I love this fun bridal shower Stephanie threw for her sister and bride-to-be, Jessica. A bit into the shower from Stephanie,  My sister’s and I have always been fans of the Mad Hatter, so it was perfect for a Sunday brunch bridal shower. At first we had visions of croquet sets with flamingos but when the number of guests reached closer to 50 we decided against that idea. We focused on the decor and setting to create the mood we wanted. Luckily our parents have an amazing backyard that set the perfect scene for a tea party in the grass. I can’t say enough how much we got at thrift stores and swapt meets, the great thing about this theme is the more eclectic the better!
I love all the fun hats the ladies wore!
Being a foodie my main concern with inviting all these women was the main buffet table. This is where we pulled out all the stops. We took inspiration from other things we’d seen and stacked, stacked, stacked as many tea pots, tea cups, and cake platters together as high as we could. It’s amazing what super glue and patience will get you. The tea cup stacks were a big success, I have to admit it took a couple times to make it work but just be patient and you’ll find a way to make them work. The cake stands were vital for both a visual aesthetic and a need to display the food.
A fun game we played was “Tips and tricks for the bride to be”: set up a table with paper and pencils and have your guest share their own “tips/tricks” to a successful marriage and put it in a pretty box. This is another great way to have your guests participate without having to do those embarrassing and dreaded bridal shower games everyone hates and if they do leave a tip then they can take a raffle ticket and enter into a giveaway. This is especially fun if your guests think out of the box and aren’t afraid to share… Those older women always have a few tricks up their sleeves. You can share the tricks out loud and raffle off a few prizes.
Thanks so much for sharing the details into your fun shower! And special thanks to photographer Bryan Miller for sharing his photos with us. If you love the Alice in Wonderland idea, here is another fun inspiration board to help get your creative juices going.
This shower looks like so much fun! All the guests look great in their hats, and look like they are having a fabulous time!
wow, i LOVE this! i always think a themed party helps guests get more into the event and have fun with it themselves…rather than just showing up with a gift : )
What an awesome shower theme! And the photos are wonderful :)
Oh my gosh what a FUN idea. I would love to attend a bridal shower like that!
Oh, this is wonderful and so cute!! I love the “Red Queen’s Agenda”! My good friend is throwing a first birthday party for her daughter with the same theme (Alice in Wonderful tea party) and I’m designing the invitations for her so this is great inspiration!
how fun!! love it.
LOVE this!!! Such a fun them, and all the little details tie it all together. Beautiful! Congratulations to the bride to be!
Ahh, this is so lovely! I’m sure everyone in that bridal shower had a great time. I would eat the cupcakes even without the ‘eat me’ label.
Pretty pictures!!
Details of the very romantic!
What a totally FUN shower! Alice in Wonderland has been springing up as shower and wedding themes and this one is right up there with the other amazing designs! LOVE IT!
Stacking the tea cups and saucers and clocks is brilliant and the very vintage sketches of the characters is a great touch. Brilliant work all around (especially those lovely hats the ladies are wearing. Oh what fun!).
-Savannah
For fabulous European Flora Design check out:
The French Bouquet- http://www.thefrenchbouquettulsa.com/blog
And for the eco-friendly and budget-friendly brides check out: Petite Fleur- http://www.petitefleurtulsa.com
Wonderful photos! You can never go wrong with vintage china… I love all the DIY details. A shower is the perfect time to get creative with friends on the decor, without the pressure of a wedding day. Looks like everyone had a fabulous time. Now they’re going to want you to throw more tea parties! ; )
WoW!!! No doubt, God is in the little details… So gorgeous and so unique!
I absolutely love these pictures! This looks like such an amazing shower! :)
We recently had a mad hatter themed engagement party. We had everyone wear a super creative hat, most of which were homemade and we even had a ball pit for people to take pictures in as a play of the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. I would love if you could check out the pictures below.
http://fashboulevard.blogspot.com/2011/08/mad-hatter-engagement-party.html
This shower theme is so different! (in a very good way). The hats are so much fun; what a perfect tea party. I particularly liked the agenda poster and your tips and tricks bridal shower game idea. You said most bridal shower games are dreaded, but actually, there are lots game ideas (like yours) there are a breath of fresh air for guests. Ice breakers, like fun bridal shower conversation cards, can be placed at guest’s tables without interrupting the flow of the party. There are several of these types of printable games available at http://www.bridalbananas.com (silly name – I know – serious fun).
What a fantastic theme. Tea party: fun. Mad Hatter tea party? Crazy fun. I’ll definitely be thinking of this one for the next bridal shower I plan. Here’s a game I think would combine well with this theme: http://www.bridalbananas.com/book-of-love-wedding-reception-game