Now that summer has begun, it’s picnic season! I’m here to teach you how to easily make your picnic Pinterest-worthy, making your guests feel special, loved and valued. Let me share the steps that I take to plan and execute a beautifully styled picnic.
1. How to Plan a Picnic Menu
I like to keep the number of dishes I prepare low so the picnic remains fairly simple and stress free. The formula I follow for a picnic menu is:
1 Dessert
1 Main Dish
2 Side-dishes (typically a veggie salad and a fruit salad)
1 Beverage
I like to make the dessert a show stopper and the focal point of the picnic spread, ideas for this include a cake, pie or donuts. You can see another example of this formula here.
For the main dish, I like things that are pre-assembled so I don’t need to bring more than one container, examples I have used for main dishes are a savoury galette, croissants, or sandwiches. I like to have one veggie side dish and one fruit side dish, and I’ve found purple potato salad and cucumber salad to make for delicious and beautiful veggie dishes. For the fruit side, whole pears look gorgeous, watermelon and mint salad is also beautiful, and so is a nice mixed citrus salad. For the beverage, some kind of lemonade is always a crowd pleaser, or try an Italian soda or a fruit-infused sparkling water.
How to decorate a picnic:
2. Pick a picnic blanket, then pick another one
I love to choose my main picnic blanket or mat (I love these wipeable ones from Gathre) in a solid colour, then I select a second blanket that coordinates with the colours I’m using for the picnic.
The second blanket is typically a throw blanket, runner, or even a pretty turkish style towel. I throw this second blanket down the middle of the main picnic blanket or across it diagonally to add layers and colour.
3. Choosing Dishes
I invested in a set of neutral, cream coloured outdoor dishes that match every picnic we have, pack easily into our picnic basket and won’t break, so they are worry free. If you don’t have reusable dishes that match your colour palette for the day, make sure to find paper plates that can be composted or recycled.
I do my best to pack the food in dishes I also want to serve them in, to make things as easy as possible. I wrap bread-like items up in white tea-towels to transport and serve them out of, and items like salads, with more liquid, go inside nice jars for easy packing and a pretty display (these Ikea ones are some of my favourite pantry staples). A pretty and functional choice for serving your main dish is a nice cutting board.
The most superfluous item I bring, every time, is a cake plate to serve the dessert on, but I believe it’s what really makes a picnic spread luxurious by adding a much needed extra level of height for visual interest.
4. Extra items of decor
If you have some room left in your picnic basket, flowers or candlesticks are a few other items that really add that extra luxe feeling to your picnic.
5. Don’t Forget to…
Find a beautiful location to set the scene for your picnic.
Bring bug repellent so you and your guests can be comfortable in case there is a swarm of mosquitos.
Try and set up in a shady area if it’s a hot day.
If you’re on the hunt for a wicker picnic basket, I’ve always had great luck at thrift stores and they will look so cute sitting there beside your picnic blanket!
I hope this guide to styling a pretty picnic helps simplify the process for you and adds a touch of extra beauty and joy to your celebrations this summer, making your loved ones feel extra special. Calgary is full of gorgeous parks to picnic in, enjoy them and create some memories with your family this summer.
