I threw an Alice in Wonderland tea party last spring and it was honestly one of the most fun parties I’ve ever hosted. The theme is whimsical enough to be interesting but recognizable enough that everyone immediately gets it.
The best part? You don’t need to be a professional party planner or spend a fortune to pull it off. Most of my decorations came from thrift stores and the dollar store, and people still talk about how magical it looked.
Let me show you how to create your own Wonderland.
Why This Theme Works
Alice in Wonderland has built-in party elements. Tea party? Check. Playing cards? Check. Colorful, mismatched aesthetic? Perfect for working with what you have. The whimsical, slightly chaotic vibe means nothing has to match perfectly, which takes so much pressure off.
Plus, it works for different ages and occasions. Kids’ birthday party, bridal shower, baby shower, or just a fun get-together with friends. The theme adapts to whatever you need.
The Color Palette
The key is mixing bold colors with softer pastels in an intentionally mismatched way. Think bright red and pink with touches of teal, yellow, and purple. Playing card red is your anchor color. Add in pastels for the tea party elements, and mix in some blacks and whites for the chess theme if you want.
Don’t worry about things matching perfectly. Wonderland is supposed to be a bit chaotic and dreamlike. That’s part of the charm.
Creating the Scene
The Table Setup
This is your centerpiece, so make it count. Use a mismatched collection of teacups, saucers, and teapots. Hit up thrift stores for vintage pieces in different patterns and colors. Stack teacups at varying heights as centerpieces. Use different sized plates at each place setting. The more eclectic, the better.
For the tablecloth, layer different fabrics or use a bright solid color as your base. Add a lace overlay if you want that vintage tea party vibe. Scatter playing cards across the table as confetti. Use keys, pocket watches, and “Drink Me” bottles as additional table decor.
Place cards can be mini playing cards with guests’ names written on them, or create little “Eat Me” tags for each seat. Fold napkins into fun shapes or tie them with ribbon and tuck in a small plastic flamingo or mushroom decoration.
Mad Hatter Tea Party Station
Set up a dedicated area that screams tea party. Stack teacups and saucers in precarious towers. Hang teacups from ribbons at different heights above the table. Display different types of tea in vintage tins or jars with labels like “Drink Me Tea” or “Mad Hatter’s Brew.”
Create height variation by using cake stands, books stacked as risers, and upside-down teacups as pedestals. The goal is organized chaos that looks intentionally whimsical rather than accidentally messy.
The Entrance
Set the tone immediately when guests arrive. Create a rabbit hole entrance using black fabric or paper to create a tunnel effect. Hang clocks showing different times with signs saying “I’m late! I’m late!” Put a white rabbit decoration at the door with a sign welcoming guests to Wonderland.
If you have a doorway, frame it with oversized playing cards or flowers. Add a “Down the Rabbit Hole” sign with an arrow pointing inside. You want people to feel like they’re entering another world the second they step through the door.
Hanging Decorations
This is where you can really create that topsy-turvy Wonderland feeling. Hang teacups and teapots from the ceiling with fishing line at different heights. String up playing cards as garland. Add paper lanterns in bright colors. Hang clocks at odd angles. Create a canopy of mismatched ribbons and fabric strips.
For an extra touch, hang signs with famous quotes from the book at random angles. “We’re all mad here,” “Curiouser and curiouser,” “Off with their heads!” The intentional disorder adds to the theme.
Garden of Roses
If you have outdoor space or even just a corner of your party area, create a rose garden. Use red and white roses (real or fake). Paint white roses red with red paint visibly dripping for that Queen of Hearts effect. Add some oversized mushrooms made from paper or foam. Scatter flamingo decorations around. If you’re feeling ambitious, create giant flower props from poster board.
Food and Drink Ideas
The food is where you can have the most fun with this theme. Label everything with Wonderland-inspired names.
Sandwiches and savories become “Eat Me” sandwiches with little tags. Tea sandwiches cut into hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades using cookie cutters are perfect. Cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad, and egg salad work great. Keep them small and dainty for that proper tea party vibe.
Sweets and treats are essential. Cupcakes with “Eat Me” toppers, cookies decorated like playing cards, heart-shaped everything, macarons in bright colors, and a variety of small pastries. Stack them on tiered cake stands for visual impact.
Drinks get the full treatment. Serve different types of tea (obviously) with labels like “Mad Hatter’s Blend” or “Cheshire Cat Chai.” Create a punch or lemonade station with a sign saying “Drink Me.” Add edible glitter or food coloring to make drinks look magical. Serve in teacups or mismatched glasses with striped paper straws.
The cake should be your showstopper if you’re doing one. A topsy-turvy cake design is perfect for this theme, or go with traditional tiers decorated with playing cards, keys, and clocks. Even a simple cake becomes special with the right topper—maybe a tiny Alice figurine or a “We’re all mad here” sign.
Activities and Entertainment
Croquet game using flamingo mallets (pool noodles with flamingo heads attached) and hedgehog balls (just regular balls, or paint them to look like hedgehogs). Set up a course in your yard or create a mini version indoors.
Pin the grin on the Cheshire Cat works like pin the tail on the donkey. Draw a Cheshire Cat without his famous grin and have guests try to place it correctly while blindfolded.
Tea cup decorating station where guests can paint or decorate plain white teacups to take home as favors. Provide paint markers, stickers, and gems.
Find the White Rabbit scavenger hunt with clues hidden around your party space leading to a prize.
Cards tournament because what’s Wonderland without playing cards? Set up a table for card games, or just scatter card games around for people to play casually.
Dress Code and Costumes
Encourage guests to dress up, even if it’s just adding a headband with ears or a bow tie. Provide a costume box at the entrance with simple accessories: headbands with ears or flowers, bow ties, pocket watches on chains, playing card necklaces, and mad hatter style hats. This way even guests who didn’t dress up can participate.
If you’re hosting, consider dressing as Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, or the White Rabbit. But honestly, even just wearing something whimsical with the theme’s colors works perfectly.
Budget-Friendly Tips
Thrift stores are your best friend for mismatched teacups, saucers, and vintage decorations. Dollar stores have playing cards, plastic tablecloths in bright colors, paper plates and napkins, and basic party supplies. Print your own decorations and signs rather than buying expensive themed ones. Use what you already have and just add whimsical labels and tags to make them fit the theme.
Books make great free decorations and risers for displaying food. Playing cards are cheap and incredibly versatile for this theme. DIY most of your decorations using cardstock, paint, and creativity rather than buying pre-made items.
I spent maybe $50 total on my party for about 15 people, and most of that was food. The decorations were mostly DIY and thrifted items.
My Party Reality
I set up my dining table with mismatched teacups I collected from thrift stores over a few weeks, printed out “Eat Me” and “Drink Me” tags, made tea sandwiches cut into card suit shapes, bought cupcakes and added DIY toppers, hung playing cards on strings across my living room, and created a simple photo backdrop with an “Off with their heads!” sign.
People loved it. Was it perfect? No. Did I achieve every Pinterest idea I pinned? Absolutely not. But it felt magical and whimsical, and that’s what mattered. The imperfection actually added to the Wonderland chaos in a good way.
The Most Important Thing
Don’t stress about making everything perfect or exactly like the book or movie. Wonderland is weird and wonderful and nothing makes complete sense, so lean into that. Mismatched is good. Slightly chaotic is on-brand. Focus on creating a fun, whimsical atmosphere where people feel transported to somewhere magical.
Your guests will remember the vibe and the fun they had, not whether your teacup tower was perfectly symmetrical or if you had every single character represented. Sometimes the best parties are the ones that embrace the beautiful mess.
So go down the rabbit hole, embrace the madness, and throw a party that’s curiouser and curiouser. Just maybe don’t actually yell “Off with their heads!” at your guests. Probably.