Dolly Madison lives in memory as one of the most elegantly charming, kind and judicious Christian women of all time. Famed for her innate sense of hospitality, she was the consummate hostess. With her entertaining, she healed breaches between political factions, drew all of Washington high society together, and never ceased in the tireless support she gave to her famous husband.

First:

Read about the life of Dolly Madison:
Dolly Madison The Nation's Hostess,
by Elizabeth Lippincott Dean (Adult)
or,
Dolly Madison,
by Jane Mayer (Childrens')

(The above are available at local libraries. We do not recommend any of the modern books written on the life of Dolly Madison, or, indeed, about anyone else, enless the author is first investigated and known to you to be a good and trusted one. Many biographies are being written these days more after the fashion of the tabloid than true history, slandering our greatest American heroes with innuendo, lies and arrogant psycho-babble purporting to understand the innermost thought and motivations of these famous people, often demeaning their Christian walks and beliefs while doing so. We would actually recommend the oldest, adult-level biography you can find, prefereably from before 1940 or so.
Failing that, we would recommend the oldest children's biography you can find before considering any modern biography.)

Then,
Read Some Modern and Some Historical Ettiquette Tips:

Napkin Ettiquette
Some Basic Tea Time Definitions
Tea Time Ettiquette
Formal Dinner Ettiquette
(The third and fourth links above will take you to two excerpts from Emily Post's famed original 1922 book of etiquette and are valuable resources, both for that timeless message defining a hostess as one whose main concern is making her guests comfortable, and for the historical peek into another time. It's great reading and surprisingly relevnt--even if you don't have Georgian Silverware to match your Georgian furniture, or two cooks, a head butler, four waiters, and upstairs and downstairs parlour maids!)

And Then,
Following the Proper Forms of Etiquette:

Host an Afternoon Cream Tea
or,
Host an Afternoon Light Tea
or,
Host an Afternoon Full Tea
or,
Host a High Tea
or,
Host a Small Formal Dinner
or,
Host a Medium-sized Formal Dinner
or,
Host a Large Formal Dinner

(These projects may be done as a group with other Joy Club members.)