Garden Party Ideas For Celebrating The Season In Style

Kentucky Derby Party at Zero George in Charleston, SC Mint Juleps — Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Rachael Burrow

Whether planning an al fresco Easter luncheon, May Day gathering, Kentucky Derby watch party, or a summer soirée, the garden party epitomizes elegant outdoor entertaining. Bring on the Derby attire, beautiful blooming centerpieces, and a host of delicious party fare that'll have all your guests raving. These garden party ideas include everything from simple floral centerpieces to recipes for salads, sides, and plenty of cocktails to keep everyone refreshed. We also suggest easy touches that go a long way, like monogrammed napkins and paperweight place cards, which double as party favors should your occasion require it. Pour yourself an Elderflower Champagne Cocktail, set out the Egg Salad Sandwiches, and celebrate the spring and summer seasons in style.

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Garden Party Veggie Pots

Individual Veggie Pots for Easter Themed Garden Party — Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs

Stuff sliced cucumbers, small broccoli florets, and tiny tomatoes into terracotta pots so guests can grab their own serving of veggies for the dip station.

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Signature Cocktail Station

Set up a drink station with a signature cocktail—in batch form. — Laurey W. Glenn

Avoid playing bartender with a big-batch cocktail station. Mix a simple signature cocktail that's easy enough to recreate when the pitcher or decanter gets low.

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Spring Salad with Berries and Bacon

Serve this light, colorful salad as a starter at your garden party. Pass the bowl family style or make individual plates for each guest. This unique summer salad combines strawberries, chopped bacon, and feta cheese.

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Monogramed Napkins

Garden Party Table Setting with Pink Peonies — Robbie Caponetto

Monogrammed napkins are an elegant tabletop accessory and the perfect party favor if you're hosting a super-special garden party (perhaps a bridal shower).

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Elderflower Champagne Cocktail

Make this fun garden party cocktail party—a fizzy Elderflower Champagne Cocktail. Substitute Prosecco if you don't love rosé, but don't skip on the floral ice cubes. This big-batch drink is ideal for entertaining a large crowd.

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Egg Salad Sandwiches

The texture of this egg salad is perfect for sandwiching between two thin slices of white bread. The recipe makes 44 finger sandwiches, which is plenty for your al fresco affair. Customize this recipe to match your preferences.

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Dress for the Occasion

We all love a casual gathering, but sometimes, dressing up is just what we need to lift the mood. Establish a theme for your garden party, or celebrate one of the several spring or summer events.

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Spring Butter Bar

Spring Compound Butters — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Bring out a loaf of crusty bread. These kinds of butter need no other companion. Recipes for Orange-Tarragon, Honey-Mustard-Chive, and Herbed Chèvre Butters are available, but feel free to mix in your own preferred herbs and condiments.

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Down the Rabbit Hole

Alice In Wonderland Tea Party — Nicole Jansma Photography

If you want to do a themed garden party, there's no better example than Alice in Wonderland. Pick up dishware that features illustrations of Lewis Carroll's beloved book—and perhaps take a page or two from the sets of the movies, Tim Burton, cartoon, and otherwise.

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Raspberry White Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies — Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Are you throwing a springtime garden party? You need to serve these rose-shaped cookies, which are as decorative as tasty and an excellent addition to your table. Airy meringue tops these delicious treats for a light and refreshing cookie.

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Stock the Bar

4th of July Outdoor Party Bar Cart — Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

When it comes to decorating, remember your bar. A few color-coordinated serving pieces, garnishes, and bubbles can go a long way.

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Floral Place Cards

Pink Petal Place Cards — Eric & Jamie Photography

Keep in with the floral theme and find cute, watercolor place cards that display the season's blooms. It'll be an adorable memento for guests to take home.

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Garlic Butter Shrimp Cocktail

Garlic Butter-Roasted Shrimp Cocktail — Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Karin Olsen; Food Styling: William Smith

Now this is a fancy pass-around appetizer that couldn't be easier. Set it out on the buffet spread and watch it disappear—Garlic Butter gives the shrimp a flavor boost, and the homemade cocktail sauce takes it over the top.

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Mini Muffuletta Sandwiches

These mini sandwiches are excellent finger food. With plenty of meat and cheese, these sandwiches will disappear quickly from the serving platter. Each sandwich has capicola, deli ham, salami, provolone, mozzarella, and more.

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Herb Centerpieces

Basil, Lemon Grass, Rosemary, and Plumbago Container Garden — Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Mark Thompson

Who said flowers must be the centerpiece of a garden party? Try herbs instead—they'll lend a delicate perfume to the tablescape.

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Cherry Blossom Cocktail

Spring always announces its arrival with an explosion of cherry blossoms. Make this your event's signature cocktail, and have some cherry blossoms on hand as a garnish. It's fruity, tart, and slightly floral.

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Tomato Tea Sandwiches

Our Test Kitchen declares that the classic tomato sandwich belongs at every gathering, and the garden party is no exception. Crunchy toasted bread, punchy red onions, and cream cheese make these super-simple sandwiches something special.

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Dainty Place Cards

Don't have your guests scrambling for a seat. With a dainty place card, they'll know exactly where to sit.

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Floating Arrangements

Modern Garden Party Touches — Eric & Jamie Photography

Garden party floral arrangements can be simple or elaborate. Here, we used orange tulips and a large pink peony to add a modern feel to an otherwise quite simple arrangement.

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Spring Vegetable Frittata

Vegetable and Goat Cheese Frittata — Photo: Jennifer Causey

If you're worried about juggling one too many dishes at the garden party, let the Spring Vegetable Frittata swoop in and save the day. It's so pretty that it practically plates itself, and you can serve it in the baking dish.

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Heirloom Linens

There's nothing like a personal touch at a party. Heirloom linens are hard to beat. The older, the better. Bonus points if you have the family crest or monogram on the napkins.

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Mini Tomato Sandwiches with Bacon Mayonnaise

The BLT gets dressed up to become a barely-recognizable, fanciful finger food. Be sure to choose top-notch tomatoes because even the Bacon Mayonnaise won't save them if you don't. Alternate between red and yellow heirloom tomatoes for a visually appealing appetizer.

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Strawberry Fields Cocktail

Gin, tonic, and fresh strawberry syrup make for a summery cocktail your guests can't get enough of. This drink is highly refreshing for those hot summer afternoons. It's an ideal balance of lime juice, tonic water, and sugar.

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Grilled Shrimp-and-Squash Pasta with Summer Herbs

Grilled Shrimp and Squash Skewers with Herbed Couscous — Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

This elegant dish will wow your guests at a summer dinner party. It features two types of summer squash, succulent shrimp, and plenty of fresh herbs. These combined ingredients help to celebrate the start of the season.

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Summer Cobbler Cocktail

If you're sitting on a pile of fresh blackberries, this cocktail will be a no-brainer. Grand Marnier, white whiskey, and fresh lime juice pair with blackberry preserve for a sweet drink reminiscent of Grandma's cobbler.

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Double Duty Place Cards

Looking for a party favor? Turn place cards into personalized paper weights.

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French 75

Your garden party can be the soirée of the season if you serve the classy French 75. For the newcomers, it's gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and just a dash of champagne. This drink is the ideal summer sipper.

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Summer Tortellini Salad

Suppose you plan on devoting most of your energy to beautiful desserts, cocktails, and décor, then plan on serving this Summer Tortellini Salad as the main dish. Pre-made pasta ensures that everything's a breeze: You only need 10 minutes of active cooking time.

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Lemonade Bar

For the non-cocktail crowd, set up a lemonade bar with tea, lemonade, and garnishes for guests to mix and match. Pitchers of brightly-colored drinks add to the overall party decor.

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Kale-Citrus Salad with Bacony Pecans

Say what you want, but kale is delicious, and with the addition of pecans, which we toasted in bacon drippings, we might elevate its status to divine. The dressing combines oil, apple cider vinegar, shallots, honey, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt.

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Azalea Cocktail

On the hottest summer days, nothing sounds better (to the grown-ups) than a refreshing cocktail. Combine pineapple juice, fresh lemon, and a splash of grenadine for the perfect pink beverage. Garnish with lemon slices.

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An Egg-Cellent Touch

An Egg-cellent Idea — Photo: Helen Norman, Styling: Matthew Mead

An Easter garden party wouldn't be complete without the ubiquitous egg. Fill cleaned shells with candy and flowers before nesting them on antique silver for an elegant (but easy!) touch.

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Honeysuckle Lemonade Cocktail

Honeysuckle-Watermelon Cocktails — Chris M. Rogers; Styling: Lydia Degaris Pursell

This summer sipper featuring honeysuckle vodka belongs at a garden party. It's easy to make a double or triple batch to serve a crowd. Garnish with lime slices, diced watermelon, or fresh mint leaves.

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Sunflower Cupcakes

Few flowers elicit the same joy and reaction as the sunflower. These cupcakes are guaranteed to light up the party. Dye the icing for the flower petals to match your party's aesthetic.

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Lemon-Tarragon Potato Salad

Is it a Southern gathering without some form of potato salad? No, it's not. And this one is bright and zesty, perfect for warmer weather. Leave extra chopped tarragon to use as a garnish.

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Pineapple Flowers

Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze — Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

These edible flowers will dress up everything from the Bundt cake to your table setting and add a little sunshine while they're at it. Make the flower-like curve by placing the still-warm slices into a muffin pan and shaping the petals to dry for at least eight hours.

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Hang String Lights

Outdoor String Lights Above Picnic Table — Jennifer Davick; Styling: Elizabeth Demos

If you're planning an all-day affair that will last into the evening, string lights are the back-pocket trick to adding a touch of romance to enhance a summer evening.

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Luscious Lemon Cake

Impress your guests with a seasonal cake that looks too pretty to eat. The longest part of the recipe is the cool time, but the results are impressive. This lemon cake is zesty, topped with a Luscious Lemon Frosting.

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Summer Orzo Salad

This summery pasta salad contains the season's best tomatoes and crunchy pistachios. Top the pasta with zesty basil pesto and creamy feta. It feels fancy but will only take 20 minutes of active time to make.

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Apple Rose Tart

Sure, apples may be a year-round pantry staple, but they form beautiful flowers only worthy of spring. This delicious apple tart uses a store-bought pie crust. Select a crisp variety for the apples, such as Honeycrisp or your preferred type.

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Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Sun-dried tomatoes are a summer staple, so what better way to enjoy it than in a pasta salad? It's a fun addition to the table and a refresher from the usual (but still loved) sides. Serve this dish warm or at room temperature.

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Grapefruit Rosemary Mimosas

This pretty pink drink sure is a beauty. Make the simple rosemary syrup beforehand to have it on hand for the garden party. Garnish with a rosemary sprig or a grapefruit wedge.

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Sunflower Centerpieces

Picnic-Perfect Centerpiece — Photo: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller

The great thing about sunflowers is that each bloom has charming features. Create simple centerpieces by choosing cute, disposable paper cups and topping each with a sunflower head.

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Strawberry Rosé Snack Cake

Summer called, and it wants this cake. The rosé flavor comes through in a pleasant way that complements the strawberries, which give the cake its dashingly pink hue. Substitute freeze-dried raspberries if you prefer.

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Cucumber-Chickpea Salad with Feta-Mint Vinaigrette

Cool, light, refreshing—meet the ultimate garden party salad. While plating the salad will make for a stunning presentation, don't be afraid to serve it family style. Garnish the salad with plenty of herbs, including fresh parsley, mint, and dill.

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Build a Charcuterie Board

Sara and Billy Jack Brawner's Waco, TX Home — Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Paige Mullins

Consider this the appetizer that will please everyone of all ages. Load it with the season's best fruit and an array of specialty cheeses and preserves to create something your guests won't stop raving about.

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Monogramed Cocktail Bar

Celebrating a special someone at your garden party? Give them a nod with a monogrammed cocktail bar.

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Heavenly Angel Food Cake

If you want a dessert that will impress without taking loads of effort, this is the one. Light and spongey angel food cake pairs perfectly with the lemon-cream cheese frosting. This cake will be the most beautiful on the dessert table.

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Make It Pop With Poppies

Emily Copus Flower Arrangement Step by Step Inserting Poppies — Erin Adams

Poppies are a harbinger of summer, so add a few to your floral centerpieces. They add a cheerful pop of color that endear them to all.

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Bonfire

If your party extends into the evening, finish it with a bonfire, some chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers. The adults might also appreciate a nightcap.

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