Tips and Ideas for Hosting a Garden Party

Spring is in the air and people are ready to get outside and socialize. Hosting a garden party is a fun way to bring in the spring season and open the door to a fresh social life. Here are some fun tips and ideas for hosting such an event.

Decorations are a good place to start. Something that catches the eye but doesn't over shadow everything else at the garden party. The décor should be fun, festive, and refreshing.

Starting with the buffet table. Cover it with a synthetic grass table cloth or Easter basket grass. Then scatter ladybugs, dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, and flowers throughout the grassy table. These can be made out of beads, confetti, silk, paper, or toys.

For the dining table(s) use a light and airy table cloth in either a white or pastel color. Napkins should stand out. Consider using a deep green or a rich brown. The color of the napkins could also be used as trim for the table cloth. As a center piece use a vase filled with pastel colored or clear marbles with a candle for ambiance. Either a dish of potpourri or a bouquet of flowers would also work. Adding the ladybugs and other spring garden critters can be an extra nice touch to the table as well. Also be sure to make a special place for each guest. One way to do this is to set up a special gift bag for each guest with their name on it at their seat. A great gift idea would be to find things that help bring out the silly side of the guests. Bubbles and butterfly nets for instance. Or, if that doesn't suit, a nice refreshing scented candle and lotion could be a nice gift. If gifts are too much find another unique way to label each persons seat. Glue a picture of each guests' face into the center of a silk or paper flower, for instance.

As far as the dishes and tableware goes anything is fine as long as it matches the theme somehow. Paper and plastic dishes have a more casual feel than using ceramic or glass dishes, which isn't always a bad thing. Especially when it comes time to clean up!

Now that the decorations are all figured out, it's time to consider what foods to serve at the garden party. Sticking to foods that are light and healthier is a good plan.