Mad Hatter Tea Party

[SyrCinderella]

I talked with DD's SM today regarding the Tea Party, and she said it runs around $8000 as shown. I asked if it is possible to omit some items like props to get the price down and she said they suggest the regular GF tea.

Has anyone had success in arranging a tea which is scaled down from the TV version? Do you think her EM when assigned would have some other suggestions?

[allisonswonderland]

I am hoping to do just that. I will probably nix the props and do the Mad Hatter character, the cake and upgraded linens. My planning session is in May so I will let you know what I come up with. I also found some big Gerber Daisys at Trees and Trends that would be great for centerpieces, my aunt may ise these for my shower so I am wondering if I could bring them down and not have so much floral-

[groomtb]

What do they do extra besides the characters? wonder how different is it from having GF tea...
GF afternoon tea is great for tea lovers... having characters around will sort of ruin it for me lol.

[allisonswonderland]

It is a private event, you have food/bev - that part is not actually (at least mine) a tea.

[groomtb]

wow that for $8000....

[SyrCinderella]

allisonswonderland - please let me know what you come up with at your planning session in May, DD is really hoping that something like that can be arranged. The regular tea at the GF is just not the same-she wanted a private event (and the cake...)

[allisonswonderland]

I would be happy to share with you - My planning session is May 18, but we will be there for the week following. So just pm me so I remember. The props are very expensive and there is a charge min for the props, like if you do not spend 2000 on props you get a 500 set up fee. So I just thought why do I need a 6 ft caterpillar, all I need for a Mad Hatter Tea is the mad hatter, the cake and wild linens.

[karenperez]

I can't wait to see pics of this tea party.

[RangerPooh]

I don't know if WDW and DLR have a similar policy but years ago when we checked into this we were told that one of the biggest expenses to the event was that they did not store the props (cups/teapots/plates/chairs...) and therefore had to replace the everytime. Them not storing the props didn't make much sense but that was the explaination. Well, besides the cost of characters and large props (chinese lanters, tea cup...).

[groomtb]

they should be letting people keep those things!!!

[KT27]

FYI the mad hatter cakes run just under $1000

[allisonswonderland]

You can do a two layer for a lot less than that I am thinking I was told 350-375 ish

[SyrCinderella]

According to her SM, they get the props from an "outside source" and thats why they are so expensive. DD doesnt even want the props necessarily but the SM wouldnt even email a standard price list so we could get an idea of the parts she wanted. We know the cake is expensive, but its pretty darn cute.....

[Ember]

Just curious, what location do you have this in?

[allisonswonderland]

There are several places I guess- there is a grassy area at the boardwalk near the pool, that is where it is usually shown, though the food network special showed it outside Francks. Anyway- I think you could have them anyplace, even a ballroom, but you may need to not have all of the props, they look huge and they might not fit thru a doorway.

[Sunkissed]

Has anyone just gone to the Afternoon Tea with their "girls"? I was thinking about this for after our spa session and will cover the bridesmaids' cost but would like to invite all the female guests to join us at their expense if they are interested.

[Janet2k]

Eadxx (I forget the number after her Dis name) enjoyed tea in the Garden View Lounge as one of her bridal events. I believe a family member had reserved the lounge for her little group so it was a private event. She said everyone had a lovely time.

As to the Mad Hatter Tea Party, Underthemistletoe experienced it for her December wedding. I believe her mother-in-law surprised her with it. She shared photos of it here on the Dis and it looked lovely. Search on her name and you’ll find her post (it’s here on the Weddings & Honeymoon Board somewhere).

I saw photos a few years ago of Disneyland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party. It was incredible. Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings folks had sponsored a couple of days for the Wedding Industry folks to see what was possible in Disneyland. Someone had attended the event and had shared photos of it. The event looked incredible. My ~uneducated~ guess is that the event was probably in the five-figure range based upon all the props, decorations, food, beverages, and characters at the event. Disney pulled out all the stops. Besides Alice and the Mad Hatter, I believe the Queen of Hearts, the White Rabbit, and both Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee were in attendance. What a fun event it must have been.

[twojo21]

something similiar, nice & much more affordable is the tea at the garden view lounge at the grand floridian. you can view the menu here http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_gft.htm & see a photo here http://allearsnet.com/acc/gf12.jpg you can also rent the venue out for private functions at different times of the day for about $1000.


during the wedding week i had a ladies event with our moms & my bridal party at the grand floridian spa, some had massages others had manicures & pedicures, we then went to magic kingdom via the monorail & had lunch at the royal table in cinderellas castle, it was all around awesome. :goodvibes

[Janet2k]

Okay, I just remembered what Eadxx's Dis name is -- it is Ead79. Her name is Elisabeth and she was married in Disney a few years ago (two? three?).

[Ember]

Just a note: the rules for private events at the Garden View Lounge have changed and there are only very specific times it may be booked for a private event. (I looked into it as a reception location...)

[ead79]

I had a wonderful private event at the Garden View Tea Lounge at the GF. Some dear friends of my mom rented the location to host our bridesmaids luncheon. At the time (this was back in 2003), they were able to reserve it before the Garden View Lounge opened for regular afternoon tea. If my memory serves, I believe that our private tea was held around 11:00 am. They served the standard tea menu of scones, trifle or pastries, finger sandwiches, and tea. They also added shrimp cocktail and either champagne or sparkling fruit juice to the menu and ordered a charm pull cake from the GF Bakery. It was a wonderful event.

At the time, I believe the minimum food and beverage expenditure was $500++, but this has quite possibly changed by now. I’m not sure how much my event cost (it was kept separate from my BEO since we were not paying for it), but it truly was lovely. Here’s a link to some pictures from the event (sorry they are so dark—my scanner is super old, LOL): http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9nofjoj.c2t2gc2n&x=0&y=-uxjxcd

[Sunkissed]

Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth! Love the charm cake idea!