Whimsical Garden Party Ideas

Tea Party

There are many themes you can choose when having a whimsical tea party. A well-loved theme is an "Alice in Wonderland" Mad Hatter's tea party theme in which you can stylize everything from the invitations down to the decoration. The invitations can read something like, "For the Duchess Kate, an invitation from the Queen to have afternoon tea." Roll the invitation and put inside a small tea cup to make it unique. Cover a long table with a colorful table mantle and fill it with all kinds of tea cups, tea pots, plates, keys, playing cards, clocks and other odd items. The more mismatched the items, the better. Gather stuffed toys such as a rabbit and cat to represent characters from the story. Hang lanterns from a tree in the garden and make rabbit-like paw tracks on the floor leading to the long table. Cupcakes can have the sentence "eat me" printed on with icing. For games, have a "Pin the grin on the Chesire Cat" game or have a treasure hunt where players will look for a golden key. If the celebrant is a girl, she can dress up as Alice and if the celebrant is a boy, he can be the Mad Hatter.

A new baby is certainly a miracle and a whimsical baby shower theme will emphasize the happiness and love the parents feel. Start with an Anne Geddes photo as an invitation. Her photos of babies in creative and imaginative settings will complement this theme. Since this will be in a garden, you won't need to decorate with flowers much except for the table centerpieces. Fill vases with bright flowers such as daisies for a cheerful look. Cover the tables with colorful mantles and fill small glass bowls with different-colored candies such as jelly beans and M&M's. Use a large leaf as a creative alternative to a place mat. String colored crystals and beads and hang them from a tree along with paper butterflies and dragonflies. Instead of competitive games, play games that are light and informative such as trivia questions like "How many gallons of milk can a newborn drink" and so on. After the party, send off your guests with whimsical souvenirs such as feathered pens or tin cans filled with colorful mints.

A bride will truly feel like a princess on her wedding day if she has a whimsical theme. Handmade invitations with pressed flowers on them are ideal, as well as hand-printed envelopes. A gazebo decorated with flowers and lots of greens like Spanish moss and ivy can be the focal point of the garden set-up. A birdbath can be a unique item where guests can make a wish for the couple and throw pennies or flower petals in it. If it is an evening wedding, string lots of small white lights around the trees in the garden to emulate the feel of a magical forest. Line the pathway leading to the garden with large Mason jars filled with sand and tea lights. Hire a band to play romantic songs and complement dessert by serving tea or coffee in vintage-looking tea cups.

There are many online shops which offer whimsical items you can add to your garden for special events. Arbor and Vine features birdbaths, decorative bird feeders, garden statues and various pots. A Garden Place has many of the same items along with decorative garden stakes, jeweled butterfly sun catchers, garden gnomes, tinkling toadstools, path signs, fairy statues and more. Having these items will add a whimsical look to your garden.