For as long as I can remember, I have had a dream of hosting a beautiful outdoor garden dinner party for 20.
At first I asked myself these questions-
How do you set up a an outdoor garden party?
What does hosting an outdoor party look like?
How do I set up an outdoor party table?
Well I finally did it!
Luckily my hubby was totally on board and did all the muscle work for me, moving tables, setting up chairs and lights to hang all around to host our outdoor garden dinner party.
I came up with the ideas and he implemented them for me.
We make a great team 😉
Tables and Chairs
We decided the best place to hold this outdoor dining experience would be in our backyard.
Two 8 foot tables allowed us to be able to seat 20 comfortably.
20 chairs were needed so we pulled chairs from inside and out of our house.
You can find more tips about how to set up an outdoor party on my do it yourself garden party tips and tricks post here.
Outdoor Twinkling Lights
You have got to have lighting for an outdoor dinner party!
My sweet hubby MacGyvered strings of bulb lights onto poles that just brought a beautiful ambiance to our outdoor dinner garden party.
He used 4 poles with stakes attached that he pounded into the ground.
The poles were still a little wobbly especially after he used 25lb fishing line from corner to corner to create a square around the tables for the lights to hang on.
He had to string more fishing line from each pole to trees and edges of house to keep the square taught.
He totally figured everything out and it looked gorgeous!
When I put together a romantic outdoor dinner for two I didn’t use strings of light I only used candles. You can see this beautiful romantic dinner here.
Table Linens
We used two folding tables and I bought 3 white textured throws called Mathea from Ikea sadly they do not carry them anymore.
I found similar ones that I linked under Shop Similar Items at the end of this post.
I put them on the tables with a oatmeal colored cotton linen tablecloth called Vardagen also from Ikea over the middle of the table to give it a European relaxed feel.
Dinnerware
I always like to use white dinner plates because it makes the food pop off the plate.
The placemats are a natural woven material and bring in a garden feel.
I use these placemats almost everyday!
See them in this pretty outdoor dinner for two or this outdoor fall tablescape. They look really nice on our DIY planked top dining table too!
Centerpiece
Dollar tree bottles filled with herbs from my garden make for a beautiful natural centerpiece.
I used Dollar tree pink ones here in this tablescape.
I used herbs that had small flowers blooming.
Pineapple sage flowers, Oregano flowers and the white flowers believe it or not are from my onions!
The leafy greenery going down the center of the table are honey suckle vines.
Glassware
I mixed clear glass goblets and bubble glass goblets.
These are perfect for serving lemon water.
Candle Holders
Two glass vases called Begarlig from Ikea act as hurricane lamps with tall white candles in them.
The wind can’t blow them out.
Food
I served bruschetta, roasted vegetables, a yummy quinoa brown rice yam cherry salad, sliced fruit, cheese and crackers.
I asked my friends to bring something to grill.
For dessert I made individual mini peach raspberry pies that were baked in ramekins.
They are soooo yummy!
So perfect for an outdoor garden dinner party!
Fresh melons sliced on a plater with some grapes is the epitome of outdoor party food for me.
Easy and all the colors are perfect for a summer party.
Wooden slabs hold crackers, cheese and sliced apples.
Setting up a separate table to hold all of the outdoor dinner party food is the best!
Your guests can come and fill their plates with whatever delights them.
All these friends enjoyed the evening as did we!
A couple of my friends said it was just a magical night, perfect weather, delicious food and most of all good company.
My dream of hosting an outdoor summer dinner garden party was fulfilled!
Pin My Outdoor dinner party Idea to your boards
Shop Similar Items
This is one of my dreams to have a dinner party at a long table like this!! So beautiful and inspiring!
And thanks for sharing at Charming Homes & Gardens!
So incredibly pretty and inviting! I bet everyone had a great time!
Thank you Jennifer! It really was a perfect night! I’m so grateful for my sweet hubby’s help otherwise I couldn’t have done it. There is just something special about dining outside under twinkling lights 😁 Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment.
Hugs,
Karin
Hi Sandra,
So sorry you ran into to too many ads on my blog. I am still fairly new to Word Press and ads. I do not place the ads myself..the are auto ads and I apologize if there was too many today. Blogger was much easier for me to navigate. I hope to figure all this out soon. Sorry to see you go.
Karin
Bravo, Your dinner party for 20 is perfection! I’ve always wanted to do the same. We have hosted large parties in our back garden, but the closest I’ve come to hosting one long table was a table for ten. There is something so elegant and festive about a long dinner table. Thanks for sharing your beautiful event.
Thank you so much for your sweet comments they totally made me feel happy. It was truly a magical night as my friends said. I really cannot wait to do it again once Covid is over. I really appreciate you taking time to visit my blog.
Hugs,
Karin
Looks amazing. You didn’t overlook a single detail. I found you over at Make It Pretty Monday. Have great Day.
XO- MaryJo Materazo
https://www.masterpiecesofmylife.com
Hi Mary Jo! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment! 🥰 it was such a fun night!
This is all so beautiful! It’s one of my dreams to have a party like this with long tables in the yard! Thanks for the inspiration and for sharing at Charming Homes and Gardens!
Hi Kristin,
Thank you so much! You should plan a party for sure. Once I get things in motion it all comes together and my favorite thing to do is do it on a budget. Using greens and flowers from my garden as the decor on the table is just he best thing ever! Let me know if you plan a party I would love to see your pics!
Hugs,
Karin
This is totally beautiful Karin! And that menu sounds fabulous! Kudos to you and your husband for a wonderful plan and execution! 🙂 I’d come to that dinner party any time! Hope you have a lovely Easter weekend!
Hi Barbra 😊 Thank you! We had an absolute blast putting together this garden party! We would love to have you come to our parties any time! Happy Easter!
Hugs,
Karin
I love alfresco dinner parties! This was beautifully styled and looked so fun. Thank you for sharing your post with Charming Homes & Gardens Link Party!
Rachel
Isn’t dining Alfresco the absolute best!! I can’t get enough of it! I can’t wait until our weather stays warm enough to host another outdoor garden party soon! Thank you for stopping by!
Hugs,
Karin
This looks like it was an amazing dinner party😱. Thank you for joining us over at our new link party Charming Homes & Gardens🙋🏼♀️
Hi Ann! It was such a fun dinner party… truly my dream of doing this came true! All our friends just kept saying it was a magical night 😊 I can’t wait until this pandemic is over to do this again 🙌🏻 Thanks so much for stopping by. Love your new party!
Karin
That is such a beautiful table! Looks like a magical night out of a movie. I bet your friends were so happy to have been invited.
Thank you Joanne! Everyone had such a fabulous time and many said it was magical. I think it’s so important to gather friends and family in a unique way to create memories 🙂
Oh my goodness – your outdoor dining party looks like it came straight out of a magazine spread, Karin! We entertain often (but not outdoors because Ohio weather stinks and cannot be counted on to EVER stay nice if on those rare occasions it is actually nice,) so I know how much love and labor and plain o' sweat went into this divine gathering.
Move over, Martha – there's a new kid in town! : – ) Well done, ma'am. Hug that hubs for me.
Michelle you are TOO kind 😘 thank you for you sweet comments! Wow it really means a lot to hear these things especially coming someone else who knows how much planning and work it takes to do this. What a bummer that Ohio weather does not coooerate 🙁 if you lived here I’m sure we would host together!
Thanks again for stopping by 😘
I couldn't love this any more! We have a salt works farm here locally, and they host farm to fork dinners that have nothing on you and your husband's execution of an alfresco evening right there! Beautiful!
Wow Rita what a nice comment! 😘 You made my day! I’ve been thinking about doing something like that.. it would a lot of work but super fun!