I recently went entirely mad, and it was the absolute best.
Although the wedding may not be until March, it made the most sense to have my hometown bridal shower a little early. I’ve been madly in love with Alice in Wonderland as long as I can remember, and my very crafty mother, Susan, and her best friend/my ‘second’ mother, Tracy, went above and beyond to create a Wonderland-ready tea party bridal shower!
These two party planning geniuses thought of all the details — and the most unique ways to complete them! They thrifted, repurposed, and hand-crafted my mother’s house into a scene straight from the Queen of Hearts’ kingdom. From the door mouse to Bill the Lizard, croquet flamingos to the Caterpillar’s hookah, every imaginable detail was represented and thoroughly enjoyed.
What does one wear to an Alice-themed bridal shower? Blue, of course — or, if that sky-colored dress isn’t as cute as you’d imagined, something white and whimsical.
Currenty wearing… Dress, BCBGeneration [HERE // Found on sale at Dillards] | Headband, BCBGeneration [LAST SEEN] | Bracelet, Kate Spade [SIMILAR] | Boots, Steve Madden [SIMILAR]
Ready to fall down the rabbit hole? Check out the full collection of photos, and see which unique materials you can spot!
OUTSIDE OF WONDERLAND
The space outside was full of lawn flamingos, incorrect navigational signs, and other quirky Wonderland features.
THE MENU
The tea party menu consisted of chicken salad sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, and pinwheel sandwiches; fruit cups with vintage playing card food picks; veggie and cheese ‘mushrooms’; Chessmen cookies; M&M pretzel ‘flowers’; themed petit fours; and chocolate, yellow, and carrot butterfly-and-rose cupcakes. The Wedded Blitz cocktail and a sherbet punch were served, and both were perfect for setting the party mood!
It would have been a fantastic bridal shower if the event ended there. While I rarely underestimate my mother and Tracy’s crafting abilities (or intense dedication to a theme) seeing the party at this point already surpassed any of my expectations! And then I turned toward the stairwell and saw Alice. Or me. Googly-eyed me. Meet Googlia.
THE DESCENT TO WONDERLAND
The adorable playing card soldiers and fantastic Googlia (Or Julia-Alice? Jalice? Alulia?) was just the beginning of the fall into Wonderland…
THE MAD HATTER’S TEA PARTY
In a moment of anti-bridal grace, I believe my first words upon arrival were, “Holy shit.”
They thought of everything. Every inch of the basement was covered in flowers, clocks, rabbits, and mushrooms. The window was full of ‘Drink Me’ bottles. A rose bush full of painted flowers and a Cheshire Cat sat in the corner. Each place setting had a vintage teacup and saucer, all perfectly mismatched just like the Mad Hatter would have wanted.
The queens were made with yogurt cups, napkin rings, light bulbs, and small scrap embellishments. The caterpillar was created with a dryer vent hose, a half-gallon milk jug, Model Magic, a toilet paper tube, egg cartons, and paint. The mushrooms were a combination of empty industrial wrapping rolls and bowls, and the walls were made blue with disposable table cloths. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (or rather, their twin-like knockoffs!) were spotted at Ikea, and nearly all other items were collected at garage sales or already in my mother or Tracy’s homes. Tracy hand-painted the adorable and perfectly-eerie characters. Our wedding date (3/12) was hidden throughout on playing cards, clocks, and signs. Adorable!
They came up with some very clever Wonderland-themed games. We played Alice in Wonderland trivia (and while I wasn’t playing to win, rest assured I earned a perfect score) and vintage Bridal Bingo. Additionally, everyone was given a playing card, and the person holding the same card held by Alice at the door won a prize. All attendees sitting in seats with certain flowers left with a little something special, as well. To top the afternoon off, everyone was given a cute bag of candy to take home.
Can you believe such a magical place existed? Obviously, I was painfully tempted to move into my mother’s basement. Who wouldn’t want to stay in Wonderland forever? (Except for maybe Alice, but, ya know, I won’t ruin the book.) I feel so lucky to have been thrown such a spectacular party! Thank you so much to the two people behind it. What a very merry un-birthday to me!
Love weddings? Me too! Don’t forget to enter the $75 Bachette.com giveaway, and check out other Wedding Wednesday content on OhJuliaAnn.com!
If I were to win the Bachette.com gift card. I would buy one of their super cute soft bries tees 🙂