Summer is here and you know what that calls for: outdoor picnics! Picnics are great for dates, birthdays, or even just a casual hangout!
For the past 3 years, I’ve been celebrating my birthday by having intimate picnic dates with my husband. It’s like my birthday tradition now and I love it! The good thing about picnics is that you can always change up the theme, location and food choice! This year was my first time going all-out for my birthday picnic. I decided to go for a cottagecore-themed picnic and it was literally the picnic of my dreams!
Keep reading on to learn what my 4 tips are to planning the best outdoor picnic!
1. Pick a Theme or Style
The first thing you want to do is to find a theme. There’s so many different themes to choose from but the most common themes are bohemian and cottagecore. If you’re stuck, you can always get inspiration from Instagram or Pinterest. Once you’ve determined a theme, you can start browsing for locations that will match the theme or go well with the color palette you’re going for!
2. Find a Location
Now that you’ve picked a theme, you can start browsing for locations. It’s best to choose locations that have a nice view, aren’t busy or crowded, and have a flat, leveled ground for comfort and to evenly place your food and items.
For my picnic, I decided to go with a river view in Cascade Locks, OR. I wanted to stick to something that had trees and grass to match that cottagecore, farm vibe!
3. Choose Your Type of Food
When it comes to food, theres so many choices to choose from. Charcuterie is commonly used for picnics and you can never go wrong with charcuterie! You can honestly go with any type of food whether it be sandwiches, sushi, tacos, pizza, etc. It’s on you!
For my birthday picnic, I wanted food that looked pleasing to the eye: something with a lot of color and lots of veggies and fruit. Bahn Mi’s were our main course. I also went with charcuterie and we had pastries and cake for dessert. I find that the more color the food has, the more aesthetic and delicious it looks in photos!
4. Use Props
Props will really enhance your photo and make it look more aesthetic. You can use a lot of different things like blankets, pillows, baskets, hats, flowers, wine/sparkling cider bottles, cutting boards, etc. Don’t forget that your food also act as props! 😉
In the photo above, I used a linen table cloth, a sun hat, a picnic basket, flowers from Trader Joe’s, a flower basket, and multiple charcuterie/cutting boards.
You also don’t want to overdo it on the props otherwise it might turn out looking messy and cluttered! I’d say about 2-3 big props and 3-4 small props (not including food) should be good enough for a picnic hosted for 2-4 people.
I hope these tips and photos help inspire and guide you to create the picnic of your dreams!
Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alicia
