Curioser and Curioser: An Alice in Wonderland-themed 13th Birthday
Bring Wonderland to life for your little lady’s 13th birthday celebration! The memorable scenes from the well-loved Lewis Carrol tale are chock full of fun details and zany characters that would be a blast to work into this party theme. But this would entail using ready-made party printables with an Alice in Wonderland motif, purchasing props, or creating them yourself. This could get pretty costly or be too much of a crafting challenge.
So we’ve put together a party set-up that shows how you can capture the look and feel of Alice’s world, using materials you can easily source or probably already have. Think over-the-top colors, wacky DIY party decorations, and a tablescape straight out of the Mad Hatter’s crazy tea party!
An Ultra-colorful Table Setting for an Alice in Wonderland Theme
The whole idea of a Wonderland-themed table display is one of playfulness, whimsy, and being not-quite-what-you’d-expect. “Curiouser and curiouser,” as Alice would say! So let your creativity kick in. Assemble a table setting that’s just bursting with fun details like these:
- a golden yellow table runner extending the length of a clear glass table
- playful centerpieces, consisting of towering pink candelabra and a giant faux strawberry shortcake and chocolate cake (both hollow inside to hold party surprises!)
- 2 sets of party plates—one floral patterned, the other plain yellow—alternating at each place setting
- chair decorations and table napkins in several bold colors, folded to resemble candles
- mismatched tea cups and saucers with colorful bows tied to their handles
- bands of brightly colored fabric encircling each chair back
- elements with varied height like tall candles and short teapots (see below)
What you can substitute:
- For the faux cakes – Why, real cakes, of course! If you can bake or order them oversized and with fun, crazy decorations, that would be great.
- For the pink candelabra – Tall lamp stands (minus their lamp shades) with store-bought candle holders on top, held in place with double-sided tape. Just take extra care to secure the candles in these holders before lighting them, to avoid any accidents!
Zany Decorating Details
Within the table display itself, there’s so much that can be added to the happy hodge podge of decorating details. Here are just a few for you to consider:
- mini flowerpots of pink and ivory roses placed amidst the centerpieces
- whimsical paper cutouts of butterflies tucked in among the flowers
- little nonsense signs hidden away in the oddest places
- tea pots in different styles and colors used as foliage planters
- stacks of tea cups filled with candies and adorned with ribbons
- vintage skeleton keys (available on Etsy) used as napkin accents
- an assortment of apothecary bottles labeled “Drink me!” scattered around the table
- playing cards used as place cards with guests’ names clipped on
- stuffed toys of the Cheshire cat, the caterpillar, the pink flamingos, and other Alice characters perched on the chair backs
You can surely think of many other fun decorations that would seem right at home in Wonderland!
What you can substitute:
- For the vintage skeleton keys as napkin accents – You can use card stock cutouts and tie these around the napkins with a bit of chain.
- For the playing cards as place cards – Simply print large single hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds on white card stock with a guest’s name written on each, then cut them out in playing card size.
- For the stuffed toys on the chair backs – Download images of the Alice characters and print them out on heavy card stock. Cut these out, then attach them to the fabric bands encircling the chairs.
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