Create Your Own Indoor Pop-Up Picnic

If hiring a profession pop-up picnic company isn’t in your budget, I want to show you how to create your own indoor pop-up picnic party. Aesthetic picnic parties are all the rage. Whether your celebration is indoors or outdoors, I want to walk you through how I created a picnic party for my daughter.

Want other birthday ideas for teens? Check out this simple spa party or click on my parties tab for more inspiration.

Create Your Own Indoor Pop-Up Picnic

We had planned an outdoor picnic party for my daughter’s 14th birthday, but in the pacific northwest, it’s always wise to have a plan B. Indeed, due to potential rain, we had to pivot and make our pop-up picnic indoors.

My daughter had ideas of what an aesthetic picnic should look like. Most of that revolved around a color theme that had beige as the dominant color. She chose the balloon arch shown to add in the other colors she wanted.

How to Create an Aesthetic Picinic Tablescape

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Designing the table decor is a major part of creating an aesthetic picnic look. We wanted a light and airy feel with mostly white, tan and beige colors. Looking for a variety of textures really enhances the design.

Because I entertain a lot, I had many of the items shown in the pictures, but I will link to things you can purchase if you don’t have the materials on hand.

You may be asking, “How did you get a long, low table for sitting on the floor?” What we did is take two regular height long, folding tables but left the legs folded under. My husband cut wood blocks to elevate the table about four inches off the ground. There was a wooden block placed at the corner of each table.

The largest cost for us was the fabric. We not only used the fabric as a runner, but we also had the fabric draped over the whole space as seen in the picture below.

I used a coupon at Joanne Fabrics, but here’s a similar ivory colored fabric on Amazon. Through that link you can buy the fabric in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 yard increments.

I used my own plates, champagne glasses for sparkling cider, and vases, but I will link to others on Amazon for you. I also had the wooden silverware left over from a baby shower I hosted years ago.

Below is a list of all the things you could purchase to recreate this look if you don’t have or cannot borrow what you need. To keep costs down, I encourage you to check out your local buy nothing Facebook page, shop second hand, or borrow from friends.

White Plates
Brown Doily Paper Placemats
Beige Cheesecloth Napkins
Wooden Silverware
Champagne Glasses
White Tablecloths
Sheer Cream Fabric
Tall Vases – These are very similar to the ones I own, but mine were 8″ rather than 6.5″. You want a narrow neck.
Dried Flower and Grass Decor
Glass Candle Votives

More Materials Needed for an Aesthetic Picnic Party

Part of creating an aesthetic pop-up picnic is providing a cozy space, whether you are building your party indoors or outdoors. To do this you want an array of pillows and blankets. We borrowed a bunch of pillows from friends but used blankets we owned. If you can’t find some to borrow, check out your local second hand store.

Layer blankets and set at angles to create the beautiful space for your picnic and then set the tables on top of those.

Here are the final materials needed for the overall look of this picnic party:

Balloon Arch – I was surprised at how inexpensive a balloon arch kit is to buy. The price was around $15. A balloon pump makes the job easier.
Pillows
Blankets
Fairy Lights – You can see fairy lights strung above our draped fabric.

Because our balloon arch was created indoors, we could use the wall, provided balloon tape and glue dots for assembly. If you are doing an outdoor space, you could consider a beautiful round balloon stand like this.

You may wonder how to get the draped fabric look if you are doing an outdoor pop-up picnic party. Here are some ideas we considered:

Do your picnic between trees and drape fabric between the trees.
Use an outdoor umbrella as your center and drape fabric from there.
Consider using sticks or poles as seen in some of the images here.

Food Ideas for a DIY Pop-Up Picnic

My teen daughter is a pretty picky easter, so we kept the menu pretty simple. That said, I will link to other food ideas I have done for other celebrations.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches Cut with Flower Cookie Cutters
Vegetable Cups in Ranch served in Mini Parfait Cups
Heart Strawberries, Flower Melons, and Watermelon Balls on Skewers
Pizza Rolls Made with Puff Pastry

More Food Options:

Take Food Cues from our the Foods Served at my Niece’s Wildflower Wedding Shower

Check out Some of My Favorite Appetizers Here

You might be wondering about the birthday cake. If you are a regular visitor to Meaningful Mama, you know that cake decorating is a hobby. All I can say about the birthday cake for this party is that I have another post coming soon with the cake tutorial.

I’m hoping you found ideas and inspiration in our DIY pop-up picnic party. If you look for things to borrow and a few things to buy, you can still have a beautiful celebration on a limited budget.