10 Alice In Wonderland Party Ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Steps to a Sophisticated Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

 

 

 

150 years ago, a young author called Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote a book that was set to become a classic. More commonly known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll had no idea then that the literary delights of his novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, would still inspire designs in media, jewellery, décor and events a century and a half later. 

 

If you can think of at 'least six impossible things before breakfast', then why not consider throwing a Mad Hatter Tea Party for a special occasion; your 'unbirthday', perhaps? This may seem like a decision that will lead you down the rabbit hole, but hosting an afternoon tea that incorporates the nonsense and mystery of Wonderland isn't actually as difficult as it may seem. It's a great way to add a fun twist to a classic English tradition and, of course, gives you lots of opportunities to unleash your creative side. Sure, it's a little mad, but don't worry: 'we're all mad here.' 

 

For a little inspiration to help you create the perfect Wonderland-inspired tea party, just allow me to ‘begin at the beginning,’ of these ten easy steps and go on until I come to the end: then I'll stop. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Atmosphere and Surroundings

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, the perfect location in which to host your tea party would be near a glade in a wooded area; preferably in a nonsensical dream-world just outside of the March Hare's house. But as many of us find it difficult to commute to Wonderland and cannot rely on the British weather enough to plan any outdoors event unless it's an impromptu barbecue at the height of summer, then why not bring the woodland to you? Pick up some small indoor trees from your local garden store or, to keep costs low, simply collect some dry twigs and paint them white for a quirky semi-natural look. Try and dim the natural light slightly with chiffon drapes or something similar and entwine some fairy lights in and around your indoor 'forest' to create a twinkly, enchanted feel to proceedings. Carroll repeatedly draws upon images associated with time and reflection in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, so a great way to incorporate this originality into your room design would be to hang clocks, pocket-watches and mirrors from the surrounding branches. Mosaic Trader is just one site that offers a great selection of small, laser-cut loose and sheeted mirrors at cheap prices, to help you keep costs down.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Sound

 

 

Sound is so important to the overall ambiance of your environment. No party should be silent, but listening to someone like Beyonce on full volume does not exactly complement the dream-like, 'curiouser and curiouser' theme that you are trying to achieve here. Consider classical music (Debussy's Pelleas et Mélisande is a great example of 'twilight opera'), or a 'Mind, Body and Spirit' track that depicts natural forest noises and gently flowing water. Alternatively, if you want to up the tempo a bit and feel that you need some music with a fun lyrical twist, then check out 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane, 'Drink Me' by Anna Nalick or 'The Dream' by In This Moment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Design

 

 

 

Here you can exercise quite a lot of artistic freedom, especially with regards to colour schemes, and it largely depends upon the style of the party that your hosting. If you're wanting to keep things quite classy and elegant, then pale blue, white and silver will gently compliment the Wonderland theme, without being too garish. Try not to stray too far from these in order to maintain a refined look to your afternoon tea settings. Ideally, white painted wooden furniture would be the most in keeping with this 'demure Wonderland'.

 

 

Alternatively, the Wonderland of Disney's adaptation is filled with bright purples, greens and deep reds: everything seems to clash delightfully in a bizarre kaleidoscope of colour. Keep white linen standard across either style of table setting, and then contrast with a pale blue cotton underlay to add a touch of class to the décor, or let your creativity run free and use  this opportunity to splash some vibrant colours. 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a shiny, reflective surface for your place mats would be a perfect way to reference the 'Looking Glass' of the books in your table settings. Another cool, quirky touch would be to use ordinary playing cards as coasters or, if you're looking for something a little more durable, a ceramic set of coasters in the playing cards design, like the ones available on the Juliet Reeves Design website. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Food

 

 

Whether you decide to serve savoury food at your tea party is completely up to you. As far as traditional English afternoon tea goes, however, the main attraction is always the cakes. Why not put a fun, Wonderland-inspired spin on the traditional macaroons, éclairs and madeleines by trying out some toadstool cupcakes or edible sugared flowers that can be served in a crystal vase? When it comes to the food of Wonderland, anything goes; you can really let your imagination run wild, and even something as simple as food colouring can transform the everyday into the extraordinary. Another neat idea to make your spread stand out from the crowd is to experiment with sizes; make the sugared flowers larger than usual, or shrink the cupcakes down so that they're tiny.

 

 

 

 

Whatever you decide, the best way to showcase your creative Alice In Wonderland brilliance to your guests is through your centrepiece. Think wedding cake, but decorated with sugared playing cards, edible teacups and chocolate pocket watches. Cake Central has a great blog showcasing ten of the best Alice In Wonderland-inspired cake designs if you need some culinary inspiration. Just have fun! Remember, the best thing about designing your food is that you can't really go wrong; the more extravagant the better.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Drink

 

 

 

 

 

 

It goes without saying that any self-respecting tea party needs tea. But what about catering to a more 'adult' audience? Make those teas and coffees Irish with complimentary spirits like Triple Sec, Brandy and Disarrano. Champagne is always a nice accompaniment to afternoon tea proceedings and is perfect for toasting a special occasion. It's important to remember that different drinks suit different dining options, so keep this in mind when your choosing the foods for your buffet. If the focus is mainly going to be on sweet foods and cakes then make sure you choose a sweet, light wine rather than a heavy red, for example. For your non-alcoholic options, offer some nice alternatives to English Breakfast Tea like loose-leaf, fruity or flower teas. Blossom and Jasmine flavoured tea both have particularly potent floral flavours that go well with sweet sponge cakes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Presenting your Edibles and Drinkables

 

 

In Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice finds a small bottle with a 'Drink Me' label attached to it and a cake with 'Eat Me' spelled out in currants. This provides a really cute, quirky way to present the food and drink to your guests and immerse them further into the Wonderland that you have created. For your alcoholic beverages, use small 'milk bottle' shaped glasses to allow for a 'Drink Me' label to be looped around the neck. Using a nice, reflective decanter and crystal glassware for your wine will compliment the overall theme nicely, or if you decide to serve sparkling wine then silver glasses will match the mirrored place settings perfectly. And, as is customary in all tea parties - mad or not - tea should always be served in china teapots with matching teacups and saucers. Check out the Vintage Simplicity blog to see some beautiful examples of vintage china tea sets that wouldn't look out of place in Victorian Wonderland. When presenting your food, silver vintage-inspired cake stands perfectly echo the elegant table settings of the Victorian era in which Carroll was writing. Make sure that all cutlery is also silver, in keeping with this traditional dining style, and ensure that all food is placed with an 'Eat Me' label in close vicinity. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Finding the Tea Party

 

 

 

 

If you don't much care where you are going then, as the Cheshire Cat tells Alice, 'it doesn't matter which way you go.' However, if you're counting on your guests turning up in the right place at the right time then it might be a good idea (and a good creative opportunity) to give them some un/helpful directions. 

 

 

When Alice comes across a fork in the road, she is met with a sign post that points in a number of different directions and is marked with phrases such as 'this way', 'that way' and 'wrong way'. Having one of these - whether purchased online via a site like eBay or handmade - to greet your guests as they arrive would be a great way to immerse them into the 'Mad Hatter' frame of mind from the first point of contact. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From this point onwards, the route to your Wonderland Tea Party should be lined with empty picture frames, clocks, pocket-watches, mirrors and, somewhere along the way, a plush white rabbit dressed in a waist coat and bow tie. Even if this pathway is just from your garden gate to your front door, guests will be impressed with your dedication to the theme and filled with excitement and anticipation for the rest of the proceedings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Small Details

 

 

Giving attention to detail will really help make the Wonderland you have created seem real to your guests and will keep them talking about the hard-work, creativity and dedication that you have put into your tea party for weeks after the event. 

 

Try and make the table and its surroundings feel alive and busy, but not so much that it appears cluttered. If you have access to plush animals then dressing them up in waistcoats and scattering them around the dining area will give the appearance of a wider 'Wonderland community' - just keep their paws off the table. If you can get your hands on a few small caterpillar-stype figurines then these would also be ideal to have crawling up the sides of the table.  

 

 

 

Having the odd pocket-watch or the occasional silver key scattered around the room will lend further credibility to the your Wonderland, and decorating teapots and teacups with flowers will also provide a pleasant scent to intermingle with the delicious smell of freshly-baked treats; as well as providing a subtle reference to Alice's encounter with the garden of live flowers in the novel. 

 

Guests love to discover little surprises and quirks as they are experiencing an event, so try and find fun ways to keep their curiosity entertained. 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Host Attire

 

 

As the Host of this most maddest of tea parties, it is only right that you dress in keeping with your Wonderland theme. For you ladies, why not don a blue dress and white pinafore with a black ribbon in your hair, just like Alice? For the gentlemen - channel your inner Mad Hatter and wear a patterned waistcoat with smart trousers, a pocket-watch (complete with chain) and, of course, a top hat. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has a whole host of bright and beautiful characters to take inspiration from, though, so don't feel like you need to dress as one of the 'main' characters in the novel; if you're hosting as a couple then why not dress as the King and Queen of Hearts? Or if you're best friends, why not go as Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee? The options are endless! Party Packs is a good place to start if your looking for some inspiration or even to purchase: they have a wide selection of Alice In Wonderland themed fancy dress costumes for a variety of different ages. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.  Make sure to have fun

 

 

This is your party! As Mr. Carroll says, 'The best gift you can give someone is a lifetime of adventures'; so while you're making sure that it is magical for everyone else, don't forget to enjoy the adventure yourself, too.