Step Into a Storybook: How to Throw a Stunning Garden Party Birthday

In this post, we will cover everything from theme to food, perfect for a garden party birthday! These beautiful garden party birthday decorations and ideas will have you inspired and equipped for your upcoming event.

A garden party birthday is a beautiful way to transport your guests into a whimsical, fairytale-like wonderland experience.

In this post you will be inspired with elegant garden party ideas, garden party birthday decorations, themes, foods, invitations, games and more!

Wherever your garden and whatever your theme, these tips and tricks are for everyone!

This post is all about how to throw a garden party birthday.

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How to Throw a Stunning Garden Party Birthday

1. Choosing a Garden Party Birthday Theme

When planning your garden party birthday, it’s a great idea to choose a theme. This could be a theme from a movie, book, color, or maybe a favorite hobby.

A theme is a great way to give you direction as you choose things like location, invitation design, decoration, games and even food! A clear theme is a great way to keep your party cohesive.

For the garden party I’ll be referring to in this post, I chose a “secret garden themed party”. I love the whimsical nostalgia this classic book conjures, making it a fitting theme.

Some great garden party theme ideas are:

2. Choosing a Garden Party Location

As you can probably imagine, a garden party is typically held outdoors. Where however is totally up to you and what you feel fits your theme!

For the Secret Garden Party I chose a nearby park to be our location. There was this beautiful space that was private with a large vine covered pergola to act as a backdrop. It was perfect as the whole area was so reminiscent of the film.

3. Choosing Garden Party Birthday Invitations

Once you’ve chosen your theme, location, date and time, you are ready to send out your invitations!

Be sure your invites represent well the type of event your guests can expect. A good understanding of the event will also help your guests choose the appropriate outfits for your party.

Inspired by the magical door the children enter through in The Secret Garden, this whimsical watercolor invitation is perfect for any enchanted party! If you are keen to use this invitation for your own garden party, I’ve added the link below.

4. Choosing Your Garden Party Birthday Decorations

Now for my favorite part… Decorations!

Beginning with your table, you could choose a floor table and have your guests on blankets and cushions or go for table and chairs. Tablecloths and runners will then be a great way to bring your table to life with your color scheme.

Whatever your theme, flowers are likely to be a great choice for decorations. You can choose colors and foliage that reflect your theme and tie in the “garden” to the party.

You may consider different vases that could reflect your theme. For example, for a tea party you could use vintage tea pots, or for a fairyland have moss and fairy lights in a jar.

Candles are then a popular choice as they add elegance, height and color to the center of the table.

I like to make every event slightly magical. For this secret garden theme, I created an arch over the table covered in foliage and flowers. Then I hung origami butterflies made from a vintage book from the top of the arch.

I am excited to share with you how I made this arch in an upcoming post!

5. Garden Party Menu Ideas

Your menu will largely depend on the time of day your event is planned for. If you’re scheduled to go over lunch time, you’ll want to consider some more filling dishes.

Some great morning or afternoon tea ideas would be:

For my secret garden party, I kept the menu very simple, with just a flower-themed birthday cake. I must confess the one thing I forgot was a cake knife! It actually turned into great fun however with all the girls digging in with their forks.

6. Choosing Fun Garden Party Games

Games are always a great way to help your guests relax. I have written a whole post on garden party themed games. Be sure to check it out if you are looking for fun ideas to get your guests laughing.

This post was all about how to throw a stunning garden party birthday that your guests will never forget.