Our Tropical Garden Party
Sharing our tropical garden party with decor and food ideas, a DIY fruit necklace party favor and ginger mule cocktail recipe to host your own.
Who’s ready to get tropical?! We may have went all out with our Tropical Garden Party that we threw for a few of our friends.
Garden parties are a popular party theme. But we wanted to put a twist to it, especially considering that we are in Texas where it feels more like the tropics.
This post is your one-stop shop for crafting the perfect tropical escape. We’ll show you how to mix up refreshing IZZE cocktails that will transport your taste buds to the tropics. Get crafty with a DIY floral pendant tutorial to create stunning decorations, and discover delicious appetizer ideas to tantalize your guests’ palates. But the fun doesn’t stop there!
Learn how to embroider your own fans (a beautiful and functional party favor your guests will love). We’ve even got you covered on party source. So you can find everything you need to create an unforgettable tropical bash.
Escape the ordinary and set sail for paradise with a tropical garden party! Aloha awaits as we transform your space into a lush oasis brimming with vibrant colors and island vibes. Let’s get planning!
Our Tropical Garden Party Venue
We hosted the party before we owned The Juliana. So the first thing we needed was the perfect garden location to set the tone.
We were able to snag this pretty greenhouse at the Gardens of River Oaks in Houston that one of our friends got married to recently. It was the perfect mix of outdoors meets the token Sugar & Cloth bright white space. Basically, it’s our spirit garden!
Our DIY Floral Pendant
Naturally, you have to have the perfect florals for a garden party. And Blush & Vine put together just what I had in mind! We wanted to create floral pendants over the table.
Instead of splurging on crazy expensive wicker pendant lamps, we used food domes that we found at World Market. Then, we hung floral foam and blooms from the center of each to create a trio focal point over the table.
DIY Embroidered Rattan Fans for a Party Favors Idea
We also made embroidered rattan fans because we glisten (not sweat).
Jokes aside. It gets hot in Houston, and we wanted the ladies to be able to stay cool in style. To make them, we just used spray paint to lightly color the edges of the fans and embroidery thread to make abstract shapes for added interest.
Food Ideas for a Tropical Garden Party
For food, we had mini bite-sized Acai bowls, Japanese sponge cake, salmon poke chips, and ricotta cheese brioche made by the super talented A Fare Extraordinaire.
Not to worry, you can find the recipe for these colorful treats down below!
Our Tropical Garden Party Furniture
As for furniture, we HAD to have these chairs and folding tables because tell me this isn’t the cutest garden setup you’ve ever seen?!
It was also the perfect mix of outdoors meets indoor modern, which we love. Any furniture element that can be repurposed indoors is worth the investment.
DIY Fruit Necklaces
Of course, no Friendsday Night is complete for the Sugar & Cloth team without a statement DIY. And these fruit necklaces were definitely the conversation starter of the night! True to the theme, we played off of the sparkling juice flavors and colors to stick to the tropical theme. Here’s how we made them:
Materials and tools needed:
- Wooden beads
- Wooden ovals
- Fake cherries
- Fake strawberries
- Fake tangerines
- Fake oranges
- Fake lemons & limes
- Fake pears
- Fake grapes
- Brown jewelry cord
- Drill
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
How to make the giant fruit necklaces
1 — Drill two holes in either side of the oval wooden plaque towards the top edges.
2 — String the brown cord through.
3 — Start hot gluing the faux fruits to the wood.
4 — Once you have all of your fruit glued on, string on the wooden beads.
5 — Then, tie the cord in a double knot in the back and you’re all set!
DIY Boxwood Backdrop
Lastly, the finishing touch to this garden party was a DIY boxwood backdrop! Our friend Meredith made this one. We added a few palm leaves to it for an added touch of tropical.
You can also recreate a similar backdrop following our faux DIY boxwood tutorial.
Tropical Garden Party Sources
- Pink old fashioned cups
- Mint linens
- Blue bowls
- Blush salad plate
- Gold flatware
- Drink pitcher
- Ceramic spoons
- Drink dispenser
- Rattan tray
- Wooden tray
- Tables that we spray painted the legs white
- Bar cart between chairs
- Small round side table
- Woven accent chairs
- Dining chairs
- Rattan fans used for our DIY embroider fan
- White spray paint for table legs
- Woven lanterns
- Folding tables
IZZE Citrus Ginger Mule Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 oz IZZE Sparkling Citrus Ginger
- 2 oz gin of your choice
- 1 fruit skewer or lime wedge optional for garnishing
Nutrition
Instructions
- Pour gin into a highball glass over ice cubes and fill with IZZE Sparkling Citrus Ginger.
- Stir and garnish with a lime wedge or fruit skewer.
IZZE Grapehound Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 oz IZZE Sparkling Grapefruit
- 2 oz Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka
- 1 fruit skewer for garnishing
Nutrition
Instructions
- Pour vodka into a highball glass over ice cubes and fill with IZZE Sparkling Grapefruit. Stir and garnish with a fruit skewer.
Acai Appetizer Bites Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 oz frozen acai berry blend
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 cup papaya
- 1 banana
- Honey to sweeten to taste
Nutrition
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients to the blender and puree until smooth. Pour the puree into the appetizer spoons.
- Garnished with the small diced fruit and homemade granola.
Thanks so much to IZZE for partnering with us on this Friendsday Night series that we LOVE.
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