Category Archives: Flowers

The Perfect Autumn Wedding

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Your big day is coming up and we’re here to help you plan the wedding of your dreams! Autumn is the perfect time to get married. Something about this season just makes you want to curl up with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, and who better to do that with than your new husband or wife?

First Thing’s First: Indoor or Outdoor?

It’s tempting to have an outdoor wedding in Autumn, especially for those in the leafy areas. Keep in mind that while it is very beautiful, the Autumn can be quite chilly. Never fear- you can have both the comforts of home and nature’s beauty, whether you’re inside or out. Here’s how:

Outdoor Weddings

The wonderful thing about having an outdoor wedding in the Autumn is how simple the decorating can be on your part, while still achieving a breath-taking ceremony. The rich hues of red, orange, yellow, green, and brown decorate themselves. Warm, seasonal colours will surely pop against that perfect white gown. But, let’s talk colours later. The tricky part about outdoor weddings is weather. Wedding planning takes months and months of careful planning, and unpredictable weather changes can be a serious threat to your perfect day.

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Plan ahead.

Schedule marquee rentals from one of our wedding suppliers ahead of time. In most cases, you can do this through the same service that provides your chairs and tables. Because weather is flippant and unpredictable, most vendors will have a reasonable cancellation policy for marquees, allowing you the freedom to make the call much closer to the date without scrambling to find a marquee at the last minute. Talk to your vendors. They want your day to be perfect, too.

Keep It Simple

With so many vibrant colours around you all of the beauty that nature has to offer- clean, classic decorations go a long way.

Lights.

Consider using white string lights, vintage-style iron lanterns, or round paper lanterns to offset your colourful surroundings.

Sparklers are the new confetti and it’s no surprise why. Aside from being beautiful and inexpensive, sparkler send offs make for gorgeous wedding photos and by opting for sparklers over confetti.

Add seasonal wedding decoration. Chances are you will need to make some final touches. Depending on how classic or rustic you want your ceremony to be, the amount of decorations will vary. For a more rustic approach, consider decorating with bales of hay, bright orange pumpkins, and natural wood. For a classic look, all of these same ideas could still apply, but probably in smaller doses. Consider painting the pumpkins and using them as vases/centrepieces for a sleeker look.

Indoor Weddings

For those of you with indoor weddings, weather and temperature won’t be as much of a concern. But, to have a true autumn themed wedding, you will have to bring nature inside to you! Here are some recommendations that may help you achieve that Autumn look you’re searching for.

Let Mother Nature Inspire You

Natural wood tables and chairs. Going with a very simple and natural looking wood will bring the feeling of nature inside.

Leaves.

This one’s a freebie! Bag them up and bring them inside to decorate. You can line the aisle with bright, multi-coloured leaves for an outdoor feel.

Make use of the pumpkin. They aren’t just for Halloween. Aside from the endless possibilities of seasonal pumpkin foods and cocktails, they make wonderful decorations. Paint them, spray them with glitter, carve your initials into them, mark them with table numbers, use them as vases or candleholders…

Regardless of Location…

Choose bridesmaid’s dresses that are rich in colour. Popular colours for autumn include burnt oranges, deep reds, golds, chocolate browns, and dark purples.

Take advantage of what the season has to offer by using autumn colours, serving seasonal food and drinks, and using your favourite things about autumn to create beautiful centrepieces, placeholders, and other decorations.

A bright white dress will pop against an autumn colour palette, for sure. But, if you’re going for a more vintage look, go for a creamy off-white dress instead.

Last, but certainly not least, enjoy yourself. We wish you a wonderful autumn wedding and the happiest of marriages!

Food on a tight budget

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Thinking about ideas on what wedding food to serve when you’ve on a tight budget is sometimes difficult. We’ve got 10 top tips to help you serve great wedding food ideas on a budget!

Too many cooks?

Although you are catering for the wedding party, when choosing your menu, don’t offer too many options. Offering a multitude of choices for the wedding breakfast doesn’t enhance your guests’ experience, or make anything taste better. More choice only means more expense.

Cooking on gas

Some of the most beautiful wedding venues are outdoors – be it a marquee or a hog roast festival – but these celebrations do not have on-site kitchens or furniture. You will be required to pay extra to supply these facilities, so make sure you include this in your budget.

Smooth operator

The key to a successful wedding reception is timing and service. Making people wait for food and drinks is not a great idea. Pay for extra serving staff to ensure a smoothly-run reception and you will notice the investment – and your guests will love you for it!

Trade your toasting tipple

Champagne is everyone’s top tipple for parties, but it can be a little on the expensive side. However, there are some great sparkling wines available, which are just as good but cost less. To impress your guests on half the budget, add a little elderflower cordial and a hibiscus flower to Cava, to create the perfect festive fizzy cocktail. Not only does this add a light, sweet, floral taste to the drink, it makes the Cava go that little bit further – good news all round!

Bacon buffet

If you plan to party in the early hours of the morning, don’t serve an evening buffet – you are essentially paying for two full meals that many people won’t even touch. Why not serve bacon sandwiches or posh kebabs a la Lily Allen? This will give the illusion of an evening meal and your guests will be thankful for the traditionally British fuel injection before the trip home.

A cheesy ending?

Cheese cakes are a great alternative to traditional tiers. You can ask your caterers to cut and serve the savoury slices with fruit and biscuits as the dessert after your meal. Alternatively, cupcakes are a cheaper option than a tiered cake and work well as both a dessert and a favour.

Raise the bar

The drinks reception tab can easily set couples back a few thousand pounds, so limiting what is served can be a great way to reduce costs. Ask your bar to carry beer and wine, or alternatively, have a cash-only bar that your guests will have to pay for. If you have provided them with a lovely meal accompanied with great entertainment, guests won’t mind forking out for a few drinks towards the end of the evening.

Caffeine fix

Coffee and mints are an essential part of any party and the perfect way to round off your meal. Why not add flavoured syrups and amaretto biscuits to freshly ground coffee, to give your guests a delicious caffeine fix? They’ll be guaranteed to keep dancing late into the evening after one of these!

Spend to save

Cutting corners doesn’t always mean cutting costs. If you cut out canapés, you will end up with hungry guests at the beginning of the day. Why not spend more on canapés but less on the evening buffet? Many people over spend on the evening food when most guests are still full from the wedding breakfast, which is a waste of both money and food! Lighter evening snacks will go down just as well with your guests, and save you money, too.

How to save, and what to splurge on

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Your wedding day should reflect your style, your personality and of course be the best it can possibly be for your budget. 

Your date

Choose a week day or an off-season date and you might find that everything is that bit cheaper, and that suppliers are more open to offers. We’re not suggesting that you barter, but it might be worth simply asking your preferred suppliers if they offer a reduced rate on your chosen date. You never know! It’s fair to say that Fridays have joined Saturdays as premium spots, given that couples and guests like to make a long weekend of their celebrations, but you’ll definitely find much better availability and probably better prices for an early-week, early-year celebration.

Your venue

The best wedding venues will offer flexible packages, with price ranges to reflect what they can offer. To secure your venue on an exclusive use basis will always attract the highest prices, but what about if you were more flexible in your approach? For example, if you chose to have your wedding reception at your favourite restaurant (which will keep costs down in itself), would you be willing to share the space with normal paying customers? Or perhaps you might consider holding your reception somewhere that is open as usual during the day? If the venue can take bookings as normal, it’s going to keep costs down. That said, if you do choose to get married and have your reception in the same place, guests won’t need to be transported, you might be able to stay there too keeping accommodation prices down… it’s all in the planning, which includes negotiation with your venue.

Your guest list

We all know that the big cost of any wedding is in feeding your guests. Your venue will talk about a ‘per head’ cost. There is absolutely no shame in making it clear to everyone from the start (including your parents and anyone else who thinks that they are going to be allocated invitations to give out!) that you are having a small do. Far better to feed fewer guests with an amazing meal that they will remember than lots of guests with food chosen purely because it was the cheapest option. The general rule is that if both of you haven’t met someone, they shouldn’t be on the list, but actually by eliminating big groups like ‘colleagues’ and ‘cousins’ and standing firm on your decision, this will make a huge difference. Manage expectations from the start. Tell everyone at work that you’re really sorry but, much as you would love to invite everyone, you’re on a really tight budget (and you hope they understand?). Enlist the help of a friendly relative to spread the word that the wedding is small and intimate, but the family is big so not to expect – or demand – an invitation.

Your dress

It’s never recommended that you save on your dress! Buying your wedding dress online, or from an imitation dress site, or from anyone that tells you that they can copy a designer dress for a fraction of the price is tantamount to disaster! There have been oh-so many stories of devastated brides who took a risk and it didn’t pay off. Your wedding dress is an investment, something that you will look back on for the rest of your life. You need to get it right, and the only way you can do that is by buying from a bona fide bridal boutique. Good boutiques will work with you and your budget to make sure that you are happy and comfortable with your choice, and show you that you don’t have to re-mortgage to get the dress of your dreams.

 

Your bridesmaids

Do you even need bridesmaids?! Well, yes, of course you do, and it makes sense that you want them to look right, happy and comfortable, too. Bridesmaid dresses are best bought from proper bridal shops too, and there are many options available, but once again, it’s not worth breaking the bank over. Again, it’s about managing your girls’ expectations. If they don’t understand that you are on budget, are they the right person to be your bridesmaid at all? Also, don’t get carried away and have your 15 closest friends… Instead, you should stick to the few that have always been there for you, through the good times and the bad. They are also supposed to offer practical help and support, so think it through carefully!

Your flowers

It’s another thing that you need to fork out for, so get a professional who can interpret your style and work with your budget. That said, there are clever ways with flowers… They can be moved, for example – church flowers can appear again in the evening; bridesmaid bouquets can form table centres – the possibilities are endless. You could even enlist the help of the church flower team, or speak to the venue about sharing the costs, maybe with another event or wedding. There are some incredible silk flower options around – it might be that your out-of-season peonies are better value in silk, for example. Talking of peonies, did you know that they are on average five times more expensive than roses? You should always buy flowers that are in season.

Your photographer

Saving money by hiring someone cheap, or by relying on friends who take good photos will not work. We’re sorry, but you simply can’t take a risk, or rely on, anyone else other than a professional photographer who has a wealth of wedding experience. Taking quality photographs of you on your big day is not the same as taking Facebook-worthy selfies.

Your reception

Of course your best budget bet would be to choose a venue that doesn’t need much decoration, or that already has a huge stock of items you can make use of to decorate. Or you might have some friends who are really good at making things, all of which would keep your costs low. Once you have decided on your theme, you can start to stock up – each shopping trip could include candles, or confetti, or fairy lights. Start a wedding cupboard, and you will be surprised how quickly it builds up! The sales are always good, too, even if your wedding seems like a long way away. And of course you might find that if you get married in December, for example, your venue will be decorated well anyway.

 

Ideas for finishing touches

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Finishing touches are so important. They’re the icing on the cake, they tie your whole theme together and show your guests that you’ve thought about every last detail.

But here’s the thing – they don’t have to be expensive. Some of the most beautiful finishing touches we’ve seen in real weddings have been from brides who have used their imagination and creativity. One of our favourite shots of the year so far has to be this beautiful picture of ribbons hanging from a chair back. Simple, elegant and inexpensive – the perfect finishing touch.

All that glitters

Wedding flowers are the perfect opportunity for brides to make a personality statement. Tangerine is a key colour and works well with pink and gold.

Talking of gold, this is the colour to luxe up your wedding look. We love apples covered in gold leaf, gold charger plates, and even the golden wrapping on Ferrero Rocher!

The great outdoors

Tree-inspired schemes are going to be big this year – think bark pots, hanging tree decorations and large branch arrangements.

When it comes to hanging wedding decorators, our favourite new idea is the pom pom. Easy to make and instantly eye catching, they can be hung from the ceiling at your reception or in your marquee.

Don’t forget your aisle when it comes to decorations. Ask your florist to create some simple pew ends and attach them to the end of each pew with a pretty ribbon in your wedding colour(s). For a budget-friendly, alternative finishing touches why not pick some flowers and stand them in jam jars at the entrance to your ceremony?

Using lavender seeds to spread a scent is an old wedding florist’s trick and one that’s easy to steal. Simply drop some at the entrance to your marquee and let the guests spread the scent on your shoes as they walk around – brilliant!

Budget Blooms

Is your wedding flower budget almost gone? Fear not! Add a single stem to every other person’s place setting to pretty up your tables in an instant.

When it comes to finishing touches in the hair, peonies or garden roses are so effective. Purse friendly and oh-so pretty, they will work just as well as a comb or tiara.

But perhaps the easiest finishing touch to include in your day is a personal, hand written note to your guests. Tell them how much you appreciate them and how important it is that they’re sharing your special day.

Inspiration if you are marrying abroad

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If you’re marrying abroad and you want to create a beautiful wedding with a beach theme – or even if you just want to bring a splash of colour to a travel-inspired wedding theme in the UK – then check out our top buys for a tropical look!

There loads of different theme options for destination weddings – you can always incorporate traditional elements of your chosen destination, such as colours and flowers, into the theme of your day. Try hibiscus flowers, leis and floral prints if you’re marrying in Hawaii, or royal blue and white, olive leaves and goddess dresses for Greece. You could also opt for a nautical theme in shades of blue, white and sandy neutrals, with anchor motifs and rope detailing. We personally love a bright tropical theme, which is one of the most striking – and easy to create!

For a tropical theme, choose bold bright colours such as hot pink, orange, turquoise and lime – don’t be afraid to contrast them! Use white as a base colour to really make them pop. When it comes to flowers, we love orchids for a beach wedding – they come in a range of gorgeous colours and can be used for bouquets, buttonholes and in hair. You could also choose birds of paradise, palm fronds, frangipani or protea for an exotic look.

Take advantage of your seaside theme and use starfish and shells as decoration – they make great place names, favours and centrepieces. Just add lots of candles and scattered seashells to fresh white linens to create chic table decoration. When it comes to table names, why not stick with the travel theme? Name the tables after places you and your new husband have been, or would like to go – or, if you’re lucky enough to be marrying in the Caribbean or in Hawaii, name them after the islands!

Obviously a tropical wedding will need a beautiful beachy dress. Just accessorize with embellished sandals and lots of gold jewellery for a luxurious goddess-inspired look.

Finishing touches for under £500

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With a little planning, you can transform your wedding with finishing touches for under £500 – here are some of our ideas!

Outfits with wow factor

If you’ve got a bit of spare money in your budget, consider adding a little something to your wedding day outfit to really make it pop. Splashing out on a finishing touch like a brooch or bolero means you can change your look from day to night without spending a fortune on another dress – genius!

Eat, drink and be merry

Many venues will ask you to have your menu and drinks finalised long before the big day, but there’s still a lot you can do with a spare £200-500 at the last minute. Serving canapés with the wedding drinks is one option, especially if you’re worried that guests might get hungry waiting for the wedding breakfast. Or, consider serving extra snacks during the evening celebrations, when guests might get peckish. There are plenty of other ways to make your choice of food more entertaining – why not try an ice cream or pizza bar and let your guests’ imaginations run wild?

Dreamy decor

When you walk into your reception room for the first time, you’ll want it to be magical – an extra £500 can help guarantee that you and your guests will be blown away by it. 

If you’re holding your wedding in a marquee, there are lots of other low-cost decorating options. Scattering lavender flowers on the floor and tables will not only look pretty, but also smell fantastic. Wedding signs are also a great, cheap way to add impact to your decor 

Musical treats

For £500, you can hire talented musicians to entertain you and set the mood for your celebrations. At the ceremony, drinks and the meal, a string quartet is a classic option for a sophisticated feel. Look around for an excellent vocalist – it makes such a difference having someone sing as you enter the church and it’s great for your guests while you are signing the register.

For a musical idea that costs nothing but will mean a lot to your guests, include something on your invitations asking guests to RSVP with song suggestions – playing them on the day will ensure you get the musical tone right and that everyone hears something they like.

Evening entertainment

This is the area where your money will make the most noticeable difference to the day. Everyone will remember the fab toastmaster, salsa dancers or casino that made your celebrations so much fun. If you are concerned about your guests not mingling, hire a magician, human statue or caricaturist to get people talking. Book them for when guests are due to arrive at the reception venue, to work the crowd as they arrive, when people are quite shy – later on, the atmosphere and alcohol will take over.

Lasting memories

At the end of the big day, all you will have to remember those special moments will be your photographs. For many brides, it’s worth spending a bit more to get your wedding photographer to stay all day, from morning into the night so he can capture everything, especially those more relaxed moments at the evening party

Alternatively, buy a Polaroid camera and lots of film! Ask guests to take their photo and write a message on the back for you to keep as an alternative to a guestbook.

A handy 12-month planner

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The perfect Wedding needs planning and we thought that this 12-month handy wedding planner maybe just the job to ensure you are organised for the big day;

12 months to go…

Have the budget conversation with your fiancé and your parents?

Fix a date and time
Decide on guest numbers
Visit reception venues and book one as soon as possible
Buy wedding insurance

11 months to go…

Send save-the-dates

Book your wedding photographer and videographer (Make sure the church or wedding venue allows photos and videos to be shot!)
Book the caterer, DJ and/or band
Make appointments to try on wedding dresses

10 months to go…

Choose your guests – bridesmaids, ushers and best man etc.
Decide on your dress (allow at least six months for a made-to-measure dress to be delivered)
Choose and order your bridesmaid’s outfits.
Start thinking about a honeymoon, including the costs, season and flights

9 months to go…

Find a wedding florist and discuss your flowers, including buttonholes, bouquets and arrangements for the church and reception venue
Taste and confirm your menu and drinks with your caterer
Choose and order your bridesmaid outfits

8 months to go…

If you’re getting married in a church, discuss readings with the minister or priest and music with the musicians
If it’s a civil ceremony, enquire about what readings and music are permitted
Order invitations and envelopes (allow one invitation per married couple or family), plus place cards, menus and a seating plan

7 months to go…

Book transport to the wedding venue and on to the reception for you and your bridal party (as well as a car to take you to your first-night hotel or the airport)

Order your wedding cake

Choose and order wedding favours

6 months to go…

Remind your fiancé to get his and the usher’s outfits
Choose gifts for the wedding party
Pick your wedding rings
Confirm the order of service with your priest or registrar, and then have guest booklets printed. If you have a choir, they need copies, too

5 months to go…

Go honeymoon shopping (Remember summer clothes aren’t easy to find in the winter and vice versa!)
Book a hairdresser and style consultation (do this earlier if you’re planning to grow your hair)
Book your make-up artist and trial appointments

4 months to go…

If you’re changing your name, renew your passport now or do it after you have your honeymoon. The officiating minister or registrar will sign the form
Find out if you need visas or inoculations for your honeymoon.
Discuss hen and stag night plans with your friends.

3 months to go…

Pick a company and start gift-list window shopping!
Book for a colour (if you get your hair coloured) and a trim
Organise a rehearsal and inform those who will need to be there
Attend a reading of the banns, if you’ll marry in a church

2 months to go…

Send out invitations six weeks before the day and keep a list of acceptances
Check that your fiancé has organised the rings, his wedding clothes, and your first-night hotel
Try on your whole wedding outfit, including headdress, shoes and underwear. Forgotten anything? Get it!
Book any other beauty treatments (nails, fake tans, etc.)

1 month to go…

Confirm numbers with caterers and do the seating plan
Discuss special requests with your band or DJ
Order honeymoon currency and traveller’s cheques
Visit the hairdresser to try out hairstyles with your veil and tiara, and have your final cut and colour
Have your hen and stag nights – after all that running around, it’s time to party!

Unique weddings

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Brides across the country are striving to make their wedding unique. Research shows that this is the main cause of anxiety for 53% of couples in Britain planning a wedding. Almost two thirds of couples said that, although their wedding was the best day of their lives, their day lacked distinctiveness. The areas where bride and groom felt they could have added a more personalised touch was through their wedding decorations and what they served to guests.

Save the dates

Create a really unique save the date card by sending a customised beer mat. You can follow this up by sending invites on a personalised label on a beer bottle with details in a scroll inside.

Party favours

You can expand on your save the dates by decorating the tables with colourful beer steins or personalised beer labels. Additionally, visiting a brewery with your husband-to-be makes for a fun pre-wedding event; it can also be a chance to provide guests with a very special, personalised gift.

Welcome reception

A welcome dinner or drinks reception is a great way to break the ice between your out of town guests before the big day. The local pub is a perfect location for this.

Guest welcome packs

Create guides for your guests who are visiting from out of town. Include tips on local pubs and leave it in their hotel rooms. You can also include a local beer as refreshments for the rooms.

Venue

Use dried barley or fresh hops to decorate the wedding venue instead of flowers. You can also use them in your bouquet! For a really rustic feel, you could have your wedding reception in a brewery or a barley field. Another idea is to use vintage beer crates for seating or to sign your vows on an oak barrel.

Seating

Instead of traditional cards, use personalised beer caps or coasters to tell people where they are sitting. An even better idea would be to use actual bottles so that guests can enjoy a drink whilst they find their seats.

Food

Use beer as a main ingredient in meals, such as beer battered fish or steak and ale pies. You can also pair your dishes and canapés with your favourite beers. This way, your guests are introduced to a new beer match with everything they eat! You can also put a twist on a traditional wedding cake by using beer as a key ingredient. For the best of both worlds serve a chocolate wedding cake made with a stout beer. This decadent treat will definitely be something to be remembered!

Drinks

A beer inspired drinks menu is a really nice touch. Serve beer based cocktails using a brew you created or choose beers that represent special times in your relationship. For instance, a beer from the country where you got engaged or the beer you were drinking the night you met.

Toasts

If your fiancée is not a fan of champagne, serve beer during the wedding speeches. Ditch the bottles and serve beer to your guests in tasteful chalices. There are many elegant beers with signature glassware, such as Leffe which has a cork and foil top.

DIY Decorations

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You don’t have to spend a fortune on wedding decorations. Have a go at a project today and give your day a personal touch with handmade creations…

Fabulous fans

How about making some brightly coloured pinwheels for your marquee reception. They add a real pop of colour to the venue, but if you want a softer, more subtle look, try pastel shaded pom poms.

Vintage bunting

You could use pastel coloured cloths and vintage style bunting to pretty up your vintage tea party reception. You can pick up table cloths pretty cheaply on eBay to get a similar look.

3D table numbers

Make cardboard 3D table numbers and then cover them in pretty, shabby chic style fabric. A simple and effective idea that you can easily make at home with old off-cuts of fabric. Mix up the patterns and colours for an eclectic look.

Hanging old pictures around your reception venue is a sure-fire way to get guests talking. Personalise the room with photographs of all your loved ones, then let guests find their faces. You could adapt this for use in your table plan, too.

Pretty pom poms

Draw your guests’ eyes upwards with a ceiling full of paper pom poms and lanterns dangling from the rafters. This year’s hottest wedding designs and decorations are to be found on the ceiling. 

Rustic jars

Ask your friends and family to keep all of their old jam jars as they make cute arrangements for a rustic theme. Mix and match different shapes and sizes and fill them with cheap wedding flowers like gypsophilia for a feminine, just-picked-from-the-garden look.

Trend alert!

This potted plant table plan is such a lovely wedding decoration idea, perfect for a country themed wedding. You can pot them up yourself, use them as a table plan, and then hand them out as thank you gifts at the end of the night. Double DIY delight

Top table runners

Long trestle-style tables work brilliantly with table runners down the middle – go for gingham if you’re planning a country-style celebration like this couple or hessian if you want a more rustic look. A striking runner will mean you won’t have to go overboard with your flowers, either.

Mad Hatters Tea Party Wedding

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Wedding Invitations

The maddest guests needn’t be invited, they will simply fall through the rabbit hole and stumble across your party by chance.

Dress code

Colourful, bold and avant-garde.

Hair code

No one is allowed to have similarities in hair colour or style, other than that, anything goes.

Wedding Décor

Matching furniture is forbidden; the more quintessentially Wonderland, the better.

Guests

Be specific when choosing your guests based on personality, if they aren’t at least slightly crazy, they won’t fit in.

Tea

Earl Grey is the only tea to be served. It needn’t be high quality and can be of any origin, just make sure it’s Early Grey.

Sandwiches

There are three sandwiches which are appropriate for a Mad Hatters Tea Party; minted cucumber, egg mayonnaise and mustard cress, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. Cutting your sandwiches into heart shapes is cute, but would Alice approve of your allegiance to the Queen of Hearts?

The Chelsea Bun

The Chelsea bun is known predominantly for throwing, so get involved, it’s what Tea Parties are made for.

Shortbread

Height should not be discriminated against; therefore, shortbread is totally acceptable at the tea table.

Wedding Floristry

Floral perfection should be avoided at all costs. If you have a budget for plants, stick to twigs, decaying leaves and fungi.

Hospitality

Being hospitable is essential. This can be achieved through planning a range of unrecognisable party games.

Weather

If you’re worried about being outside and it raining, it doesn’t matter too much as the best Mad Hatters Tea Parties are set in very little sunlight. For big budget tea parties, rain and mist machines are encouraged.

Seating

If you can’t get bums on seats, bums on anything is fine. Stools, shelves, giant mushrooms; anything goes.

Cheshire cat

One ginger cat is required as ‘purr’ its Cheshire heritage.

Timekeeping

This is banned as there is no time in wonderland. However, we would only suggest this tip as optional as if adhered to it can cause havoc, after all, you don’t want your guests to be late for this very important date.