Easy Picnic Ideas for Memorial Day Weekend

With a three day weekend in our horizon, I thought I would post a little picnic inspiration for an doable but still an inspired occasion! You can get this look on a budget, and probably even have a lot of this stuff lying around your house already! Whip together a magazine-worthy backyard bash that's easy as PIE!

Start with some red & white gingham table cloths and a cute galvanized silverware caddy {$14.95} from Sur La Table. Layer some cute place mats or scraps of burlap as runners for centerpieces! Another SUPER easy way to add depth to a table top is to cut squares of brown kraft shipping paper (use just like you would fabric!).

Hunt down a couple cute vintage wooden food crates and fill them with goodies, from bagged chips to fruit to napkins...the possibilities are endless! Everything looks cuter in a vintage container right? Buy root beer kegs for a kitschy and unique touch.

Serve some PIE!!! These adorable A La Mode Pie Dishes from Crate & Barrel come in both the regular pie-size and minis! Depending on the size of your soiree, you can pre-make individual pies for dessert OR dinner...the recipe for homemade Chicken Apple Rosemary Pot Pies pictured above would be such a fun treat. In lieu of firing up the grill, have a meal that's pre-made or potluck so that everyone can enjoy time together socializing and eating instead of cooking or playing grill-master.


Gather a bunch of glass vessels, from mason jars to drink containers from your garage, thrift stores, ebay, or places like Cost Plus World Market. You can use jars as centerpieces filled with flowers and tied with rope or twine, as glasses {use our printable download for some cute tag/place card ideas to tie around the lip of jars for signature cocktails or each guest's place setting}, or fill jars with candles! The possibilities are endless with glass containers and jars, you can mix and match all shapes and sizes...you can even use them to hold your napkins from flying away in the wind (above). I also love the idea of using fresh produce (apples, limes and radishes above add pops of color) as centerpieces or decor...all you need to do is raid your fridge or fruit basket and scatter citrus, fruit, veggies on the tables for texture and color.

I just LOVE this menu from Satsuma Press! Its such a cute way to display the meal and ties the mason jar look together.

Use paper and fabric scraps to create drink flags and paper bunting..Get inspired by Sweet Paul. You can also use our download to print and cut out your own drink flags. Fold them in half and glue around a toothpick or straw and write names or menu items/flavors on them! Cut the ends like the flags above for a finishing touch. I also love these pies from Williams Sonoma. If you feel like splurging on a Bubby's Pie from NYC, you can order these DELISH desserts directly from the WS website to be delivered to your door - arrives fully baked - now that's easy as pie, right? You can also download our round Menu Tags below and skewer them with a toothpick like the image above and fill them in with menu details! OR, you can punch a hole in them and tie them with twine onto serving pieces, glasses, or use as napkin rings or place cards with guests names.
Picnic Printable
1. Sur La Table table cloths {$29.95 - $39.95} 2. silverware caddy {$14.95} 3. vintage wooden food crates {$20 on Etsy} 4. root beer kegs {$20 at BevMo} 5. A La Mode Pie Dishes from Crate & Barrel {$19.95 for the large and $6.95 for the mini} 6. Chicken Apple Rosemary Pot Pies {from Frolic!} 7. Mason Jar Centerpieces & Glasses from Oh, Hello Friend & Style Me Pretty 8. Beverage Buffet & Fruit from Aly's Wedding, photos by Ellie Grover 9. Menu via Style Me Pretty by Satsuma Press 10. Party by Sweet Paul and Pies from Williams Sonoma.