing machine that people are contributing towards, build a washing machine wishing well (or a washing well, if you like).

To build a washing well, first you will need to acquire a large cardboard box, some glitter pens, a Sharpie or any other permanent marker, and some aluminium foil. Once you have these you should be ready to start. Making a top loader is somewhat more practical, but a front loader will be easier to recognize. Begin by cutting out a cardboard circle at the front of the box. This will become the door of your washing machine. Cut out a circle inside this circle, and sticky tape some clear cellophane or cling wrap to the inside. Attach the circle to the side of the hole with masking tape.

Once this is done, go to town with drawing knobs, buttons, dials and the like across your washing machine. You may even like to invent your own brand of laundry goods and come up with a creative logo!

Laundry Tea Prizes
Prizes for some upcoming games!


Food & Drinks

The easiest way to cater for many people at a party like this is to ask everyone to bring a plate. Ask people to bring nibbles and always give people an indication as to what type of food they should bring, whether it be something sweet, something savoury, whether they should bake something at home or buy something from a store.

People are generous when it comes to celebrating an upcoming wedding and so asking many people to all donate various foods shouldn't be a problem. Dips and cheese platters can be done for as little as $10.

If anyone can think of laundry themed food, feel free to suggest it in the comments below! I racked my brains but couldn't think of any.

Games

The most important part of any bridal-shower event are the games. Sometimes fun, sometimes lame, and sometimes just embarrassing, games are a great way to bring the group together for some good old fashioned fun. Here are a few laundry-themed games that should work for any group.

The Apron Game – Before the day of the Laundry Tea, prepare a Laundry Apron. To do this you will need to Google search images of objects that can often be found in a laundry or bathroom. You might source some pictures of a clothes line, a washing basket, some towels, a mop etc. Once these are printed, safety pin each picture to an apron. There should be a variety of images so the apron is well covered.

On the day, before the games start, dress the bride-to-be in this apron. It is very important that she speaks to everyone at the party whilst wearing the apron. She will simply assume that it is an embarrassing outfit and won't think any more of it.

Once games are about to begin, take the apron away and hide it. Hand everyone a sheet of paper and a pen. Give a two minute time limit and get guests to list as many pictures from the apron as they can.

Laundry Tea Apron
The Apron Game - A fun game for all guests!


The Couple Quiz – A traditional bridal shower game, ask the guests a range of questions about the forthcoming bride and groom. Be sure to remember to make questions range from easy to hard. Providing multiple choice for the questions will also make it easier for those guests who aren't sure of answers to have a chance at winning.

The Price Is Right! – Prepare a washing basket of ten to twenty popular laundry products. This could include cloths, cleaning products, washing powder, pegs, bathroom items such as shampoos and conditioners, etc. Arrange the items for display where everyone can see them, whether this be on a table or in the centre of the room. Working in teams of three or four, guests will need to order the products in price order from the lowest to the highest price.

There are many more games that you can play, but these are just a selection! If you have ideas for laundry themed games, feel free to add them into the comments.

Don't forget, you will need to offer prizes to all the winners of these games as well. Head down to your local two dollar shop and pick up a small range of cleaning supplies and products. Scrubbing brushes, rubber gloves, cloths and bottles of bleach are low in cost but make for fun laundry themed prizes, and are sure to come in handy around the house.
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Why? Bridal showers are so last decade
When: Before the wedding
Where: A laundry, or a place that looks like a laundry
Your Comment
A laundry tea literally sounds like the worst thing ever. Sorry, a thoroughly written article, but seriously? Cleaning products? Washing machine games? Imagine if the groom tried to get his male friends to rock up to a laundry shower. Urgh. Not for me. I hope a celebration of my ability to clean isn't what marriage entails for me.
by clair (score: 0|3) 3383 days ago
That is an interesting idea and would certainly make a change from the usual bridal shower. However I do find it a bit sexist as it implies that cleaning and laundry are solely the wife's responsibility which is a pretty outdated notion. It would be nice if it were for an engagement party for both of the couple and their friends.
by Jennifer Muirhead (score: 3|1431) 3964 days ago
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