Let’s Plan: Memorial Day Picnic
Let’s Plan Series:
Post 1- Memorial Day
Hey Y’all! Summer is quickly approaching and with that so are tons of fun get togethers, bonfires, vacations and of course some pretty awesome holidays! Summer is my favorite season without a doubt, despite being away from friends at school, I always find that no matter how busy life gets, summertime brings people back together.
I have been feeling pretty excited lately about getting to plan gatherings (now that things are starting to open up again and I can leave my house lol), and I thought what better time to start a new series on the blog than during one of the happiest seasons! So today is going to be the first post of my new “Let’s Plan” series! Throughout the series I will go through my planning of different holidays and events as well as give tips, tricks, and inspiration to give y’all some fun ideas for your next get together!
With all that being said, I clearly love summer! And there is nothing to reign in the season like a Memorial Day Picnic which, to me, seems like the staple “welcome summer!” tradition. Typically my Dad’s birthday also falls around Memorial Day, so my family tries to celebrate all weekend long with friends. This Memorial day might look a little bit different for everyone becasue of quarantine and that is kind of a bummer, but that doesn’t mean that things can’t still be fun and festive!
This year I have convinced my family that we should have a picnic out on the boat and invite some friends (At an appropriate distance of course)! Here in Florida there are lots of little sandbars that appear when the tide goes out, and you can essentially park your boat on the sand and have a little private island beach party for the entire day. To me this seemed like the perfect socially distant setting for a Memorial Day beach picnic. So let’s get planning!
The Invitations
Memorial Day is a laid back holiday, which is one of the reasons I love it so much! With that being said, I think anything too stuffy for an invitation just doesn’t really fit the bill for a beach picnic. On the other hand, it’s important that people have time to plan, especially if I am going to ask them to contribute with food or beverages. Since things don’t need to be formal, I think that a great option is sending a group text to our friends telling them our plan, with a fun graphic of course! Using a group text format makes this feel informal while also allowing people to respond and keep track of who is going to bring what!
Invitation Tips:
If you are using a group text to invite people to your party, limit the amount of texting in the group by adding a “like this message to RSVP”.
When asking people to contribute to the party with food and drinks it’s very important to keep track of who is bringing what. Personally, I keep this information in a note on my phone that way I can easily refer back to it and it’s easy to share if needed.
Keep your invite simple! I used a fun and simple template becasue much like the holiday, this picnic is not meant to be fussy!
If you need some invitation inspo for your memorial day picnic, I used this template from Canva.com and simply changed up the fonts and image locations!
The Food
Nothing says “Happy Memorial Day!” to me like a barbecue with lots of cocktails, and that will be the exact plan of this picnic! Now, as I said I love the idea of having everyone contribute their favorite dishes, but since I love to cook, I want to whip something up for this picnic as well!
Quick Tip:
I think that if you are hosting a get-together, big or small, it’s important that you are the one to handle to big stuff. In this case that means the hamburgers and hotdogs as well as a dessert for fun! Even though you are going to ask people to bring side dishes, I personally think it’s a classy move to have the larger items taken care of so no one feels pressure coming to your event.
What I will be Making
My mom and I will be bringing the main course of hamburgers and hotdogs. I chose this mainly becasue they are super simple, a crowd favorite and a summer holiday staple! I will also note that knowing if there will be vegetarians or anyone with diet restrictions is very important. Knowing this ahead of time will allow you to plan additional food options for them. Clearly I am not a vegetarian kind of gal, but I always want to make sure everyone is accommodated!
I will also be making my Blueberry Pie! This is something you can make the night before and it won’t spoil on a hot day so it’s the perfect dessert for a picnic. This pie also it adds a pop of festive color to the table!
The Fun Stuff
You really can’t go wrong having a picnic on the beach becasue there are tons of things to keep you occupied. However, since there will definately be kiddos at this picnic it’s always a good idea to have some games available to keep them entertained as well. Below I have compiled a list of some of my favorite summer games that I know my neighbors have and can bring to the picnic!
Games:
Ball Dunk: requires donut tubes, tennis balls and people with pretty good aim.
How to: this game requires four people, 2 in the water holding a donut tube, and 2 on land with a bag of tennis balls. A timer is set for 30 seconds and the goal is to get the most balls into the hole in the tube before time runs out! This game is super fun and doesn’t take much effort or supplies.
Pretty much anything with a frisbee
A lot of these games are staples for my family and make for a fun beach day!
Decorations
Eeeeeek, my favorite part! Okay y’all know decorating is half the reason I throw any kind of party, and a picnic is not exception. Because this is for Memorial Day I think having some patriotic staples are a must! Below I have listed all of the decorations that I plan to purchase for this picnic:
An American Flag: I mean duh! I won’t be purchasing this item becasue we already have one that hooks onto our boat, but if you are in the market for this staple I have linked one here!
Fun Table Garland: I am a fan of adding some additional fun to a table setting. Becasue this is an outdoor event, and confetti tends to be a mess, I thought this garland could be fun to lay on top of the table or string up around its edges! I have linked this garland from Amazon.com here!
Plates and Napkins: Personally I think that going simpler on the plates and napkins leaves room to have really fun other decorations without risking the whole setting looking too gaudy. I am currently thinking a solid white or navy blue plate, with these adorable red, white, and blue gingham napkins!
Cups: I have picked out these fun reusable plastic cups with cute boozy sayings on them! I picked these ones specifically becasue they come with 50 cups and to me seemed like the biggest bang for my buck if you will, but I also think there’s nothing wrong with solo cups or whatever you can find at the store. The cups are linked here!
Well friends we have reached the end! If you have read this far with me I really appreciate it, and I hope that this post brought you some patriotic inspiration for your Memorial Day festivities! As I have said before none of these items are necessities. Any celebration is complete with friends and family, but if you’re looking to go outside the box or have some extra fun while planning, then give some of these ideas a try! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend enjoying sunshine and friends, be sure to tag me with your memorial day celebration @kathryn.s.platt or drop a comment below!
Your Daily Dose of Sunshine,
Kathryn
