Garden Party Ideas Start with a Theme
This summer I had fun! I threw parties! My garden became a hub of activity!
Here are a few things I learned about throwing summer garden parties that you can use, regardless of the size of your garden.
It’s not about spending a fortune, redesigning what’s already there, or trying to impress your friends. Rather, it’s about having fun, and creating an atmosphere for connection. It’s about celebrating being together, sharing food, conversation, and laughter. After all, isn’t that how all the best memories are formed?
Read on to see the top garden party principles I learned this summer.
Choose a Theme — Then Go All In
This doesn’t have to be a literal theme. It can be a flower, colour, ingredient, season or mood. Once you’ve chosen it, let it be the guide for how you decorate the table, choose the flowers, food and all the little details that support the theme and make it memorable.
In my case I chose three themes this summer:
- English Garden Tea Party
- Blue and White Hydrangeas
- Sunny Lemons
English Garden Tea Party
The first of the three themes I leaned into this summer was an English Garden Tea Party. I wanted an excuse to use little paper cups that looked like teacups. Yup- that’s it. The whole reason I chose to use this as a theme. Oh, and I had the pretty backdrop. So, everything about that party was about tea and teacups. The balloons, the pretty water that was “tea”, the teacups and their matching paper saucers. The bunting that was just fun decorating. I used pinks and pastels and had fun.
Blue and White Hydrangeas
The second theme was hydrangeas – I have a number of them in the garden and I love the shape. And they are blue. Yup. Sold on blue. ‘Nuff said. This theme could easily be an indoor party theme as well.
Sunny Lemons – Perfect for Summer
The third was lemons. I have quite a lot of kitchen items (tea towels, placemats, serving dish, etc.) that have a lemon theme, and I love the taste of lemons. I was planning this as my next theme and then I went to a shower that had a lemon theme. Of course that meant I could wear my lemon dress. All the guests at the shower asked how I knew what to wear – um, the invitation had a lemon on it??
Start with a Neutral Foundation
While I did purchase fresh new cushions this season, I did end up using my old wicker sofa cushions for most of these parties. Why? Because they are a beige, taupe color and very neutral. This meant I could bring in color with cushions and throws.
Another neutral is white plates and non-colored glasses. Then the accent color becomes the star. In the Hydrangea party and Lemon party I did use blue glasses because they worked with the theme.
Neutral isn’t Boring – it’s Flexible
Now I happen to have a lot of accent pieces that I can mix and match to help support a theme, but I also have a lot of plain white dishware that just blends in, supporting what I’m accenting. The theme becomes the focal point, the neutral supports the focal point. It’s like having plain white or cream walls with vibrant artwork – the artwork takes centre stage.
Shop Your Home Before You Shop the Stores
Having a themed party doesn’t have to be expensive. Shop your home (or a friend’s) for items that will support the theme. Look beyond the kitchen cupboards. Find vases, baskets, trays, pitchers, fabric, garden ornaments, vintage pieces, books, teacups — whatever reinforces the story. Then, if you need to, add in a few disposable items that support the theme – like the bunting and tea shaped balloons for example. The hydrangea napkins and paper plates.
The goal isn’t to recreate something you saw on Pinterest. It’s to notice what you already own and use it differently.
Create a Focal Point
This could be the centrepiece, food display, drinks station or another memorable feature. You don’t need everything to be spectacular but create something to give the eye somewhere to land.
Let Food Become Part of the Decorating
Colourful drinks, beautiful fruit, cakes, pastries, lemons, cheeses, pretty bottles — don’t hide everything in serving dishes just because they’re “food.” Let them be part of the party.
If it’s beautiful, let it contribute to the table.
Add Some Whimsy
A little whimsy keeps a party from feeling too serious. Use unexpected containers. Funny little details. Vintage pieces. Something slightly ridiculous that makes people smile. The sharks I used as part of the centrepiece in the tea party caused a lot of smiles.
Don’t take the party — or yourself — too seriously. It’s a garden party.
Don't Become a Slave to the Kitchen
This was the big one for me. I have a tendency to overdo it. Really, you ask? YES. Not only do I want to decorate but I also want to make it all myself. Not always a great idea.
I have to remind myself that I’m not running a restaurant. I’d suck at it – I’m an ok cook but I’m a better “food stager”.
Collaborative Effort
What I’ve learned is that unless you have a team to help you – and yes, kids count – make the one or two things you enjoy making. Buy the rest. Pick up a beautiful cake. Use prepared appetizers. Ask someone to bring something. Put purchased food on your own serving pieces and move on.
Because, while the food is important, no one loves a party with a frazzled host.
The Point is the People
At the end of the day, the flowers will wilt. The cake will disappear. Someone will spill something. The napkins won’t stay perfectly folded and will get used and stained and messy.
But people will remember sitting outside together on a summer afternoon.
And that is why we bother decorating in the first place: not to create a perfect photograph, but to make an ordinary gathering feel a little more special. It’s about connection — sharing food, enjoying the outdoors, laughing with friends and family, and making memories together.
So, what’s your next party’s theme?
