This Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter’s Tea Party mixes colorful whimsy with vintage elegance for a perfect-for-all-ages dinner party.
I am thrilled to finally be sharing this fun party we put together for our brother’s 40th birthday! As an avid Alice in Wonderland fan, my brother requested a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party theme for the event. I am always excited to put together a party but with a theme like this I knew I’d have a great time thinking of ways to make it unique. It’s not exactly the most original idea, so I saw it as somewhat of a personal challenge to make it different from all the other Alice in Wonderland parties I’d seen.
While I’m pretty sure my brother enjoys all the versions of Alice in Wonderland, he particularly loves the Tim Burton version. With it’s dark whimsy, I tried to seek inspiration directly from the film and was struck by how well this poster for it matched the vision already in my head.
My dad and I had made these tables from vintage doors this summer to use for a bridal shower I hosted. (I’ll be sharing that party soon!) And I immediately thought of them for this party. The scene when Alice first visits Wonderland and is trying to fit through the door came to mind and I thought they’d be perfect. But I also knew I didn’t just want a moody, vintage look. I wanted to incorporate lots of color and fun elements since the silly side of the story is what my brother loves most. I wasn’t sure my initial idea would pan out well, but once I put the colorful kazoos and fun mixed confetti I had bought next to some vintage cups and tablecloths, I knew the idea was gold. I just loved the mix of playful and delicate.
Perhaps what I was most excited for leading up to the party, though, was that I’d finally get to use my collection of vintage stemware. I have always loved the look of mixed glasses. Especially the colored vintage kind. And I’d been slowly collecting them over the years as I found unique ones at thrift stores and estate sales. Of course, I’d grown worried as I had never had the chance to really use them yet. But once this party came up, I knew the time was finally here! And, boy….did they look beautiful all laid out together with the rest of the whimsical elements around them! ‘Drink Me’ labels on every cup were obviously necessary :)
