With summer sunshine just around the corner, it’s absolutely time to start thinking about throwing a garden party or two. Here are a few ideas to help you on your way to throwing a great outdoor event.

Send out the party invitations!

Let people know they’re invited to your garden party with these pretty Garden Party Invitations by us here at Putty Print.

If your party is going to be themed, let people know in plenty of time, so that they can put plans in place and get hold of props. It might be a good idea to give an indication of the dress code in your invitation.

Compiling the menu

Buffets are a great idea for garden parties, although it may be advisable to keep food inside. If you’ve asked guests to dress up, serve food to match. For desserts and drinks, think icy and fruity. You can’t go wrong with a pavlova, dough brownies, ice cream, and berries are equally well-suited to the occasion. Prosecco, cocktails, and mocktails are all great options for drinks, while homemade lemonade is a refreshing alternative at garden parties.

Decorations

Flowers are the perfect centrepiece for a garden party. Hanging a colourful pennant banner between trees is cute and quirky, and goes well with personalised place cards, which can easily be made at home. If you’re serving messy food, particularly seafood, a plastic cover to place over the table cloth, or butcher paper, could save you a lot of hassle during the clean-up process. Parasols are iconic, and act as a handy refuge from the sunshine.

Have a back-up plan

Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t always do exactly what we want it to do. Seeing as parties need to be planned in advance for the purpose of invitations, it is entirely possible that the day you’ve selected in advance won’t be as sunny as you’d like. Preparing for all eventualities means ensuring that decorations can be used indoors, as well as in your garden. The great thing about throwing a garden party rather than a barbecue is that the food can easily be moved inside – the centrepiece for the event doesn’t require good weather.