There’s really no way to bring us down this time of year. The sun’s out, wildflowers are in full bloom, and the farmer’s market is quite literally bursting with fresh produce. As a result, we’re walking around with an ever-so-slight pep in our steps, and just about the only question on our minds is “When’s the next outdoor party?” Since we couldn’t possibly wait for Memorial Day to roll around, we thought we’d kick off the warm weather celebrations with a small gathering that’s all about enjoying Spring’s bounty and honoring our beautiful planet. There’s truly no better way to enjoy the season than with an Earth Day party, so this month, we’re encouraging each of you to round up a group of your favorite adventurers and head outdoors. Simply follow our tips and menu ideas to bring this picnic concept to life…
photography by Kristen Kilpatrick
I headed to the flower market early that morning to scope out some of the best blooms. Instead of sticking to one color family, I snagged flowers in pink, purple, white, red, burgundy and yellow, all in different heights and sizes.
We put the flowers in water, set them all in a wooden apple crate, then carried them over to our picnic area.
To define the party space, we laid down one of our favorite neutral colored rugs from Yalla Rugs. Then we sourced an old wooden pallet and a few low side tables to serve as our surfaces.
Camille arranged an unreal tropical fruit display on an old wooden board.
Papaya, mango, grapefruit, kiwi, melons, dragon fruit and berries all came together to create this jaw-dropping explosion of color. The spread and the warm weather transported us to the beach almost instantly.
For garnish, we tucked flowers into any areas that felt “empty.”
All our heads turned when Jenn Rose came out carrying this plate full of spring rolls. While you really can’t go wrong with fresh veggies + rice noodles wrapped in rice paper, this version was extra delicious, and thanks to the addition of tropical fruit, featured a rainbow of colors.
There was no shortage of sustenance with this abundant spread.
Along with our fruit display, we set out a big bowl of chia pudding. Guests topped it to their liking, then drizzled local honey over it all for an amazing combination of bright, earthy flavors.
For dessert: this show stopping lemon layer cake with whipped cream and berries.
And of course, for garnish we kept on with our theme of flowers, flowers and more flowers.
Camille was the only one who dared cut into the 4-layer masterpiece…
… though the rest of us had no problem devouring it.
We couldn’t celebrate Earth Day without one of our resident furry friends. Paddington made the day so much more fun, even if he did upstage us with his ferociously good looks.
Once the food was cleared out, we kept the party going by channeling our inner flower children and braiding each other’s hair.
On several occasions, we asked ourselves, “Why don’t we do this more often?”
With all those flowers on hand, we couldn’t resist inserting them into our hair to complete our Earth Day looks. How fun is this for a springtime ‘do?
Hope you’re all enjoying spring as much as we are. And we’d love to know: How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day?
