Mad Hatter Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

How to create a charming Alice in Wonderland tea party for kids! Read on for great ideas on decor, food and more!

shot of table for Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

For the decor, I scoured vintage shops and antique stores for funky teacups and found a plethora of unmatched, colorful cups and saucers.

We served warm tea with honey, delicious tea sandwiches, macarons, the cutest chocolate cats, marzipan strawberries, shortbread cookies with “eat me” written on them, lemon scones and a delicious vanilla cake with asymmetrical flowers added to it!

How To Plan an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party – Step By Step

Send out your invites well in advance.
Grab some thrift and vintage shops for interesting and mismatched cups, saucers and plates!
Create an easy finger food menu, with a good helping of sweet and colorful treats.
Make sure you have a big enough table or tables for your spread. If you have space outside, opt for the outdoors, just like Alice did.
Add some floral arrangements for a further pop of color and freshness.
Have plenty of tea and soft drinks ready to serve.
Enjoy!

top down shot of table for Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

How to Decorate Your Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

Don’t worry about being matchy-matchy. Mix the flowers with old and new tableware in various patterns – this will allow you to create your own look.

If you are able to visit a flea market or garage sale, look out for old silver trays, teapots, and teacups. Don’t be afraid to mix and match teacups too. Straw hats can also be incorporated into your tablescape for a fresh look.

Fresh flowers are always a must when throwing a party! The flower arrangements should be lush and have an “unarranged” feeling to them. Mix roses with other garden-variety flowers such as hydrangea, tweedia and black-eyed Susan’s.

Sweets For Your Tea Party

And of course we didn’t forget the candy! Pink gumballs and chocolate candies were placed on the table to add a punch of color and sweet charm!

The important thing is to keep it colorful and varied! Why not fill teapots with lollipops or apothecary glasses jars with shiny wrapped sweets! You can really get creative when the theme is colorful chaos!

Other sweets are often served with full tea or light tea. Common types of sweets found on tea party menus include various types of sponge cakes, Madeleines, cupcakes (which are ideal for kids’ tea parties) and trifles.

Be careful not to have too much overlap in the types of sweets you serve. Ideally, your sweets menu will include a variety of flavors, such as seasonal fruit (or, in the cooler months, preserves), cream, vanilla or chocolate.

shot of scones and sweets around a tea cup

Tea at your Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

With so much of a focus on the foods in afternoon tea, it can be easy to overlook the…. tea!

Here is a list of top teas for afternoon tea, as most of them pair very well with a range of foods found on afternoon tea menus. Try to select bold teas for rich or strongly flavored foods or more delicate teas for more subtle foods.

Consider including at least one caffeine-free tisane (“herbal tea“) or a decaf option, in case some guests are sensitive to caffeine.

shot of eat me sweet at Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

Finger Sandwiches at your Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

Finger sandwiches (also known as “tea sandwiches”) are often served at full tea, a heavier style of afternoon tea menu.

Classic afternoon tea finger sandwiches include egg salad, tea sandwiches, cucumber tea sandwiches, smoked salmon finger sandwiches, roast beef finger sandwiches, ham finger sandwiches, and chicken salad finger sandwiches. (These types of simple recipes tend to work well for kids’ tea parties.)

However, you can venture beyond these more traditional tea sandwiches with other tea sandwich recipes, like watercress tea sandwiches or buttered radish finger sandwiches. Just be sure to keep the intensity of the flavors in your finger sandwiches comparable to the level of flavor in your tea and sweets.