When the summertime arrives, what's better than sitting out in your garden, basking in the sun, with the gentle breeze caressing your face? Add a few of your best friends and family to that, delicious cocktails and divine food – and you've got the perfect day.
If you have a garden to be proud of, with some stunning plants and beautiful views, why not show it off and pass the day and night enjoying what you've got, with the people you love? It doesn't matter about the size of your space; it's about the effort that has gone into it to make it so special.
Plus, one of the best benefits to throwing a garden party is dressing up in pretty dresses, paired with some sophisticated heels, and having a good excuse to wear that fancy summer hat!
The Invitations
Sure, you can just send out a group message over Facebook Messenger, but that takes away from the whole vibe. Set the scene straight away by going old school and creating fancy invites personally addressed to all your friends and family. If you are not feeling artistic enough to do that by hand, there are plenty of websites that help you make personalized invites, that you can then fill in afterward. Be sure to add details about the date, time, and location, along with a dress code and RSVP at the end.
The Menu
Planning a menu is one of the most important things you will do. You don't want to make too much food for your guests so that they are left feeling full and heavy at the end of the night. But you don't want to do too little either so that everyone is left hungry – so find the happy medium. You will also need to make sure that if anyone has any specific dietary requirements – you know about it. It's a good idea to mention that on the invites so they can let you know well in advance.
The Scene
Now it's time to think about the color schemes to go with your surroundings. If you have a specific flower that is in bloom right now – work around that. So let's say you have some pink tulips that are out, set a pink theme with various shades that compliment each other. Don't go overboard though, it's best to stick with neutral shades with bursts of color, as a pose to too much going on, resulting in a messy look.
If you want to keep things simple, you can't go wrong with white flowers. They’re classy, elegant, and if they smell – even better.
The Flower Arrangements
You can't have a garden party if you don't have wonderful arrangements of flowers scattered around the place! You can either hire a florist to give you professionally put-together pieces, or you can do them yourself. If you're too busy with other plans, then leave it to the pros, but if you do have time – have a go at doing it. It's not only fun, but when people comment on them, you can take all the credit for it! If you don't want to use what you already have growing in your garden, go to the local garden centers. You will have an array of different selections from all different breeds of flowers and colors.
The Tables and Chairs
Now you need to start thinking about what you and your guests will be sitting on. – You may already have this section covered, but if not you will need to invest in some nice chairs and a big enough table depending on how many guests you intend on having. A great place to look is at vintage stores, as the deals there are great, and you can find some very unique-looking pieces – great for mixing and matching.
The Beverages
You can't have a garden party without tea, so invest in a pretty tea kettle that you can serve your guests with. Now depending on whether your guests drink alcohol or not, will determine what kind of drinks you should make. You can never go wrong with wine, so you should buy a few different bottles. But get creative and come up with some delicious cocktails, both with and without alcohol so everyone can experience what you've made. You can serve them in different punch bowls, that way your guests can just help themselves, and you can keep topping it up as you go.
The Seating Chart
By no means do you need to create a seating chart, but it can help your guests meet new people without it being awkward if they don't already know each other. If you plan this ahead of time, you will know who should sit by whom. Essentially someone that share similar interests so they have something in common with one another and may have a lot to talk about.
Another thing that you can do as a hostess is to introduce one guest to another if you know they have never met. That way you are breaking the ice for them, and your friends will appreciate that a whole lot.
The Place Cards
If you're going to do a seating chart, then you may as well make some cute place cards to finish it off. Again, you can make these either by hand or personalize them online. All you need is their name, but one lovely thing you can do to go the extra mile is to write one thing that you like about them very small, underneath their name. They may not even notice at first, but when they do, they won't be able to help but smile.
The Music
You can't have a party without music. It doesn't need to be loud (save that for later!), but just something nice playing in the background will set the mood throughout the day. You can easily create a playlist or find a curated one online. Whatever it may be, make sure it doesn't drown anyone out or overtake a conversation!
Now all you need to do is get dressed up, and have a magical day.
