Whether you want to celebrate a special occasion, spend some time with friends, or perhaps try a little team building, a picnic is the perfect idea. There’s no better place to do this than in your own back yard.
Of course, you’ll want the picnic to be perfect and that’s easier to do than you think, you just need the right décor and recipes.
Shelter
You need a good gazebo, such as one of these DIY gazebo kits. You’re probably not expecting rain for your picnic but you will need somewhere to allow people to shelter from the sun. It’s also a good spot for the food to be placed as you’ll find it easier to protect it from bugs.
You may even want to bring a table to put the food on.
Of course, while you can sit under the gazebo, if possible it’s better to enjoy the sunshine.
Seating
The best seating is on the ground but don’t bother with a picnic blanket, get your duvet with a removable cover, allowing it to be washed later. You’ll also need a piece of tarpaulin to ensure the damp from the ground doesn’t soak your duvet.
Lay the tarpaulin down first and then put the duvet on top. Chuck a few pillows down and you’re guaranteed to be comfortable.
Shopping Bags
The easiest way to carry everything is to use re-useable shopping bags, they carry more than picnic hampers and are very strong.
Extras
If you’re hoping that that the picnic will extend into the evening then bring some battery-powered lanterns, these can be placed around the duvet, hung from trees, or hung from the gazebo.
Even a daytime picnic can be decorated, just use some paper lanterns or make your own bunting using scrap pieces of colorful paper.
Music
A good picnic in your backyard needs music. The best option is portable speakers that can connect to your phone, allowing you to enjoy your favorite tunes.
The Food
Along with friends you need some great food to make your picnic memorable for the right reasons. Here are some great menu suggestions:
Don’t forget you’ll need a good selection of drinks:
Top Tip: Use Mason jars for the drinks, they look lovely and they’ll reduce the likelihood of a spill.
Don’t forget that the key to enjoying your backyard picnic is in keeping the food simple and focusing on having fun. If there are a lot of people that don’t know each other you can always make a fun game of introducing them, or stick names on people’s heads for them to guess before everyone sits down. An ice-breaker can make a huge difference to the success of your picnic.