Let’s Get Fahn-cy Outside!

A picnic is a fun way to fellowship with your friends and family outside. With portable foods, a cooler, and potato salad safely on ice, it’s a laid-back way to feed kinfolk. Way easier than having Uncle Les stand over a hot grill, sipping the same bourbon he’s basting the ribs with. (That part!)

The word picnic dates to the late 1600s, from the French pique-nique — a shared meal where everyone contributed. During Jim Crow, some tried to turn outdoor gatherings into acts of terror against Black folks, but we reclaimed our time in the sun and rebranded the experience. Your assignment? Make it a gathering everyone remembers.

You don’t need a big budget or a catering team (or even Uncle Les). You just need a tranquil spot, a few inexpensive pieces, and enough sense not to bring breakables to the beach or park.

First Things First

First, pick your spot. A pond, a lake, the beach, or even a level grassy corner of your lawn will do the job if the view is pretty. Decide if you’re doing a low table or keeping it simple with a large blanket or quilt, then spread a second cloth over it to gussy it up. Easy.

Next, give folks somewhere soft to sit. Pillows, floor cushions, or even two or three bed pillows in removable, but color-coordinated, cases will create cuteness. If you’re doing a low-to-the-ground setup, the seating matters just as much as the potato salad. Trust.

For the Instagram-worthy details, thrift stores are your friend. Grab a plain wicker basket and dress it up with a gingham napkin, a striped tablecloth, even clip-on ribbons — as long as the colors coordinate. That one little switch takes a basket from random to adorable real quick.

No Paper Plates Please

I implore you to leave the paper and cheap plastic plates where they belong: on the store shelves. Melamine is the new normal for creating an affordable, fabulous-looking picnic scene. Add acrylic glassware and toss in inexpensive cloth napkins. A few grocery-store flowers, lemons, or peaches can finish off the look without running up your total.

And to keep everything from blowing away, fill up small color-coordinated balloons with sand or water to add weight to the table. Tuck them inside your baskets or place them on the corners of your tablecloth and napkins. You’ve just created a wind-proof afternoon, ma’am.