Alice in Wonderland - Tea Party with a Twist

I wanted to start the week by sharing a stunning tablescape & concept photo shoot styled by one of my friends Kate. Kate is the owner and lead planner/designer for Kate Miller Events located in the Sacramento Area. Her work is simply beautiful! She partnered with some amazing vendors on this shoot (check out the flowers by Flourish - LOVE!) and it was featured on Style Me Pretty. So enjoy all the goodness that they created with their take on the Alice in Wonderland theme...especially the photos by Sarah Maren - this gal takes simply amazing photos. I heart the ones with Mrs. Whiskers the live rabbit in them!

Here is Kate's tale of the behind the scenes and what inspired the shoot:

"The story of Alice in Wonderland has been a favorite of mine since childhood – so of course, when the new movie hit the theaters, I was beyond inspired. Having been a fan of Salvador Dali’s more dark and twisted take on the story, I loved the rich color palette and slightly devious delivery that Tim Burton imbued within the set. More specifically, I was inspired by deep purples, rich moss greens, pale lavenders, rusty orange and that pop of classic Alice baby blue used in the photos depicting Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

We approached this shoot as an opportunity to incorporate fun subtleties of the storyline into a rich, rustic backdrop. The chair tie, place card, drink/eat me sign and menu Luxecuts™ in dark shiny plastic lend an edge to the woodsy flowers and hand-painted mushrooms. The juxtaposition of the large wood farm table and the gold accents in the Chivari chairs, gold-rimmed black spoke chargers, flatware and teapots created an air of elegance against the tree-lined path. Floral china teacups brought back a hint of the classic Alice tale, as some were filled with the same pansies known to sing in Disney’s version.

Playing to the recent trend of black and white in wedding fashion and black lace tights in everyday fashion, we fused the two with a lovely lace dress accented by a tulle sash and large rhinestone rose pin. Various black and white fascinators were fun to play with – but the best accessory was a tribute to the infamous white rabbit himself, showcasing a mink colored bunny (Mrs. Whiskers) paired with a gorgeous gold pocketwatch necklace. Finally, a frothy-tulle concoction blended beautifully into the wildflowers, topped with a velvet blue bow.

Our model, Alison (how appropriate, yes?) held a bridal bouquet containing a collection of rhinestone brooches, peach garden roses, dusty miller and lavender roses, finished off with a selection of teapot and clock charms. She snacked on our lovely dessert table filled with treats listed on a large Luxecuts™ menu – Tweedle Mallows, White Rose Truffles, Royal Suit Linzer Cookies, Down The Rabbit Hole Cupcakes, and Three of Hearts Chocolate Pretzels filled the table along with other various treats in our color palette.

I cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it was working with every single one of the vendors on the Alice team! The talent, the fun attitude, and the appreciation for the artful event industry really shines through in this project and I feel so grateful to have been a part of it!"

Photo Source: Sarah Maren Photography