Fall picnic planning? Whether you’re taking the show on the road to a local park to enjoy the foliage, or staying in your own backyard, I have loaded up this post with tons of inspiration. Cue apples and caramel dip – let’s get this picnic party started!
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Ah, autumn. Crisp air. Crunchy leaves. Pumpkin spice lattes. Football. Kids are in school again. It really is one of the happiest times of the year. Ha!
In all seriousness, setting up a fall picnic for family and friends to enjoy is a unique way to enjoy the season.
In this post, I’ll share with you how I created this look, along with tips for how you can do the same!
This set up could work for a Sunday brunch, a casual bridal shower, a birthday party, or a just-because Tuesday evening dinner. Whatever your reason to picnic this autumn, I hope you find some inspiration for creating a stylish moment and many memories hanging out with loved ones.
This post is all about styling a fall picnic.
Ground Cover
This first thing you need for a fall picnic is something to sit on. If you’re not using a picnic table, then the obvious choice is a blanket. But if you’re at home as I was for this picnic set up, then you can pull out a rug and pillows to create a boho vibe.
Jute rugs like the one I used or indoor/outdoor rugs are a solid choice to have a chance of withstanding the great outdoors.
Because the table linens I used are bold, the rug needed to be quieter. Hence the neutral tones.
If you go the blanket route, this self-contained-with-handle option in a gorgeous neutral herringbone will give you a similar look to a jute rug.
Rug or blanket, just be sure you have enough square footage to accommodate all of your picnic guests. Because sitting on the ground is one thing – but actually sitting on THE ground is a completely different story!
Raised Platform Table
Pallet picnics are all the rage. I found these pallets at a local hardware store. They happened to be stacked up outside, which I noticed as I was driving by. A phone call to the manager and a trip back later, they were mine for $5 each! I bought four. Placing two side-by-side, and then two additional on top in the same fashion, 6 to 8 place settings can easily be accommodated.
If you don’t have access to pallets, or you are on the go with your picnic, then I suggest a portable pop-up table. You won’t be able to have a place setting for everyone on it, but you should be able to display a pretty bouquet and a few of your menu items.
Another post about pallet picnics you might like: TEEN GIRL BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS SHE WILL LOVE
Casual Meets Formal Place Settings
Although we’re in an uber casual space at a picnic, the juxtaposition of a sort-of formal place setting and eating on the ground is fun. Don’t you think!?
Using real plates, utensils, and glassware instantly upgrades the dining experience.
I get it. This may not always be practical – especially if you’re taking your picnic party somewhere other than your backyard. There’s no shortage of melamine plates and shatterproof glasses on the market. For the ultimate in portability, I suggest a classic picnic basket or modern backpack stocked with all the things.
But if you want to recreate this look, you’ll need leather placemats, black stoneware plates, and matte gold cutlery. Then for glassware, a set of copper mule mugs and basic clear wine glasses.
Linens with Fall Vibes
Every autumn, I get sucked back into checks and plaid. By January, I’m totally over it. But then September rolls around again, and I’m like – give me ALL THE PLAID!
If you are also mad about plaid, then you will love this buffalo check table throw and napkins for your fall picnic.
In case you’re unfamiliar (I know I was!), a throw (also sometimes called a table topper) is a smaller tablecloth (tablecloth-lette, perhaps?) that is usually placed so the corners are in the center of the table edges, rather than matched to the actual table corners.
You can use a table throw over a full tablecloth as an additional layer if you’d like. But for this picnic set up, I wanted to show off the wood pallets for a more rustic, boho vibe.
The napkins are from the same matching set. Both from the brand DII from Amazon. I’ve raved about this brand many times (like in this Easter tablescape post), and again they did not disappoint. Great quality for the price!
Sunflower Centerpieces
Shopping the floral section at Trader Joe’s is a treat. It’s hard to pick just one bouquet! So I didn’t. Hehe. I bought several (and by several, I mean four), different autumn-inspired flowers to create this arrangement.
Sunflowers were the first and obvious selection for a fall picnic floral arrangement. From there, I grabbed apple green mums, pinkish-red alstroemeria, and those tiny daisies, which I think are called ammonium (anyone know for sure? please leave a comment!). Then, from my own garden, I grabbed some white hydrangea – solidifying the bouquet squarely as a fall transition floral arrangement.
Arrangements were placed in two different vases that I had on hand. My goal was for the stems not to show and to have different heights, including third centerpiece element – a basket of crisp red apples.
Extra mini daisies were used as accents on top of informally folded napkins. This small touch creates cohesion throughout the entire fall tablescape by bringing a touch of yellow out from the center and onto the place settings.
Easy Fall Picnic Menu Ideas
Last year, I hosted a fall picnic, and this is what I served. It was a major hit and will definitely be on repeat!
- Harvest salad by Cookie + Kate. This salad has all the fall feels with roasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. Not only that, but it’s topped with a simple homemade cider vinaigrette that is to die for!
- Potato soup served with toppings (cheese, sour cream, chives, and bacon)
- Crusty bread. Really the crustier and granier the better. A family favorite is Whole Foods Organic Seeduction Bread.
Fall picnic desserts are fun to pick out, and there usually isn’t any shortage of options. Grocery stores will push out ideas on displays that you can easily grab and go without having too much prep work – or any at all for that matter!
At my fall picnic last year, I served a no-prep dessert by creating an assortment of pumpkin and fall spice (think cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) flavored cookies on a tray. (I think most came from Trader Joe’s. If you have one near you, highly recommend checking out their fall selection. It’s fairly extensive and haven’t run into anything that we haven’t loved!) Definitely a crowd pleaser!
Last but not least, beverages. Spiced warm apple cider is an obvious choice. You could also serve your own version of a pumpkin spice latte or a red-wine sangria with fall notes. Yum!
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[slide-anything id=”2287″]Thanks so much for stopping by today for some fall picnic inspiration. I hope you found what you were looking for.
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