Garden parties are a relaxing way to celebrate just about any occasion whether it be a 21st birthday, an engagement party, baby shower or 50th.
Instead of waiting until the evening for celebratory festivities to begin, at an afternoon garden party guests can relax with a drink in the sun.
Be creative with your drink display
Save yourself the effort of serving guests drinks by using clear glass cocktail dispensers. Fill them with sangria, punch, Pimms or a non-alcoholic drink of your choice. Cut up different kinds of fresh fruit to make the drinks look and taste delicious. Although these dispensers can be rented, it often costs just a little bit more to buy them. They are a worthwhile investment as they can be used time and time again.
Choose your flowers wisely
A garden party isn’t complete without flowers. Before choosing your flowers think about the colour scheme and overall look you want to achieve. Choose one statement flower to embody this – for this party it was a hot pink rose – and then mix and match different varieties to compliment it. A florist can help you with this if you’re unsure about where to start.
It’s all about the little details
Taking into consideration the minor details will give your garden party that extra edge. Make tags out of card and twine to label the drink dispensers, buy some fun straws, add miniature flowers to cupcakes, or cover flat surfaces in rose petals. Each of these small elements will come together to improve the overall look and feel of the party space.
Choose a cake that represents you
Often people don’t feel like eating a large slice of cake on top of all the savoury food they have already consumed at a party. To ensure your dessert doesn’t go to waste opt for cakes that can easily be served in small portions, like cupcakes. For something a little bit different choose a croquembouche – a towering stack of cream filled profiteroles. Small scoops of good quality ice cream and sorbet served in shot glasses will compliment this perfectly.
Make it a day to remember
We are all guilty of taking hundreds of party photos on our smart phones with the intention of printing them afterwards, but then never finding the time to do so. Ensure you have a lasting souvenir outside of the digital realm by taking instant photos on the day. Use a camera like the Fuji Film Instax Mini 8, which costs less than $100 and prints Polaroid style photos. Ask guests to stick these in a scrapbook and write a message so you have a keepsake for life.
Send out invites
To make the day extra special avoid just creating a Facebook event. Make an effort to send out real invites to guests in advance.
If you want it to last into the evening…
If you want the best of both worlds then start your garden party in the late afternoon, and then let it progress into the evening. Hang some white fairy lights and place fake tea-lights in small paper bags around the garden. You can turn these on when the sun sets to give your party that magical, enchanted feel.
