Garden Party Inspiration: Jardin de Paris Prep & Playlist

The city of lights is an infinite source of inspiration for all of the senses…..beautiful sites, delicious food to savour, caresses from your love, the smell of fresh baguette baking, and the sounds drifting from a café along the Seine, all instantly come to mind. In lieu of packing, long flights, and airfare with a bebe, I’ll take one fabulous garden soiree, within the comforts of my own back yard. And let's be serious here, I have no intention of braving a seven hour flight with a nine month old!

Any excuse to throw a party. And this party will be a chic affair, mais oui. I'll be setting the tone for the entire evening with decor scouted from my local Pier 1. Beautiful Francais inspired linens, an incredible outdoor bar cart straight out of a Provencal bistro, and soft lighting cast by outdoor lanterns, all in my own garden. Add French wine, champagne, cocktails, food {did someone say cheese plate?} and of course some of my favourite tunes, et voila.

Prep has been fast and furious these last few weeks. Think yard work, cleaning, food shopping, and pulling together a list of recipes for food and drink alike. Shopping at Pier 1 was the easy and fun part. The secret to a great get together is not rocket science, but it is time consuming: prep, prep, prep.

Step one, get the yard and patio pretty as can be. Make use of some outdoor pillows on those uncomfortable metal chairs and inject tons of color. Don't want to tempt spills? Throw down a colorful runner instead of a tablecloth. Just as pretty and a touch more casual. I also adore lanterns of all shapes and sizes. Nothing is prettier at dusk. Stack them on the table for a quick centerpiece, or frame your patio space by strategically placing them along the edges. Added bonus, the lanterns provide soft light and keep the bugs away when used with citronella candles.

Step two, as I was doing this weekend, you need to get all your planters filled to the brim with stunning flowers. This party was my inspiration when choosing flowers this year. I went heavy on leafy green flowers, kept height varied, and stuck to pink and purple hued blossoms through out the entire yard. My trick is to buy them all at once and divide them up by planter, and space, once home. It is oh so much easier to adjust each, based on size and placement, while in your actual yard (and not a garden center, wondering what you forgot).

Last but no least......music. It instantly sets the tone for guests, keeps things from getting too quiet, and likewise gets things going when you need to amp it up a bit.

Inspired by the Jardin de Paris {the café/concert hall owned by the proprietor of the Moulin Rouge}, this play list is the perfect soundtrack for creating your own jardin soiree, a little bit of Paris in your own backyard. It will be on repeat here! Bardot, Gainsbourg, Piaf, and some new artists I have in my current mix.

Just insert green grass, fabulous friends, chic decor, bubbly cocktails, stir it all up, pour, and hit play.

To see more of my prep-adventures, be sure to check in often on instagram or the tag #findwhatspeakstoyou.

Compensation was provided by Pier 1 via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Pier 1.