Becoming 18 is like opening up a whole new adventure for you. What’s more adventurous than starting your “adult” life with a mad adventure to Wonderland? So for your 18th birthday why not be Alice and have your party in Wonderland?
Travel to the Rabbit Hole with Me!
As an invitation, you can get glass bottle with “Party with Me” on the front. Inside is a scroll that has all the information of your party – the venue, date, etc.
Another great idea is to have big invitations shaped like playing cards. Inside you can write “Meet Me in Wonderland”. You can also send out invitations shaped-like a pocket watch with the writing “Do not be late to a very important date” just like what the White Rabbit keeps on saying.
What to Wear
Make sure you inform your guests to wear their Alice in Wonderland inspired costumes. There are many characters in Alice in Wonderland so your guests can pick from one of those but it is important that there is only one Alice in the party and that should be you!
Click here for Alice in Wonderland costume ideas.
Bring Your Guests to Wonderland
Why not create the same ambience when Alice joined the White Rabbit to a tea party? Instead of using small round tables, why not set up a long table where everybody can seat in one table like that of the Tea Party in Wonderland?
Replace the entry way of your venue with a small door where a waiter is waiting with small vials with the label “Drink Me” on it. The vial can be filled with water or juice. Once the guest drinks the vial then they can enter the party.
Decorate the table with different sizes, colors and shapes of tea pots that you can find. The teacups do not have to be a set so you can put in some mismatched teacups and saucers, some can be very large tea pot while others can be like toy tea pots.
Instead of the generic white table cloth use a checkerboard-designed table cloth instead that reaches down to the ground for more drama. For lighting, hang paper lanterns of different colors and sizes on top of your long table. Haphazardly place some pink lawn flamingos (if you can find them) around the area as well as big-size playing cards. Also, place some white and red roses on the table. If you can get any oversize props like oversize paintbrushes, tables, etc., use them for your venue. You can also make use of your trinkets to decorate your venue like mini cups and saucers, mini chest boxes, etc.
If you plan to have your party in an enclosed place, hang up different kinds of clocks all stopped at the time of your party. The chairs do not have to match as well! Place different sizes and designs of chairs so that some guests seem taller than others. However, remember to place a huge armchair at the head of the table where you will seat. Remember Wonderland is all about imagination!
Wonderland Games
Play lawn croquet. Paint the balls pink as a representation of the flamingos. You can also set up on a corner a “Decorate Your Own Tea Set” and the one who is closest to the theme wins.
Hide some very small top hats, pocket watches and the face of the Cheshire Cat grinning around the area and tell the guests to look for them. The guest with the most number of top hats and pocket watches wins. Special prizes can be given for those who find the Cheshire Cat face so make sure you make only a couple of those.
(Home page photo courtesy of Disney)
Hi
Im planning to have a vampire inspired debut
Please Help Me I dont Know How To Start on it
Hi Elsie,
Perhaps you can start with the costume first. Do you want it to be an elaborate one or just an ordinary outfit? An elaborate vampire costume usually comes in black and red and has a cape. If you don’t want the elaborate one, base your dress on the Twilight movie. The characters there wear ordinary-looking outfits but they stand out because they’re so white! You can try that and invest on your make up instead! Choose a dark-colored dress (so that your whiteness will stand out) then perhaps you can have an overcoat too as an effect, which you can remove while you’re having the program proper.
Ask your make up artist to make you look like a vampire by making you a bit whiter and paler! Ask your guests to do the same as well. The paler, the better. It will look great in pictures because you all will definitely look like you’re looking for the next victim!
Then have these delicious cupcakes for dessert!
They look like they’ve been dipped in blood so that’s cool! Or maybe you can also prepare “Vampire Truffles” — these are delectable truffles oozing in red jam especially when you take a bite!
For your table setup, fill bowls with red apples to make your centerpiece. Then scatter red roses and black ones too if you can find them, around your buffet and dining tables.
For your drinks, prepare Red Iced Tea and Blood Red Wine Sangria if you want to offer cocktails to your guests.
That’s all I can think of as of now and I’m sure that you’ll be able to start from here! Of course it’s important to watch lots of Vampire movies and stuff first so that you’ll be able to imbibe the atmosphere that you are to create for your party. 🙂
Happy planning Elsie! 🙂
Cool theme!:)
hi i was planning about an emo inspired party. can you help me ? i just need in urgent because my birthday will be soon coming
Hi Teya,
A Tim Burton inspired emo party would be an interesting one. Take a look at this picture of Alice (based on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland). You can have a black party along with it or go with the color deep purple. You can take inspiration from music videos like Can’t be Tamed – Miley Cyrus. It is emo in a theatrical way. Hope this helps.
This is the theme for my debut! 🙂
I’m having it in December.
I want the long table but there’s a lot of guests… 70-80 people so isn’t that impossible for the long table?
Also, because of the catering menu, we can’t offer tea. 🙁
I will have some nice decorations though. My invitation is the playing card one. And it says ‘Come through the looking glass and celebrate Nicole’s happy unbirthday!”
I think the place only has round tables. 🙁
Hi! Can you help me to plan my party? I’m thinking of a kiddie debut party. My desired theme is strawberry shortcake. And I want to celebrate it in Shakey’s or McDonald’s.
Hi/1 Can you help me to plan my party? I’m planning to have a kiddie-teen party. My desired theme is strawberry shortcake. Thanks!
hi im planning to have a fashionista debut..what kind of idea do you have?help pease..
i don’t know what debut theme will i choose
a girly, unique debut theme. fairy tale inspired..
and
black and white, vampire theme inspired
i want them both..
i dont how to start and what are the things shall i consider…
please help me?
Hi Ianne,
I have a friend once who had her debut at McDonald’s. They dressed up the place of course but they had Mcdo food, mcdo souvenirs or lootbags, and mascots. Maybe you can do the same thing. Even though you’re turning into an adult, let people know that you are still young at heart.
Have a great debut!
Hi Rose Anne,
It seems that you have many ideas in mind! 🙂 That’s good but it’s very important to filter it out while you’re starting so you can really focus. We really cannot tell you what to choose because it depends on your taste and personality. There is no theme that’s better than any other themes. We are just sharing these things so that you guys can consider them and also develop ideas on your own. Of course, you should consider what you like. Second is the budget. If you want a grand vampire themed party but your budget is not enough for it, then just choose something that’s simple and will not demand so much money. Another consideration is how many guests you want to invite and if they are up for the costume party you want to plan. If your friends are non-costume wearers, then there is a possibility that any masquerade plan may not be successful. Another consideration is time and resources and their availability. If you don’t have enough time, maybe you can go for sublime parties, which may just take a few days to plan.
Hope this helps!
what will be the souvenirs/giveaways for the alice theme? thanks in advance
hi.
you really have an imaginative mind. i like your ideas about the ‘vampire’ and ‘alice in wonderland’ theme party.
i’m also a party planner and and debut has always been rare since i started planning. (most of my clients are brides or mothers for kiddie parties)
your ideas really help me a lot. 🙂
hello,…
i am planning that my debut will be like a victorian era feeling?…What can you suggests with this theme? the costumes, souvenirs, invitations and also the 18 roses, 18 candles..and also the cotillion..i really want a grand debut on june.
and do u think it is good to have a coordinator for the event?..
thank you so much..
Hi Kat,
For a fashion show theme, you can replace your 18 roses with 18 fierce poses and 18 wacky poses, where each of your 18 roses will strike a pose at the center of the stage and then dance afterward. The poses can be funny or fierce – just talk it out with each one of your 18 roses and make each totally different. This will essentially be a photo-op so that you have a picture of all of your 18s.
You may also incorporate the fashion show when you are going to do your 18 candles where your friends are going to walk the stage (or a runway if you will be having one), strike a fierce pose and then render their speech.
For the 18 treasures, you can have 18 snag this style, 18 styles, 18 shopping bags where each 18 candles will describe why they chose that style for you or why they thought of you when they bought that gift, etc.
Hope this helps!
Hi Bhaba,
Some party favors that I can think of are miniature tea pot sets, cupcakes or minicakes in boxes, chocolate bars with label “eat me”, key, bottle, flower, heart, spade, diamond, caterpillar, dress shaped keychains, charm bracelets and cellphone holders, bottle with cologne or lotion with label “do not drink me”, ribbons, a deck of cards. Hope this helps.
HEY HOW ABOUT A TAYLOR SWIFT INSPIRED THEME.. IN POOL.. I NEED STUFFS HOW AM I GOING TO DO IT.. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM :p HEHE THANKS 🙂
Hello!
I’m having my debut next year, August 2011, and I thank you for making this website. I really like this Alice in Wonderland theme.
More power!
Hi Viktoria (ilove_bubblegumpop@yahoo.com)!
Thank you and we are very glad that you liked our website and our idea.
Take care and super advanced happy birthday to you! =)
hello :)))
i loooove your website debutideas 🙂
you are really a big help for us. 😀
by the way, i will celebrate my 18th birthday on the 24th of April and that was Easter Sunday, too.
my mom and I are planning to have an Easter-themed in my debut. Can you help us? Thanks in advance 🙂
God Bless! 🙂
Hi, I really like your idea and am planning to use this theme for my debut.
Do you think it’s okay if I’m the Mad Hatter since I’m the one inviting them for my “tea party”?
I’m not sure what to put in their invitation though, because I like them to be Alice but isn’t it weird if all of them wear blue? And what will the boys wear?
Thanks!!
Hi Cressa,
It is fine if you will be the Mad Hatter since it is indeed the Mad Hatter tea party. That will be a unique twist. You need not worry about your guests being Alice because in this party, she is not the star.. the Mad Hatter is.. You can probably ask your guests to wear something power blue for a gown and powder blue long sleeves for the males so that you have a powder blue color motif. On the other hand, you can also be Alice and then ask one of your guy friends to be the Mad Hatter. He will usher in guests at the entrance and then Alice will be the guest of honor in this party. Hope this helps.
hey! i really want the ALICE IN WONDERLAND theme. it is not like the usual 18th party. a long gown, coats and ties, etc. and this be the last day of my childhood. haha. :)) by the way, what should i replace for the 18 roses, 18 candles, 18 treasures, 18 gifts. etc. to make it more unique. thanks.
Hi! 🙂 I would like to ask for more help for my alice in wonderland themed debut! 🙂
We’re having problems with the setup. It would be held it Makati park and garden’s function hall, which is and indoor venue with three connected octagons. My mom says it would be hard for the tables to be a bit messy so i need ideas on how to make neat tables work. How can I design the venue?
I need BIG help. I really want this theme and my parents and titas dont think its going to work for a debut. They seriously wont believe me!! :))
HELP ME PLEASE. 😀
I love you, Debut Ideas!