How to Host an Effortless Garden Party

A few weeks ago I co-hosted a lunch with my lovely friend Beck Wadworth to kick off the Australian summer. I promised that I would send though all the details from the set up, so here we go, details!

Alongside this I’ve put together a little how-to for my suggestions on throwing a lunch, especially when you’re doing so with a friend, which makes the whole experience so much better! 

Send out a Save the Date

We hosted our party in peak holiday season when there was a lot going on, so we made sure to send a save the date a month or so in advance to lock everyone in. You don’t need to know all the details at this stage, just the date and approx time of day so everyone can keep it aside.

Create a mood board

Putting all your ideas in one place and creating a visual moodboard is critical to executing what you’re trying to create. You can then refer to it as you go so you don’t stray from your vision. This also helps when you have multiple people working on the same project, so then you all know what the end goal is.

I love using Pinterest for this initial stage, this is our pinterest board.

Know your Budget 

Boring! but good to know what we’re working with and to make sure you stay on budget! 

Location

I ruled out my place pretty quickly, as two labradors would have been all over than cheese platter before we could have opened the first bottle of Penfolds. We knew we wanted somewhere relaxed and low key, but not wanting to go to a restaurant or local park. Luckily, a friend of Becks has a lovely home and backyard that she was able to let us use for the event.

Decor

I was working with a budget so used items I already had and then went to H&M home for a lot of this look, and even the local hardware store! Here is my run down.

• Base rug: Bunnings Painting Drop Sheet – yes really.
• Rugs: H&M home
• Pillows: H&M home
• Napkins: H&M home
• Plates: Mud
• Glasses: Reidel
• Coasters: RabLabs and other marble coasts
• Foliage: Eucalyptus (going just for greens saves $, and little goes a long way)
• Name cards: Beck DIY
• Gifts for Guest: An Organised Life Monogrammed Notebooks

Set a dress code

Yeh, I’m that person. But I also find this really helpful when attending other events so I don’t go in OTT or too undone (if that’s a thing)

We kept it relaxed with a dress code of: Summer Garden Party (think fresh whites and neutrals)

Food and Wine 

The hero of a summer lunch is definitely the food, and maybe more importantly, wine!

We did a dash to the grocer first thing in the morning to stock up on supplies and then Beck was in charge of assembling the platters. 

Wine time. Summer wine is definitely all about the crisp whites, so make sure you have an esky full of ice close by and that the wine is chilled to perfection! The Penfolds Chardonnay was a perfect choice.

Photography by Ana Suntay Tanedo

In collaboration with Penfolds