About Us

The Victorian Bouquets is for women of all ages!

The Red Hat Society was founded in April 1998 by Sue Ellen Cooper, or as she playfully refers to herself as "Exalted Queen Mother" for women over fifty. The Red Hat Society reserves the red hat and purple attire for members age fifty and above. For those who have not yet reached fifty, the Red Hat Society is thrilled to have you join as a Pink Hatter or "Lady in Waiting". Pink hatters wear pink hats and lavender attire until they have reached "The Birthday".

Members of the Victorian Bouquets are women who like to play dress up, laugh aloud, and not take growing older too seriously! A few of our members are still in the workforce so we've planned our events for Saturdays and some evenings during the week. We reserve Sundays for our families and ourselves. We get together once a month for fun, silliness, and of course a good meal.

Come along and join us. You'll be able to recognize us, we'll be the one's in the red and pink hats.

If you're interested, please email us at victorianbquets@aol.com

From the National Red Hat Society: The Red Hat Mission

The Red Hat Society began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor, and élan. We believe silliness is the comedy relief of life, and, since we are all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next.

What we Do…

The standard answer to the question, "What do you do?" is as follows: Nothing. We feel like we have all been so dutiful and so "busy" for so long that we deserve a break. The Red Hat Society was founded as a haven for silliness and unfettered happiness among women of a certain age. That is all.

To read more about the Red Hat Society, click here.

Victorian Bouquets "Rules"

Even though there are no official "rules", we have some rather strong suggestions.

Rule I. Wear Your Colors
The first and foremost rule, is to ALWAYS wear your colors!

Of course, to be a Red Hatter, one should wear a red hat and a clashing purple ensemble at all events to keep up the spirit and purpose of the (dis)organization for those of us that are age 50 or older . We also suggest rather strongly that women under 50 stick to the pink hat and lavender attire until "THE BIRTHDAY". This adds an element of fun to aging, which we think is invaluable to women in our society who have learned to dread aging and avoid it at all costs. We believe that aging should be something anticipated with excitement, not something to dread.

We know that you can't always find true "purple" or "lavender", different shades are acceptable, so are different colored pants or skirts. Attending an event WITHOUT a hat is NOT acceptable.

Exception to the Rule
Reverse colors in your birthday month

Every women is special and during our birthday month we should stand out in the crowd and garner special attention. You have the option of wearing our colors or reversing them: purple hat and red outfit for those of us over 50, or lavender hat and pink outfit for those ladies under 50. The choice is up to you!

Rule II. Children, Spouses, and Significant Others
We love our families but it's OUR time, not theirs!

We do not include children, spouses, or significant others in our events. We all have the best behaved, mannered, beautiful children or grandchildren, but the main purpose of our Red Hat Chapter is to have time for ourselves. We joined to meet and enjoy the company of other women, to let loose, be silly, even raunchy if we want, and just enjoy our sisterhood. Husbands and significant others are old enough to look out for themselves for a few hours.

Exception to the Rule
Hosting an event in your own home.

Children, husband, and significant others are always welcome if you are hosting an event in your own home and they are there helping you entertain.

Rule III. RSVP Dates
"Respondez, S'il Vous Plait" means "Please Reply!"

When you receive a newsletter, phone call, or email about an upcoming event with an RSVP date, please follow these three (3) easy steps:

1. Check you calendar and write down the date of the event

2. Reply to the invitation whether you can attend or if you cannot

3. If the event is a pre-pay, mail your checks well in advance of the RSVP date

We're grown ladies and the hostess of the event shouldn't have to keep prodding to get an RSVP.

Exception to the Rule
There is no exception to this rule!  

Rule IV. Inactive Membership 

1. If a member has not sent an RSVP (either Yes or No) for three (3) consecutive events, that member will be put on the Inactive list.  In the case of illness of a member (or family illness), this requirement will be waived.  If a member knows in advance that she will be missing several events in consecutive months (vacations, etc), please let us know.

2. Members placed on the Inactive list will be notified that they have been placed on the Inactive list and that they have six (6) months to notify us if they intend to remain a member of the Victorian Bouquets.

3. After six (6) months, if a member on the Inactive list has not contacted us of her intent to remain a member of the Victorian Bouquets, that member's name will be dropped from our membership list and they will be notified of their membership termination.

4. If a lady would like to rejoin our chapter after being removed from the membership list, she may be placed on a waiting list for membership and be eligible for reinstatement once there is an opening.