Some Alice in Wonderland wedding inspiration for you today! The perfect mad hatters tea-party, with vintage crockery, themed biscuits and a real life bunny- it’s an eclectic mix of alternative bridal and chintzy styling for you to feast your eyes on. Here we catch up with shoot coordinator Natasha Gilchrist from Tasha-Mae Wedding Co-ordination and the rest of the team to tell us all about this Alice in Wonderland Wedding…
“By theming our shoot the Alice way, we wanted to relay to couples that anything goes and anything really is possible. Our message to all future couples is if you have a dream then be brave and make those dreams come true. No-one needs to stick to the norm anymore and if you want to wear stripey tights with Doc Martin boots with your wedding dress…then just do it!”
“When walking down to the woodland, we stumbled across ‘The Stumpery’ area which was the perfect setting for an Alice and Mad Hatter tea-party, and of course don’t forget the (real!) white rabbit. Further down into the woods and amongst the glen of enchanted Christmas trees it gave inspiration for many other Alice shots, such as, the drink me image, the chessboard with playing cards, as well as Alice through the looking glass.”
The Venue – The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House
“The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House is a beautiful barn wedding venue on the Somerset /Dorset border. We have twelve acres of grounds including private woodlands and a stream. We were delighted to be able to work with such a talented team on this photo-shoot as the Alice in Wonderland theme suits our magical woods perfectly. From Alice drinking tea with the Mad Hatter in our woodland stumpery to the mysterious door down in our Christmas trees, we so enjoyed hosting this fun photo-shoot. There is nothing we love to see more than a smiley bride having fun at our venue.”
Photography – Kirsty Hardiman Photography
“I absolutely loved recreating a bit of Alice in Wonderland wedding magic at The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House. The woodland area provided a great backdrop full of different textures to create the perfect atmosphere for part of our shoot. The forest area was a whole different ball game with the striking natural light that cam down through the trees putting Alice and the Mad Hatter well and truly in the spotlight! I have such a passion for photography and being able to document couples as naturally as possible whilst being able to be creative is a dream come true.”
Bridal – Exclusively Yours Bridal Boutique
Natasha and the team came to my shop to try on some different types of dress to see which suited the Alice in Wonderland styling the best. We decided on a tea length ‘Sincerity’ bridal dress which of course fits with the Alice in Wonderland beautifully and it was great way to show off those amazing stripey tights! The second dress was a ‘Veromia’ ball gown with delicate floral detail in ivory and gold which gave it a whimsical edgy look to fit with the edgy Alice.
Hair and Make Up – Sapphire Styling
“With Natashas brief being an ‘Edgy Alice’, I was able to create a style combination of ‘Girly V Edgy’ for our model Abbey who was posing as our Alice bride. By using hair extensions it gave Abbey extra bouncy blonde curls which I could add an Alice-band plait to. Using fresh flowers from Hanna our florist, I was able to dress the plait to match the bouquet.”
“For the make-up I used pink and blue glitter pigments with an ombre effect on the eyes and some dramatic lashes for that girly but alternative look. All of the colours complimented each other really well with the Alice in Wonderland styling.”
Groomswear – Wedding Time Bridal Salon and Men’s Formalwear
“For the photo-shoot we used our Wilvorst black morning jacket and striped trousers and top hat for a ‘Mad Hatter” look. This is a very traditional style of suit but works well with any waistcoat and coloured tie or cravat. Although being traditional our suits are all slim fit giving a more shaped look to the suit. Teamed with one of our hiring waistcoats I think the suit gave a very sharp look to the photo-shoot.”
Flowers – Flowers by Tidbury
“As well as making a bouquet, I made a bridal hoop for the shoot to show a whimsical alternative to the traditional bouquet. Taking inspiration from the typical Alice in Wonderland dress, the bouquet was filled with pale blues and muted lavender tones, herbs and peaches. The living table runner brought the forest floor to the Mad Hatters tea party, with heather, parrot tulips and Muscari sprouting from the moss. Having this natural element certainly made the white rabbit feel at home when hopping around on the table!”
Props and Styling – Perfectly Pretty Wedding & Event Styling
“At Perfectly Pretty Wedding we have a huge array of stock which included a lot of items perfect for an ‘Alice’ look. We used items such as our mini tea set, flamingos, vintage books, a silver candelabra with contrasting mixed candles, giant wooden toadstools, giant chess set and an eclectic mix of wooden chairs. The style was bright, quirky, edgy and unique, a handmade door mouse was provided, along with styling on the day using all the other gorgeous items from other suppliers, including the real white bunnies!”
Cake – Cakey Lulus
“When I was asked to create the cake for this Alice in Wonderland shoot, my thoughts immediately turned to the dress. Inspired by Alice’s blue and white dress, I added ruffles on the bottom tier and different textures to catch the eye. A touch of white lace echoed the beautiful lacy tea length dress used in the shoot. As a nod to the song ‘Painting the Roses Red’, I created a cascade of red and white sugar roses, with some still seemingly in the process of being painted. All topped off with a stack of elegant hand-painted sugar teacups and an edible pocket-watch, to give the cake that final Alice inspired touch. I also made some ‘Eat me’ cupcakes for the happy couple to tuck into, and some golden macaroons to finish off that tea party feeling.”
Biscuits – Biscuits by Sarah B
“Edible place name biscuits are always a hit with wedding couples as they tick two items off the ‘to do’ list, doubling as favours. With the theme of Alice and the Mad Hatter, I opted for designing a simple, yet elegant plaque cookie with red rose and gold details. The tea party theme with the vintage china meant I could go a bit wild with different teapots and teacup biscuits and I had visions of the bride and groom eating their teacups – just to be a bit different!”
“The table lay-out, with plenty of natural props, wood, moss and flowers meant I could create some fun Alice-themed biscuits, not just the ‘Eat Me’ and ‘Drink Me’ but also playing cards, flamingos and details such as the gold pocket watch. Weddings should be fun, daring and different and most of all reflect the couple! The wackier, the better, I say!”
China – Grannys China Cupboard
“Grannys China Cupboard supplied all the vintage china and cake stands for the Alice photoshoot. Being given this remit we chose cups and saucers that were still reminiscent of Alice with red and white roses. We purposely didn’t choose the bright, childlike ones you would expect but aged and mature to fit the theme and to demonstrate the flexibility that vintage china can bring to any wedding whatever the theme, it doesn’t always have to be scones and bunting!”
Stationery – Lily & Lottie Stationery
“Using the natural woodland setting as the basis for my inspiration, I opted for a grass backing for the table plan and a vine inspired laser cut wedding invitation set. Of course, being Alice in Wonderland, the red roses were practically obligatory and using classic illustrations by Sir John Tenneil with a splash of added colour to support the quirky vintage styling I aimed to bring together the overall theme with the stationery suite.”
Videographer – Katy Stroud Photography
“Alice in Wonderland was a favourite childhood story of mine and such a beautiful classic that I have been desperate to recreate it. With the woodlands at The Old Milking Parlour, the suppliers and the models it was a perfect depiction of my dream. The grounds of Cavokay House are stunning and quite mysterious which made it the perfect location for our team to create our version of the Mad Hatters tea-party.”
“The lighting that was created by the sun’s position over the woods proved a perfect spotlight and generated a mysterious, moody ambience which was great fun to get creative with. Having never worked with animals before the bunnies were certainly a new challenge which definitely put the edge on our Alice shoot!”
The Team – Alice In Wonderland Wedding With Alternative Bridal Style
Shoot Co-ordinator: Tasha-Mae Wedding Co-ordinator @tasha_mae_events
Venue: The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House @oldmilk1
Photographer: Kirsty Hardiman Photography @kirstyhardimanphotography
Videographer: Katy Stroud Photography @katystroudphotography
Bridal: Exclusively Yours Bridal Boutique @exclusively_yours_bridal
Groomswear: Wedding Time Bridal Salon and Men’s Formalwear @weddingtimeuk
Cake: Cakey Lulus @cakeylulus
Biscuits: Biscuits by Sarah B @biscuitsbysarahb
Vintage China: Grannys China Cupboard @grannyschinahiredorset
Florist: Flowers by Tidbury @flowersbytidbury
Hair & Make Up: Sapphire Styling @sapphirestyling
Styling and Props: Perfectly Pretty Wedding & Events Styling @perfectlyprettywedding
Stationery: Lily and Lottie Wedding Stationery @lilyandlottiestationery
Bride Model: Abbey Kearley @abbeymayk
Groom Model: Shane Ring @shane_ring_
Love the Alice in Wonderland Wedding theme? Check out our Wonderland Wedding Inspiration
