Because the bride's mother did not want an event that was too heavily themed, the event team staged a traditional, Colorado-style outdoor wedding ceremony. But the "Alice in Wonderland" theme began to creep in at the cocktail reception, which featured a giant chessboard and a custom croquet set with "flamingo" mallets.
The White Rabbit--watch in hand--appears to urge guests to come to the reception.
Guests go "down the rabbit hole"--really a cluster of branches--that leads them to ...
.. the amazing, 100-by-100-foot reception tent, from
Event Rents. The tent had been used the day prior for a graduation at the school being used as the wedding venue. The event team deftly worked with the school to arrange for a higher-end tent than originally planned.
Straight from original story, keys hold escort cards.
Cocktails--which say "drink me"--are ready for guests.
Custom maps--from Posh Paperie--guide guests through the various theme areas inside the tent, including the White Queen's Garden Station and Red Queen's Pasta Station.
A table number card riffs on the playing card theme so prevalent in the original story.
A wealth of custom props, such as this giant tree, add to the mood; the client kept many of the pieces after the wedding.
T'Da Design handled decor and floral.
A huge chandelier in the dinner tent gives guests the impression they have shrunk in size, a la Alice herself.
Guests served themselves from stations, then sat at a 75-foot Mad Hatter table. The couple had their own gazebo in the center of the tent.
The event team collected some 500 pieces of mismatched china to create the Mad Hatter table.
A sample of the mismatched china.
The White Queen's Palace Garden station, featuring salads and vegetables.
Gourmet Fine Catering oversaw menus.
And the White Queen herself. The event team used a mix of style guides for the event, from the Sir John Tenniel design to a more Tim Burton-esque look.
White M&Ms make a pretty snack.
And the Red Queen herself. The characters mingled with guests throughout the evening, and all staff wore some element of Alice-theme costuming.
The Red Queen's pasta station; Laser Sound handled lighting, AV and the DJ.
The Mad Hatter at work at his hat-making station, where guests worked with
Party Hats Entertainment to create their own stunning headgear.
The Caterpillar presides over a food station. The "Down the Rabbit Hole" station featured foods that masqueraded as other dishes, such as "chocolate cannolis" that were really beef-stuffed pasta.
A pretty presentation ...
... of prosciutto-wrapped shrimp. The client had little interest in food, so the event team had to tread lightly to ensure guests would enjoy the array. (In fact, neither the bride nor groom had ever been to a wedding, the event team says.)
The custom dance floor with the couple's monogram.
The Red Queen and White Rabbit rock out ....
.. prompting guests to do the same on the chessboard dance floor.
A four-foot-tall, living Queen of Hearts head.
Elegant Bakery created the remarkable teapot/teacup cake, which was five feet tall.
Another view of the wedding cake.
A departing guest is glad to take his Mad Hatter hat creation home.
Note the giant chess game in front of the dinner tent.
For another remarkable Alice in Wonderland event--a birthday party from Heffernan Morgan Ronsley--click
here.For more beautiful Photo Galleries, click here.
A Mad Hatter cake from Elegant Bakery.
