How To Create A Cute Picnic Setup

Want to know how to create a Cute Picnic Setup? Join me as I show you step-by-step how I put together my picnic simply and aesthetically.

Picnics are one of my favorite types of gatherings. When done well, a picnic is beautiful, relaxing, and enjoyable. The picnic I will be referencing in this post I called the ‘Spring Picnic’!

I am excited to share with you how regardless of theme or even budget, how to create a cute picnic setup.

For this post, we won’t be diving deep into decorations, menus, invitations, or all the organisation that goes into hosting a picnic. I hope to be covering all that in another post. Instead, we will stick with the actual setting up on the day and how to arrange your picnic for optimal cuteness!

By the end you will know the best strategy when it comes to setting up your picture-perfect picnic.

A Cute Picnic Setup

Picnic Theme

If you’re soon to be at the stage of setting up your picnic, then you have most likely already decided on your theme. Having a theme, whether it be a style, color scheme, or genre, is important when keeping your picnic setup cohesive.

My chosen theme for this picnic was ‘spring’. For this reason, I decided my theme would revolve around flowers and pastel colors.

A theme gives you a clear direction and should be kept in mind for every decision. Invitations, blankets, plates, decor, activities, and even your menu should reflect your theme!

You can also specify the theme when inviting your guests and request that they try to dress to the theme.

Some other theme Ideas I have either done or would love to do are:

Where To Setup

When choosing your location keep your theme in mind.

For example, because my theme was ‘Spring’ I chose a location I knew would be brimming with fresh greenery and pretty trees. It wouldn’t have worked with the theme had I chosen a beach for example.

Once there, we chose a beautiful spot under two massive willow trees. Trees are fantastic for a picnic as they give shade, covering in case of light showers and beautiful photos. For our picnic, the sun shone through giving us beautiful dappled light, perfect for photos.

Here are some possible Picnic Locations:

Picnic Blankets

Your first step will be laying out your picnic blankets.

Blankets will most likely be both your seating area and table. Therefore it is important to again keep your theme in mind when choosing them.

My theme being Spring, with flowers and pastels, I was able to borrow some beautiful vintage floral sheets that worked perfectly! Sheets can be a great option for picnic blankets as often they can be found in second-hand stores cheaply and easily.

If your fabric is too thin however (like the sheets were) you’ll want to bring some thicker picnic blankets to place under them.

There is nothing worse than wet grass leaking through your blankets into your guests’ lovely outfits!

Food Display

Next, decide where you want your food displayed. If you’re choosing to have a formal picnic you may want everything laid out on a low table. Or you could bring a small vintage coffee table, for example, which you can display all your food on.

For plating, vintage plates were the best option with their delicate floral details and soft colors. Wooden chopping boards are also picnic essentials that could work for practically any themed picnic.

Extra serving essentials include cutlery, cups, and jugs. For this picnic, I thrifted these glass pink tea cups, and the gold cutlery always gives a premium feel to any meal.

When organising the menu, I tried to reflect the theme of spring even in every selection. Whether that was fresh fruits or snacks that fitted the color scheme. One of the highlights of the menu was “strawberry cake decorating”. Keep an eye out for the upcoming post detailing this activity.

Menu

Picnic Decor

With my theme and color scheme in mind, I used soft colors, flower details, and functional decorations that worked with our activites.

Picnics often require some amount of walking to your chosen spot, so it is helpful to keep practicality in mind when it comes to decorations.

The majority of the decor featured for this cute picnic setup was functional as well as aesthetic. For example, a Woven Picnic basket is necessary and so adorable!

The dried flowers and mirror we used for decoration and our afternoon activity. Cushions, depending on color, could fit any theme, and they are great for your guests’ comfort.

Food display also plays a massive part in how your picnic looks, so really give some thought to what and how you want it to look.

And that’s it! You have everything you need to create your own cute picnic setup!

If you would like to know more about the picnic featured in this post there will be a post coming all about the activities and hosting of this specific event.

This post was all about how to create a cute picnic setup.