23 of Our Most Beautiful Garden Party Ideas, From Food to Décor
Create lasting memories (and major photo moments) with recipes, cocktails, and decorations for small outdoor gatherings.
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When the weather shifts to warm and breezy, the earth is green again, and the outdoors beckon to us from our indoor dwellings, you have the perfect excuse to throw an intimate garden party. Maybe you’re hosting a small tea party, gathering friends for an intimate birthday celebration, or celebrating a baby shower.
Whatever the occasion, it only makes sense to go all out on the display centerpieces, decor, ambiance, and—of course—the menu. Let these garden party ideas turn your event into one that’s full of magical moments and memories made.
Related: 20 Garden Party Essentials We Found on Amazon, From Floral Dinnerware to Lacy Linens
Candy Flower Cupcakes
Aaron Dyer
Wow your guests with these beautiful candy flower cupcakes, which are actually much easier to make than they seem. These simple vanilla cupcakes utilize pre-made candies, which are carefully shaped into blossoms.
Potted Herb Centerpieces
For a burst of green and fresh aroma, opt for potted herbs as your centerpieces. Place them in cement pots for a uniform look and space them out across the table. You could even offer these up as take-home party favors once your garden party has wrapped up.
Linen-Covered Pots
You can dress up just about anything for a backyard party, and that includes your prized plants. Floral-themed linens accent flowerpots to make every aspect of your festivities fresh and in season.
Related: 27 of the Most Creative Backyard Decorating Ideas
Flower-Filled Cocktails
For a truly inspired sip, we love the idea of floating edible flower blossoms in your cocktails, like this blushing combination of gin-and-grapefruit.
Lillet Rose, a fortified-wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscatel, has the aroma of flowers and ripe berries—perfect for a springtime aperitif.
How To: Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail
Citrus Garden Wreath
Decorative fruit and flowers are timeless, and together they create outdoor decorations ideal for relaxed summer entertaining. Craft cut flowers and citrus with sparse greenery on a natural twig base, and let it swing freely from a length of sisal rope.
Sugared-Flowered Doughnuts
Want something sweet and eye-catching to serve for dessert? Look no further than these sugared-flowered doughnuts. While this edible design can top any confection of your choosing, we think these individual glazed treats are adorable.
How To: Sugared-Flowered Doughnuts
Herb-Cheese Palmiers
A classic French pastry gets the savory treatment with Parmesan, cheddar, and your choice of fresh herbs. Form them by folding up a sheet of puff pastry and then cutting it into thin slices.
Flower Vase Napkin Fold
At each place setting, leave a cup of freshly picked flowers wrapped in a cloth napkin. An intimate group of guests can use the napkin during the sit-down meal, then take home their blooms at the end of the evening.
How To: Flower Vase Napkin Fold
Outdoor Cushions
Comfortable seating is important for a small and successful garden party, whether guests are lounging under the sun canopy poolside or under the stars at twilight. For an added artisanal touch, wind yarn into a knot for the buttons on each cushion.
How To: Knotted Outdoor Seat Cushions
Herb Centerpiece
When herb gardens overflow with more than is needed in any kitchen, why not use the extra yield in a fragrant centerpiece? Mix shapes and textures, and add color with edible flowers and herb blossoms. This arrangement, which includes mint, spicy chives, lavender, and rosemary, sits in a high-sided vessel.
Sunflower Cupcake Cake
Make any celebration more memorable with this mighty cake in the shape of a sunflower. A small round cake topped with berries sits at the center. Mini cupcakes, frosted in three sunny shades of yellow, make up the petals. Everyone can grab their own serving without touching the rest of the dessert.
Hot To: Sunflower Cupcake Arrangement
Poppies Centerpiece
This bouquet of blooming poppies—cut from the garden and tucked into a vase alongside a rosy-colored treats and drinks—is lively and serene. With their regal reds and rose pinks, wispy whites and flushed creams, this backyard idea makes the perfect arrangement for a small soirée.
Proper Toppers
The dishes in your backyard deserve prettier bug protection than plain old aluminum foil. These mesh and woven tents by Amanda Lindroth are an elegant fix: They keep bees and flies out while elevating any barbecue.
Refreshing Sangria
Choose a crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, and mix in orange liqueur, fresh ginger, lemon juice, basil, or mint leaves. Then, add your choice of summer fruits, such as pineapple, cantaloupe, and apricots. This refreshing white sangria can be prepared up to a day in advance.
How To: Easy White Wine Sangria
Blooming Flower Letters
Made with foam letters, this bright floral decoration is lightweight enough to hang from the trees or even float in a nearby pool. Use this backyard idea to make a monogram for the guest of honor or craft as a greeting.
How To: Blooming Flower Letters
Martha's Extra-Lemony Lemonade
Lemon juice, fresh slices, and a syrup made by cooking the rinds provides the wonderful thirst-quenching flavor for this drink. Liven it up with sprigs of mint and add a spirit if you like, or enjoy it as a nonalcoholic refresher.
How To: Martha's Extra-Lemony Lemonade
Terra-Cotta Napkin Rings
Napkin rings can oftentimes be forgotten, but these sun-kissed terracotta iterations will make your tableware stand out like never before. Plus, this DIY project is made purely of no-bake, air-dry clay—which means no-fuss decorating.
How To: Terracotta Napkin Rings
Rolled Hem Napkins
Some of the best backyard party decorating ideas come in the form of mixed patterns. These rolled hem napkins offer just that, and they also add a modern feel to your tablescape thanks to the variety of linens.
Flowerpot Food Covers
Flowerpots aren't only for flowers. With their sturdy impenetrable material, they're also cleverly used to protect dips and other dishes from party-crashing insects. Create a handle by cutting an 18-inch length of 1/4-inch cord and knotting the ends together. Thread the looped end through the drain hole in the flowerpot.
Classic Shrimp Cocktail
Take it from Martha: Shrimp cocktail is an easy, elegant appetizer for entertaining. Serve yours alongside homemade cocktail sauce for a bite everyone—whether your kids or your best friends—will love. (Just make sure to keep it chilled.)
How To: Classic Shrimp Cocktail
Hammock
Our backyard party ideas are all meant to accent the beauty of mother nature. A hammock will allow you to do this and more at your garden party. Simply attach this lounging accessory to a pair of trees and let comfort commence.
Gorgeous Grazing Board
An array of cured meats and cheeses can set the stage for an unforgettable backyard party with a few friends and family members. A grazing or charcuterie board also includes toasted breads and jams to suit any palate without making anyone too full before the main course.
How To: Beautiful Grazing Board Tutorial
Canvas Umbrella
If you're hosting a small backyard get-together, odds are that the sun is out, and the weather is at its best. But if the heat is getting a little too intense, an umbrella can easily remedy this issue. Choose one made of sturdy canvas that'll last for seasons to come.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.
