There’s no better way to take advantage of the glorious weather than hosting your own garden party, and with the sun finally shining, that alone is something worth celebrating. Traditionally, these suave soirees called for quaint tea dresses, parasols for avoiding that ghastly sun, a jovial game of croquet and lots and lots of scones. Luckily, times have changed and you needn’t be restrained to these antiquated activities.
Today’s garden parties are more mini Castlepalooza’s than Kew Gardens. Think DIY festival vibes in your own sunny back yard, and you don’t have to break the summer savings bank to pull it off. No matter the size of your outdoor space, you can gather your mates and enjoy the rays while they’re here. Take our lead and be the master of your own great outdoors garden party.
The laid back atmosphere you are going for calls for a help-yourself drinks situation. Punch bowls filled with fresh fruit look gorgeous and are relatively cheap to concoct- go for one part fizz to two parts exotic fruit juice or soft drink. The healthy amounts of juice mean that you needn’t go for the most pricey prosecco. We like pineapple juice, ginger ale and some bubbles, with plenty of ice and a liberal garnish of fresh mint leaves. Jugs of Pimms and lemonade stuffed with cucumber and berries look as delicious as they taste, and you can go chintzy chic and use a mish mash of vases, teapots and bottles to fill with your drinks.
Plastic cups don’t tend to hold up particularly well on uneven surfaces like grass, so raid your kitchen cupboards and pull out any dainty tea cups languishing in the back. Any old jars that have been rinsed and the labels scrubbed off also do a fine job, or you could grab a few of these mason jugs with handles to bulk up your collection.
There are not too many must haves for this kind of summer garden party, but with the rising temperatures, chilled drinks are one of those necessities. The bathtub is the oft used house party ice bucket, but instead of trooping inside why not put to use that wheelbarrow gathering dust in the shed? Fill it with some ice, park it in the shade, and voila! A garden appropriate self service bar that looks incredibly Pinterest worthy, too. Any sizeable and empty flower pots also work wonders.
Gather any cushions, bean bags and rugs you have and pile them up for an inviting, loll in the grass seating arrangement. Hammocks are of course the most sought after piece of outdoor furniture, and the crisp summery colours of these hanging seats would look particularly lovely dangling from the branches, but do expect squabbles over who gets to kick back in it. Old sheets (preferable with a faded floral print, to be in keeping with the theme) or lengths of fabric strung between the trees make for a fabulous canopy-esque covering, or invest in a proper gazebo, like this spacious one for the ultimate outdoor gathering.
The decorating has already been done for you, with the garden providing the prettiest of backdrops for your celebration, and as dusk approaches you can flick on some fairy lights, light up some paper lanterns and watch the sun go down on one of your best summer parties yet.