Throwing a Luxury Picnic

Hey Family!

Have you tried a beautiful brunch picnic set up? If you haven’t, you’re definitely missing a LOT! We decided to host one in the park for a change of scenery but you can also do this at home in your own backyard.

Preparation and Responsibilities 

Planning and preparation is vital to a successful picnic experience! A week before your picnic, make a checklist of everything that you need from the setting and decor down to the food, drinks, and bug repellant. If you are picnicking with friends you can divide up the checklist to make it a lighter lift on everyone. All these assignments will make it more manageable especially if you're not doing it at somebody's house. So if you have to go to a location for a picnic, make sure that you have everything you need so no one needs to head back or do a store-run.

To avoid a mess, I recommend using sturdy storage containers for your food and ramekins with lids for any condiments. We typically pack an insulated picnic basket for items that need to stay cool, and a pretty wicker basket for other nicknacks and flowers.

The Setup

For the picnic setup, we brought a waterproof tarp to create a moisture barrier for our picnic because at brunch time there's always still some morning dew on the ground. We got a few rugs from Five Below for only five dollars each instead of blankets. The rugs tend to be a little thicker and sturdier and they were super affordable!

For our picnic tables, we used pallets which we got for free. You can check out apps like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Offerup for free or very cheap wood pallets as this is a low cost option for a picnic table. Just make sure you clean them off before you use them!

Exposed pallet wood isn't really my style so I knew that I would cover it up with tablecloth. I chose a very pretty fabric that I liked from the fabric store as my base for my set-up.

I also used some additional fabric to add some layers to the table in the form of table runners. I opted for woven placemats, white plates and ivory linen napkins.. Then, I added gold flatware to style this table setting. For my floral arrangement, I used a mixture of dried and faux stems in a gorgeous vase.To create a garland effect, I added dried eucalyptus under the table runner fabric.I also recommend adding some extra pillows and cushions for that extra comfort and extra style.

Grazing table, anyone?

You could stop with the table decor above — but you know me, I have to take it up to the next level so I decided to add a grazing spread! For my grazing table, I started off by adding a sheet of butcher paper across the table. This is where I can add food without having to have a dish to put everything on. 

For food, I added dips and fruit around the bottles of wine. I placed some cured meats, some hard cheese,more fruit, crackers, bagels and croissants. I usd cedar planks to plate smoked salmon since it can be on the oily side. You honestly can bring anything you want, I wanted our spread to be both delicious and beautiful to look at! For serving I included cheese knives and a serving set.

Don’t forget your beverages!

Choose a refreshing beverage for your picnic whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Regardless of what you choose, remember to bring water! For our picnic, we chose Mango Moscato and Passion Fruit Moscato from Tropical Moscato Wines. The wine pairs really well with cheeses and desserts so they're definitely a great choice for picnics. 

We used iceless wine chillers to keep our beverages cool. They’re perfect! It kept the wine cold for the duration of the whole outdoor picnic in Georgia heat. We also served them in recyclable wine glasses. 

To watch the full setup and see how it turned out, watch the full video here: