Alice in wonderland party ideas
BY A PROFESSIONAL PARTY PLANNER
First, decide which style you want to apply to these Alice in Wonderland party ideas.
You could take inspiration from the original Lewis Carroll book, which has some wonderful illustrations by John Tenniel, the classic Walt Disney cartoon, which uses lots of bright colors, or the Tim Burton film, which has a more fantastical and surreal style with slightly more muted pastel tones.
Whichever you choose, there are lots of Alice in Wonderland party ideas and decorations below to compliment your theme.
Personally, I think a combination of the Tim Burton film and the original book illustrations work really well. Kids will love the magical Tim Burton styling, but a few references to the original book will stop your tea party looking too commercial. And you really want to encourage kids to read the book anyway.
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i’m matt james
professional event producer
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01 alice in wonderland party invitations
Below are some suggestions for invitations to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas:
ADVICE FROM A PRO
Matt’s tip
“I think it’s important to create a big first impression, which is why I always try to include some sort of 3D object tied to the printed invitation with ribbon.
This is a little trick that’s often used by professional party planners to make invitations stand out.
It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, just some cheap novelties, and you can use it re-enforce your party theme. For example, kids sunglasses or a flip flop for a beach party, a toy dinosaur for a dinosaur party, or an eye patch for a pirate party.
People just love to receive unusual invitations; it really captures their imagination and gets them excited about the party.
Click here to check out some examples of 3D object invitations from my party invitations page (opens in a new tab)”.
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key invitations
For an Alice in Wonderland party, which is already a surreal theme, I think it’s entirely appropriate to be less traditional with the invitations. So you might want to reference the key that Alice finds when she falls down the rabbit hole that lets her into Wonderland.
Below is a key invitation which I used for a Secret Garden theme party. You can easily create something similar for these Alice in Wonderland party ideas and send them out in these cute box mailers (below right).
To make these, pick up some ornate keys and attach a small tag with all the party details on.
Hand write the details onto a decorative shipping tag, or you could tie these Alice in Wonderland tags onto the keys.
Alternatively, you can use these ready-made keys and tags, although the tags are quite small so you’d have to keep the text concise. Or tie your own keys onto these cute tea party themed tags (below right).
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DRINK ME INVITATIONS
Another great 3D invitation to use with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas is to send out small bottles of the famous ‘Drink Me’ potion.
Simply use a small bottle with a cork stopper and fill with some colored water (alternatively use glitter glue for a more ‘set’ finish if you’re worried about it spilling in the mail). Finish by attaching a small tag tied with ribbon with ‘Drink Me’ on and all the party details on the reverse.
Alternatively, you could buy these ready made ‘Drink Me’ favors—but bear in mind they are very small so you might not have much space to include party information. Or there are these, here.
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POCKET WATCH INVITATIONS
Another variation on the 3D invitation, is to use one of these toy pocket watches as your Alice in Wonderland invitations. Note that these are over-sized (8″ diameter) so they’ll fit in nicely with the Wonderland theme while making a big first impression. Literally.
Alternatively, you can pick up inflatable versions here for less than $4.
Just hand write the party details onto a decorative shipping tag and tie on with ribbon.
Alternatively, just print the tea party details onto cardstock using your home printer then stick onto the reverse of the watch.
Mail these out in these small boxes to ensure they aren’t damaged in transit.
If you’re handwriting the party information, a nice detail would be to draw a paw print on the corner of your invitations —the pocket watch belonged to the white rabbit.
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book invitations
If the Alice in Wonderland party is for an older child, another option is to actually send out a copy of the book as the invitation.
You can pick up a paperback versions here for a couple of dollars each.
You could print a simple text invitation with your home printer and mount this on the first page inside the book.
If you wanted to embellish it even further you could also attach the key (see above) by looping some ribbon down the spine of the book.
Mail them out in these small gift boxes for a really nice finish.
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TRADITIONAL INVITATIONS
If you prefer something quick and easy for your Alice in Wonderland invitations, there are lots of traditional printed invitations available from either this supplier, or this supplier, which can be personalized online, such as the ones below.
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INVITATION WORDING
Whichever option you choose, don’t forget to incorporate familiar phrases from the book into your invitation wording such as:
Also, consider whether you want to ask the guests to come to your Mad Hatter’s tea party dressed in a weird and wonderful hat. You could even offer a prize for whoever comes in the most wacky hat.
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02 alice in wonderland party drinks
The most famous scene in the book and film is of course the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, so take this as inspiration when designing the food and drink to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas.
ADVICE FROM A PRO
Matt’s tip
“Always create a signature drink for your party—it’s one of the easiest things you can do to make your party unique.
If your party has a theme, think about what flavors you can use in your signature drink that will convey it.
Don’t forget about styling and presentation too. You could serve drinks in individual bottles, jars, or novelty containers, add your own labels, use themed ice cubes, decorative straws, or drinks picks, or add a simple garnish.
A sprig of berries or a single flower head on the rim of a glass can make a simple cocktail look really stylish”.
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fruit tea
Kids may not want to actually drink traditional tea, although you could try serving them fruit flavoured ice teas like Snapple, which make flavors such as raspberry or peach tea.
Just bear in mind, most of these contain caffeine, although they do make a pomegranate raspberry red tea, which is caffeine-free.
Alternatively, serve things like pink lemonade or other juice drinks but serve them in little teacups with saucers so that it feels like a tea party.
Ideally you want to use old fashioned granny style teacups with saucers, available here, or these cute glass ones, available here, or check out the cheaper disposable tea cups and saucers here.
Alternatively, use plastic kid’s tea sets, or for younger kids there are these tea cup style sippy cups. You can always take the screw top and big bendy straw off and replace with a regular straw to make them look more delicate if you wish.
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‘DRINK ME’ POTIONS
Another option is to serve some of the drinks at your Alice in Wonderland party in little glass potion bottles with ‘Drink Me’ labels on.
Pick up a pack of 12 assorted glass bottles such as these, then fill them using this recipe for Blue Bubblegum Soda. The blue color is perfect to look like a potion and bubblegum soda is suitably surreal to fit in with the Wonderland theme.
Finally, write ‘Drink Me’ onto a decorative shipping tag and hang around the neck of the bottle, or buy these ready made ones here.
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PINK FLAMINGO PUNCH
Serve pink drinks, such as this recipe for Pink Lemonade (below left, from Vegetarian Living). Add these pink flamingo straws and call it Pink Flamingo Punch in reference to the croquet game in Alice in Wonderland.
Alternatively, serve them in these cute Alice in Wonderland plastic cups—which can also be personalized with each guest’s name.
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Water
Give water bottles a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party makeover with these labels. There are lots of different designs available.
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03 alice in wonderland party food
Of course, no Alice in Wonderland party would be complete without a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, so check out some tea party inspired recipes below.
ADVICE FROM A PRO
disclaimer
“As a professional party planner, I’m lucky enough to be able to collaborate with some amazing chefs to create menus for my events.
As I’m no chef myself, and cannot create dishes from scratch, I’ve searched the web for recipes that I think would work well for this party theme.
All credit goes to the talented people who have created these recipes, so please click through to their site for full details, ingredients, methods, and in some cases step-by-step tutorials”.
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ENGLISH AFTERNOON TEA
For food to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas, think ‘English Afternoon Tea‘—girls in particular will love this as everything is so delicate and lady-like.
Traditionally, afternoon tea is brewed in tea pots and served in teacups on saucers—with the option of milk and sugar in from a separate jug and bowls.
It’s served with dainty sandwiches cut into small bite-sized triangles (you should be able to get eight triangles from each sandwich) with the crusts cut off. Customary fillings are cucumber (you could add cream cheese to make them more appealing to kids), egg and cress (swap for egg mayo if you prefer), ham, or smoked salmon.
These are accompanied by a selection of tiny cakes or little scones with Devonshire (clotted) cream and jam, then everything is presented on a tiered cake stand.
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PRÊT-À-PORTEA
In recent years, traditional English Afternoon Tea has become very fashionable again and a lot of the top London hotels and restaurants offer it.
The Berkeley Hotel in London has gone one step further and created Prêt-à-Portea, which is a modern afternoon tea with cakes and biscuits inspired by dresses, handbags and shoes from the current season’s catwalk collections. It’s then all served on china designed by British designer Paul Smith.
So you don’t have to just think of traditional afternoon tea to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas, Check out this supplier for lots of unusual cookies and treats you could serve to replicate this idea.
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CHEQUERBOARD SANDWICHES
You could also create a chequerboard effect with brown and white bread squares to represent the famous game of chess. For inspiration, have a look at this image I came across from Miss Destination Bride’s on It’s a Bride’s Life.
I particularly liked the way she finished the squares off with alternating cherry tomatoes and black olives and playing card suit party picks (available here).
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND COOKIE CUTTERS
Alternatively, there are a number of Alice in Wonderland cookie cutters or playing card suit cookie cutters to shape sandwiches, pizzas, cheese, or fruit slices. Check out this supplier for all cookie cutter designs.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND COOKIES
If you’re not the baking type, you can always buy various Alice in Wonderland cookies here instead.
…Or check out these more elaborately designed ones available here.
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QUEEN OF HEART’S JAM TART
Don’t forget to include Jam Tarts (below right, by Zoe Makes Cakes), a quintessentially English tea time treat favoured by the Queen of Hearts. Or use a cookie cutter to make these Heart-Shaped Raspberry White Chocolate Shortbread (below left, by Joy of Baking).
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EDIBLE TEA CUPS
These Edible Teacups (below left, from Disney Family) are perfect for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, or try these Tea Cup Biscuits (below right, from Planning with Kids) which children can make themselves.
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CHESHIRE CAT / WHITE RABBIT CAKES
Use a selection of cookie cutters to create cakes and cookies in the shape of top hats (for the Mad Hatter), pocket watches, the Cheshire cat, or playing card suits. Or see this recipe for cute Cheshire Cat Cupcakes (below, from Disney Family).
Another option is to serve squares of (White Rabbit) Carrot Cake (below right, by Betty Crocker).
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WHITE RABBIT CARROTS
Alternatively, for a savory reference to the White Rabbit, serve these Carrot Crescents filled with Egg Salad (below, from Hungry Happenings).
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CATERPILLAR SNACKS
There are lots of recipes around for caterpillar cakes, but there are already so many sweet recipes here so instead trying making these Caterpillar Sandwiches (below left, by Funky Lunch).
Or this fruit plate arranged in the shape of a caterpillar (below right, by Vanessa at I Never Grew Up)
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FAIRY TALE MUSHROOMS / FAUX ESCARGOT
These Alice in Wonderland party ideas wouldn’t be complete without some surreal themed items too—such as these Fairy-Tale Mushrooms (below left, by Sue Cravatta on Taste of Home) and Faux Escargot (below right, by Sharon 123 on food.com),
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sugar mice
For visitors from the UK, Sugar Mice (below right) will bring back memories of childhood where they were a traditional Christmas treat for kids. Include some white sugar mice in these Alice in Wonderland party ideas to represent the doormouse—but remember they are basically just sugar, so one per person maximum!
For US visitors who might not be familiar with these, try this cute recipe for Meringue Mice (below left, from Better Homes and Gardens).
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND CUPCAKE TOPPERS
Decorate cupcakes with these beautiful rice paper edible cupcake toppers using the original illustrations from the book.
There are plenty of regular non-edible Alice cupcake toppers here, such as these ones below.
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Tea cup cakes
Alternatively, use these cute tea cup molds to bake and serve your cupcakes in. Perfect for a Mad Hatter’s tea party.
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CHESHIRE CAT TAILS
I stumbled across this photo of ‘Cheshire Cat Tails’ (below left, via Cutestfood.com). I don’t know where they are from or what they’re made of but I think you could easily make something similar by treading alternating pink and purple marshmallows on to sticks.
Update: You can now buy the ones pictured below right from this supplier.
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FLOWER POT DESSERTS
I love these Flower Pot Desserts (below, by Ree from Pioneer Woman). Just add some eyes and a mouth to the flowers to make them perfect for a surreal themed Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
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EDIBLE TOPIARY
Alternatively, try these Edible Topiary’s (below, by Lisa at The Enchanted Oven).
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04 birthday cake
Whether you’re making a birthday cake from scratch or just decorating it, below are some suggestions to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas:
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EDIBLE CAKE IMAGES
These edible cake images are a really easy way to create a themed cake to compliment your Alice in Wonderland party ideas – plus they can be personalized to add the birthday boy or girl’s name and/or age. Check out some of the other edible image cake toppers available here.
…Or these more elaborately designed ones available here.
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05 Dessert table styling
Below are some food styling and presentation tips to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas.
ADVICE FROM A PRO
Matt’s tip
“I always think it’s a good idea to concentrate the majority of your decorations around a buffet / dessert table as this will create a focal point in the room.
Party decorations often have to compete with existing room decor, so they can get a bit lost if spread too thinly. I think you’re far better off creating one really well themed feature wall that everyone’s eye will be drawn to.
You can then use a few general decorations around the rest of the room to tie everything together.”
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND DESSERT TABLE
Below are step by step instructions for how to create a themed buffet / dessert table like the one below:
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HANGING DECORATIONS
To give these Alice in Wonderland party ideas a surreal feel, hang a number of these over-sized (8 inch diameter) pocket watches, available here, down from the ceiling in a cluster at varying heights. Alternatively, use these printable clock decorations instead. Then hang strips of giant playing cards down from the ceiling either side of the table.
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background
Start by using a blue sky scene setter with cloud add-ons and combine this with a meadow scene setter with tree and nature add ons to create a Wonderland themed backdrop.
Alternatively, you could use this ‘sky and grass’ scene setter.
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centerpiece
For a dramatic centerpiece, use a life size Alice in Wonderland stand up such as this one of the Mad Hatter, available here, and position it on top of the table (or just behind if you don’t have enough height).
If you’re budget doesn’t stretch to include a stand up, you could use the Mad Hatter’s top hat, available here, raised up on a box as the centerpiece or a Cheshire Cat plush toy, available here.
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table styling
Use a brown tablecover then cover the tabletop with these tissue grass mats, available here, or check out all the artificial grass options here.
Alternatively you could just use this grass print table cover, available here, although you don’t get the nice texture as with the tissue grass. Then use a mixture of square and rectangular clear plates and bowls to present food on (clear plates will allow the ‘grass’ to show through). I recommend these disposable Premium Plastic Plates, available here, they’re great value and look so much nicer than regular paper party plates.
These tissue paper rose bush pom poms, available here, are really inexpensive and would look lovely raised up in vases framing the dessert table at each end. Alternatively, check out all the inexpensive faux roses here.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND CUT OUTS
If you don’t want to use a life-size cut out of Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter, there are different sized cut outs of the traditional Disney characters too, available here.
These foam board cut outs of the playing card men, available here, can also be used as croquet hoops for your party games (see games ideas at bottom of page).
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND WALL DECALS
An alternative way to create a backdrop for a dessert table is to use these Alice in Wonderland wall decals.
Position them on the wall behind the dessert table to create a focal point. You can then dress around these with balloons and hanging decorations. There are lots of different ones available, including individual characters and ones that can be personalized with your child’s name.
You can even get wall decals of the original Disney characters.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND PHOTO BACKDROPS
Alternatively, there are a number of Alice in Wonderland printed backdrops available, such as the ones below, which would make for a really dramatic background to the dessert table. Check out all the different designs here, and also here. Just hide the hard edges where the print ends by hanging these over-sized playing cards down from the ceiling.
You can also use it later as a backdrop for photos.
To hang the backdrop, I’d recommend investing in one of these inexpensive backdrop frames or check out my page of party backdrop stands and fixings here.
The great thing about the support frame is that you can use it again and again to create different backgrounds for dessert tables by hanging fabric,tissue pom poms, or streamers (as shown below using a backdrop support frame).
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06 food styling & PRESENTATION
Below are some food styling and presentation tips to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas.
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FOOD LABELS
Use these Alice in Wonderland themed food labels to identify everything on the buffet / dessert table. View all available designs here.
Alternatively, you could just use these Eat Me Tags, available here, and Drink Me tags, available here, some of which can be personalized with the name of the event printed on them.
These Alice in Wonderland food picks, available here, are also really cute and add a nice literary touch with the original book illustrations.
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TREAT STANDS
Use Mad Hatter top hats as trays and present food on them to give some height to the display, or turn the hats upside down to use them as serving bowls for snacks. You can just buy cheap top hats here and spruce them up by adding a bit of ribbon and the 10/6 card.
Present cakes, sandwiches, and scones on tiered cardboard stands, in true Afternoon Tea style. This Alice in Wonderland themed cupcake stand, available here, is particularly cool. Alternatively, use these Alice in Wonderland teapot cupcake stands, available here.
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FRUIT BOUQUET
A fruit bouquet is suitably surreal too and would make a great centerpiece for an Alice in Wonderland party dessert table (include some chocolate dips too). Watch the video below for a demonstration of how to make one.
Alternatively, try these simplified Fruit Flower Pops (below right by Lindsay Ann at Dollhouse Bake Shoppe). Again, you could add some eyes and a mouth to make a face out of fruit strips and candy to make them even more surreal and in keeping with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas.
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07 TABLE styling
Below are some suggestions for how to style and decorate the dining table in keeping with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas:
ADVICE FROM A PRO
Matt’s tip
“If it’s a kid’s party, don’t feel as if you have to shy away from using movie / cartoon character-branded tableware.
I see a lot of kid’s parties that are so immaculately styled they look more like adult parties. It’s obvious the parents have designed it for themselves, rather than their child.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a professional party planner it’s to design the party for your audience, not yourself.
The reality is kids want their favorite characters to have a strong presence at their party; they don’t see this as too commercial, for them it’s just fun.
Obviously, it’s important to get the balance right, so don’t go overboard. Character plates and cups work well if combined with a solid color table cover and napkins”.
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mad hatter’s tea party
I love this picture of the Mad Hatter’s tea party scene from the Tim Burton movie and it should be quite easy to recreate something like this at home. The fact that it’s a series of tables joined together with different styles of chairs and stools, and mismatched plates and tea cups works to your advantage so you can pretty much use anything.
The more eccentric and random the better. Just choose a selection of different colored party plates and disposable table covers and mix them all up in a haphazard fashion .
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND TABLEWARE
Alternatively, use this range of Alice in Wonderland tableware, available here. The plates also come with matching napkins, cups, and serving platters.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND PARTY PLATES
Alternatively, there’s a range of different Alice in Wonderland paper plates available here, some of which can even be personalized to include the birthday boy or girl’s name on the plates.
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tEA CUPS
Set the table with little teacups with saucers so that it feels like a real tea party.
Depending on the age of the children you might to use a kid’s tea set like the one below left (be careful to check the size of these as often they are very small and intended more for playing at tea parties, rather than the real thing).
Alternatively, for a few dollars more you can pick up a set of old fashioned granny style teacups with saucers, available here, or these cute glass ones, available here, or check out the cheaper disposable tea cups and saucers here.
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place settings
Place one of these ‘Drink Me’ mini bottles or ‘Eat Me’ treat holders, available here, on each place setting to identify where each person should sit. Note that these are quite small and meant for decorative purposes only so they won’t hold a lot of liquid or accommodate a whole cupcake.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND CENTERPIECES
There are lots of different options for centerpieces, available here. Depending on your budget, This Alice in Wonderland themed teapot vase, available here, or these Wonderland themed cut outs, available here, are a good cheap option.
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SPECIAL CENTERPIECES
If it’s more of a special occasion, you might want to consider this preserved moss covered Mad Hatter’s top hat, these stacking Alice in Wonderland Tea Cup centerpieces, or this whimsical one. All available here.
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TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS
You could also scatter some of these tissue paper flowers down the middle of the table too. They come in lots of different colors. Available here
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table decorations
Make sure the table top has a certain randomness to it by including a few piles of books stacked up on the table, scatter some over-sized pocket watches, available here, giant playing cards, available here, and butterflies, available here, around the table.
Don’t forget to include a little door mouse—perhaps poking out of one of the teapots.
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PLACE SETTINGS
You can also make these playing card men (left from Disney Family Fun) and scatter them around the table top or these teapot shaped fans, available here, are a cute little accessory / favor to put out on the table.
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PAPER LANTERNS & TISSUE POMS
I always think it’s important to hang something above the table too, it really helps to define and enclose the space. So use a cluster of paper lanterns, such as the ones below by Martha Stewart. Check out budget-friendly lanterns here, or regular lanterns here, or more decorative lanterns here.
You can also pick up cheap battery mini LED lights here to pop inside and make the lanterns glow without having to worry about power cords.
Alternatively, for a more feminine look use tissue pom-poms, like the ones below by Martha Stewart. Check out budget-friendly pom poms here, or decorative pom poms here, or a wider range of colors here.
If you want to get really creative, try hanging the lanterns in a single curvy line to make the body of the caterpillar – then add some eyes and legs out of card stock.
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ALTERNATIVE TABLEWARE
As an alternative to the vintage style tea party, these Alice in Wonderland tableware products are available here. Or use these playing card suit party supplies for more of a Queen of Heart’s palace theme.
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CHESHIRE CAT TABLEWARE
I particularly like these cute Cheshire cat themed party plates and cups available here.
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08 Alice in wonderland party decorations
Below are tips and recommendations for general decorations to go with these Alice in Wonderland party ideas:
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entrance decorations
I always think its a good idea to start with a some sort of decorations outside, to set the tone as guests arrive. It could just be as simple as chalking the pavement or lining the path with balloons.
For an Alice in Wonderland party, you could line the path with bunny paw prints to represent the White Rabbit, available here, use a personalized yard, available here, door sign, available here, or these Wonderland themed directional signs, available here.
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PERSONALIZED BANNERS
Alternatively, you could use a personalized banner such as the ones below. Check out all the different designs here.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND STANDEE / CUT OUTS
You can also get some really cool life-size Alice in Wonderland stand ups, available here, like these below, which can really help to bring a party theme to life.
Alternatively, check out some of these great Disney-style cardboard props, such as the ones below, available here (more characters available).
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CUSTOM LIFE SIZE STANDEE
Alternatively, you can have a life-size cut out of your child dressed as their favorite Alice in Wonderland character to put at the end of your drive or outside your front door. Check them out here.
These particularly fun when paired with a cheap motion-activated voice recorder, available here. Simply record your own 10 second welcome message and it automatically plays as guests walk past the cut out of your child.
For the best Alice in Wonderland costumes, check out the range here.
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down the rabbit hole
For a wow factor entrance, you can pick up a kids’ play tunnel really cheaply, available here, to create a rabbit hole for them to crawl through to get to Wonderland. Dress around the entrance to the tunnel with some plants, branches and leaves and use this Down the Rabbit Hole sign to point the way.
Have an older sibling dressed in a white rabbit costume to greet guests at the entrance to the rabbit hole, then give everyone a small ‘Drink Me’ potion or bite-size ‘Eat Me’ cake when they emerge at the other end of the tunnel.
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the tiny door
If you’re prepared to do a bit of DIY you could really go to town and create the miniature door that Alice had to go through. First, take all furniture and pictures out of the hallway immediately inside your front door to create an empty space (it’s really important to remove everything that’s normal size).
Hang a simple curtain or piece of fabric at the back of your hallway to create a false wall. Then pick up a small self-assembly cupboard or storage unit with a door (no more than 18in / 2ft tall) from somewhere cheap like Ikea but make sure it’s one that you can leave the back off (so you’re just left with a hollow frame with a door hinged on the front).
Position the door frame against the curtain ‘back wall’, flush with the fabric, and arrange the curtain around the frame so that when viewed from the front it just looks like a tiny door in the middle of the (curtain) wall. Then decorate the empty hallway with some miniature kids sized furniture (including a three legged table if you want to be really accurate) and some tiny pictures on the wall.
When guest enter into the hallway from the front door it will create the illusion that they have grown really tall—just like Alice did—because everything else will be in miniature. Don’t forget to give them a ‘Drink Me’ potion or ‘Eat Me’ cake before they enter the front door so they make the connection.