An Outdoor Party: Colorful & Simple

A couple of weeks ago, I threw a party for just the moms! It was a last hoorah for summer and a way to enjoy friendship and good times before the school year revs up. It was so much fun to just be girls, enjoy a cocktail, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. I kept things simple and was so excited to use Minted party décor to help set the scene. I knew I wanted to use pink, yellow, and aqua. The color scheme was used both inside and out. So without further ado, come on in . . .     …   I was able to personalize the bunting banner and chose, “Relax & Enjoy.” I loved the vintage feel of the banner and tried to a carry that out with the use of mason jars throughout the party.   I chose to cover the buffet {dessert table} with a table cloth from HomeGoods. The matching runner was used on the food table to keep things cohesive. The fun patterned napkins were also a HomeGoods finds. …     Adding simple ribbon in a coordinating color scheme is an easy way to add more charm and keep things simple. This would later be filled with treats, yummy homemade cookies {thanks to a neighbor} and berry cobbler. Yum! … … … Our French doors would be open during the party so that guests could be both inside and out. I tried to stick to pink flowers out there to also tie in the color scheme {and thank you to my hubby for working in the yard and making it beautiful}.   I made a few candle lights to hang in the trees. They are vey easy to make and I will do a DIY on those soon. They add so much warmth and charm when lit at night.   I was also able to customize the large hanging banner from Minted and chose, “Time to Savor Summer.”   While the food was all indoors, I had the drinks outside. We set up the “sips” on our patio table. I used a fabric backed canvas {you can read about here} as the backdrop. The second canvas I have is bright blue and did not match the colors of the party so I wrapped it in a gray and white striped wrapping paper. The frames were filled with chevron wrapping paper and scrapbook paper. All of this was free as I had all of the paper on hand. I used good old washi tape to attach the “sips” sign to the frame. …   These coordinating circles can be used as confetti on a table or you can cut holes and string them to create another garland.   The sweet straw flags were also party of the party décor from Minted. They add such a sweet touch. … …     …   The yellow runner was a HomeGoods find. I covered it with a strip of plexi glass I have so that it was a nice stable surface for drinks and was protected from any spills. I picked up the vintage gift tags from Michaels and cut them down a bit. Paired with a black marker, guests can easily make sure their wine glass is their own. …   I mason jars are resting on a lucite tray that I lined with the same raspberry chevron wrapping paper. homemade dark chocolate and sea salt cookies   Moving inside, these vases were wrapped in scrapbook paper and washi tape was used as an accent. I also lined this tray with the same chevron paper. You can read about this DIY tray made from a frame right here.   … ……….time to welcome guests …   ……………………………….treats …   … … … … …   While natural light photos are so much better, I wanted to include some evening shots so you could get a feel for the party. There is a night time glow that is so hard to catch on film. … ……   Me and my dear friend, Jess. We go back long before we met our hubbies. Thanks for the delicious berry cobbler, my friend. ……   … In all, there were about 16-17 women and we had so much fun together. I feel so blessed to call these girls my friends. I have been friends with many of them for more than 12 years. images by courtney and lalita biacchi … I wanted to include a few takeaway tips for you. I love throwing parties and think that they should be stress free. I plan to do a few more posts on the menu I used and the timing of putting it all together so that I could relax and enjoy the party as well. I think you all know I am already enamored with Minted and so appreciate the darling party décor. And I just found out that have foil pressed birth announcements. They are so beautiful. So I’m thinking my next party invite may have to sport some gold foil bling!