Party Inspiration: A Memorial Day Picnic!

Whenever I plan parties, I start off by collecting pictures, recipes, and objects that inspire me. For my recent clothing swap party, I wanted a really girly and fun style, and was inspired by vintage aprons, pink-striped paper straws, and bouquets of bright springtime flowers. My retro cocktail party grew out of my personal love for midcentury cookbooks, Mad Men, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and vintage copper Jell-o molds.

I usually use my Tumblr account to group together these photos and then use them for inspiration while I plan my menu and shop for decorations (that's actually what I've been doing for my wedding planning). This morning, I woke up and decided that it would be fun to put together a series of inspiration boards that you can use when planning your own parties.

Since Memorial Day is right around the corner, I'm starting off with a patriotic picnic board. Think gingham picnic blankets, flirty sundresses, vintage-style soda pop, lemony chicken salad sandwiches, tart lemonade, the first strawberries of the season, and plenty of berry-filled desserts. (Click the image to enlarge, and see below for image sources, shopping info, and recipe suggestions!)

I hope you enjoy!


A Memorial Day Picnic Inspiration Board
(From Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

1. Rhubarb, Rosewater & Cherry Crumble (recipe)
2. Blueberry Almond Cake w/ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe)
3. Vintage Sodas (via Country Living)
4. Fresh Strawberries
5. Lemony Waldorf Chicken Salad Sandwiches (Recipe coming soon!)
6. Memorial Day Party Invite E-Card (via Pingg.com)
7. Roasted Potato Salad w/ Smoked Paprika & Red Pepper Dressing (recipe)
8. Crusty French Baguette
9. Sustainable Party Cups (How fun are these cups!? Reusable and dishwasher safe version of the classic red party cups.)
10. Classic red gingham picnic blanket (via Dreamstime)
11. Passion Fruit Lemonade (recipe)
12. "Chalk Full of Style" Sundress


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