6 Charming Outdoor Garden Party Ideas
Looking for ways to throw an outdoor garden party? Wait until you see these beautiful garden party ideas for your next outdoor gathering.
Whether you are gathering for a special occasion or just want to create a beautiful atmosphere for friends and family, these garden party ideas will help you plan a memorable get-together.
If you’ve been following along for a while, you know ho much I enjoy hosting friends and family with a beautiful table set with an incredible centerpiece.
When my monthly supper club selected a garden party for our theme, I was all about it!
What better place to enjoy a garden party than in the potager garden. While this patio space includes my raised garden beds where I grow vegetables, it is also our outdoor dining space.
We moved here about 8 months ago, so this garden room is still a work in progress, but I love how it is coming along!
It’s the perfect backdrop for our garden party and I can’t wait to show you how I incorporated the flowers from my gardens in the centerpiece.
Oh and wait until you see my surprise guest while I was setting this gorgeous table for a fete champetre.
If you are coming from my good friend Rachel’s from the Ponds Farmhouse, welcome to my garden party!
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What is a Garden Party?
By definition, a garden party is generally a formal gathering held outdoors in an outdoor garden space during the day.
You can interpret this however you want to host your own garden party.
Host a brunch.
Host a tea party.
Or move it indoors, how you throw a garden party is up to you.
But I suggest adding lots of plants and flowers to make the theme feel like you are in the gardens.
Does a Garden Party Need to Be Outdoors?
While many will say it’s not a true garden party unless it’s celebrated outdoors in the garden, but I disagree.
You can create gorgeous garden party indoors by adding quaint and cozy decor with lots of pretty flowers and plants.
And if you are planning a fete champetre outdoors but if there’s a chance of rain? Create a backup plan to move it indoors or add some outdoor tents to keep guests dry.
What is the Purpose of a Garden Party?
Simply put, it’s another way to pull a pretty party together for friends and family.
Serve some amazing food with cocktails, and add a bunch of plants and flowers for ambiance.
And you’ve got yourself a gorgeous outdoor (or indoor) fete champetre.
Where Should I Have My Garden Party?
If you have an outdoor deck, patio, or garden space, that’s the perfect spot for a garden party.
But even if you don’t, you can easily set up a table and some chairs on the lawn too.
6 Charming Outdoor Garden Party Ideas
Whether you’re planning an outdoor wedding, backyard barbecue, or cocktail party, these simple garden party ideas will help make your event even more special.
Today’s post is being shared as part of my monthly dinner group, so be sure to check out my friends’ garden party ideas at the end of this post.
Here’s how I made my centerpiece and table decorations for an afternoon garden party.
Decorating the Garden Party Table
Before we share an amazing garden party menu, we need to set the scene for an amazing outdoor fete champetre.
From the centerpiece to the table decorations, we want to set a relaxed casual atmosphere.
While you can make a garden party more or less formal, for today’s tablescape, I’m going towards a more casual vibe that is simple to pull together.
If you have access to flowers and greens in your landscape, you can cut them fresh to make a budget-friendly table setting idea for a garden party.
How to Make a Garden Party Centerpiece Idea for the Dining Table
As far as dining table centerpieces go, this one is an easy one to make.
Grab several different sizes of vases, mason jars, and bud vases, fill them with water and add your favorite cut flowers.
Whether the flowers are cut from the garden, or fresh from the florist or market, use fresh flowers for a garden party centerpiece.
It won’t have the same effect if you make one with faux flowers and greens.
And since we are working with fresh flowers, here’s what you need to do to extend the life of the blooms in a vase.
If you choose to work with fresh cut hydrangeas, follow these tips before arranging them in a vase to keep the hydrangea flowers from wilting.
For my centerpiece, I cut a bunch of zinnias and celosia from my late summer gardens. I started with the larger vase, arranged the flowers, then moved on to the smaller mason jars and bud vases.
Depending on the time of year you host a garden party, you’ll want to choose flowers that represent the season. So if you are throwing a garden party in spring, think tulips and daffodils.
In summer, maybe you’ll want some pretty sunflowers, zinnias, and dahlias.
For a fall harvest party, maybe you’ll tuck in some sedum autumn joy or hydrangeas that are beginning to dry on the plant.
Instead of adding a table runner for this fete champetre, I used flowers in vases as the table runner to play up the garden party theme.
If you want to add more cozy layers, you could easily add a table runner too.
How to Set the Garden Party Table
To start, I used this beautiful boho green table cloth. I love the stitching and fringed details on it, plus it’s such a pretty green as a backdrop for a fresh flower centerpiece.
Once I covered the table with my pretty table cloth, I added my vases of fresh flowers. They all different heights so I mixed and matched them until I had a centerpiece design that was aesthetically pleasing.
For each place setting, I started with a cedar branch placemat and topped it off with a pretty scalloped plate like this one.
About the cedar branch placemat, I bought them several years ago and they are not available anymore. You can DIY them though with these faux cedar branches and a piece of felt.
When I originally started decorating, I wanted to use these flower plates but once I had them on the table it looked like the table was throwing up flowers so I held back and went with the more neutral look for the dinnerware.
Then added these vintage amber goblets and lead crystal wine glasses. I added a pretty ecru linen napkin with gold flatware in cutlery pouches.
Since we are celebrating with an afternoon party, I added a few votive candles for ambiance. But if you are planning an evening party, add some tapered candles and twinkle lights to make it feel super cozy and inviting.
A Surprise Guest
And while I was setting this table, I was greeted by the most beautiful creature that fluttered about as I added more and more flowers to the table.
The butterflies here LOVE my ‘Seniorita’ Zinnias, so it should come to no surprise to me that they would drop by my table as well.
I cut these flowers from the garden a few hours ago, so the butterflies were still zipping about to enjoy the nectar from these brightly colored flowers.
You can attract these pollinators to your garden (or table apparently) if you plant certain flowers that attract butterflies.
Garden Party Food Ideas
We’ll be sharing a full menu for our garden party on Saturday but just to give you some other ideas of food to serve, check out these posts.
- Refreshing Cucumber Sandwiches
- The Best Recipe for Bruschetta Tomatoes
- Cucumber, Tomatoes and Onions Salad Recipe
- Refreshing Strawberry Lemonade
- Blueberry Mojito Drink Recipe
- The Best Bellini Recipe
- Coffee Cake Recipe
I’m so glad you were able to drop by my garden party today.
Next up in our supper club is Michele from Vintage Home Designs.
Wait until you see her beautiful take on the garden party theme.
5 More Charming Garden Party Ideas
Now that you’ve seen how I decorated for a garden party, wait until you see how my friends decorated their homes both inside and out.
In addition to beautiful table decor and centerpiece ideas, they are also sharing some entertaining inspiration as well.
So be sure to drop by and check them all out by clicking on the blog name on the photos below.
More Garden-Inspired Table Decor Ideas
As a gardener who loves to bring the outdoors in and the indoors out, here are some more garden-inspired table decor ideas for your next dinner party.
- Sunflowers Brunch Table Setting and Menu Ideas
- Simple Centerpiece Idea for Your Thanksgiving Aesthetic
- Easy Fall Table Decor Ideas
- Summer Centerpiece with Flowers and Pineapples
Looking for More Supper Club Ideas?
Our supper club has been so much fun and we’ve covered so much over the last year.
Whether you are in a supper club or just want some dinner party theme inspiration, check out the themes we’ve hosted before.
And click here if you want to learn how to organize and host your own supper club,
- Galentine’s Day Brunch
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Spring Brunch
- Cinco De Mayo
- 4th of July
- Picnic Date
- Tailgating Party
- Fall Harvest Dinner Party
- Thanksgiving Dinner Party
- Christmas Dinner Party
- New Year’s Eve
- Cozy Winter Dinner
- Italian Dinner Party
- Easter Brunch
- Afternoon Tea Party
- Low Country Boil
- Hawaiian Luau Party Ideas
- Summer BBQ Party Ideas
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