Luxury picnic – what does it actually mean? It’s al fresco dining with a partner, friends, family etc. What is different are beautiful details and delicious food. To call a picnic luxury there is more preparation involved, details that I thought out, beautiful setting, food, decoration details and also time. What I mean by this is that time nowadays is a luxury so to fully create this luxury atmosphere it has to be savour and eaten slowly, enjoyed and not rushed. I would also associate this with words like stylish, chic, romantic, and relaxing. Is there anything more pleasant or romantic than an impromptu al fresco dining with people you love? Creating this unique atmosphere can be a beautiful activity that your loved ones will appreciate. You can throw that blanket down or order a company that will set up everything for you. Lush green grass, sandy beach, delicious food, a bottle of bubbly. Laughter, the board games, chatting, reading, sun on the face and birds singing in the background. It is all luxury! There are some characteristics of the ideal luxury picnic and I will explain them to you in my short article. Without further ado let’s dive in and enjoy!
Table of Contents
Luxury picnic with friends what you will need.
To create an over-the-top luxury picnic with friends you will need some preparations. To help you prepare and have a clear idea in mind I have curated a list of picnic essentials. What you need for an ideal luxury picnic and a few recipes that everyone will enjoy. I will mention little details that will make your picnic chic. For example:
- flowers,
- wooden baskets,
- glassware and
- chic outfit.
1. Find the ideal place for your luxury picnic with friends
This is a very important step that will determine the whole concept of the picnic. You can start with pinpointing places that you like, that relaxes you or that you find romantic. A park near your home, a field, beach or maybe lake shore. Any place that you find easy to reach and pleasant to you. For our Switzerland in Style picnic together with my friends, we chose Parc des Eaux-Vives. I thought about it mostly because it has parking, there is a hotel, so we could refresh ourselves and also it has a fabulous iconic view of the lake and Jet d’eau fountain. You can perhaps take these points to consider too when choosing the ideal place.
2. The setting, a company or by yourself
To create a beautiful setting for your luxury picnic you can choose items from your home or hire a company that will set up everything for you. The last option is especially useful when you would like to throw a little party and you don’t have so much time to handle all the aspects of the event. Companies like for example Alma Picnic which created our beautiful setting will do everything for you. They will bring all blankets, cushions, tables, tableware and even accessories. Alma picnic also brought us board games and a polaroid camera. It was a nice touch. They have different colour themes to choose from, so it’s perfect for different birthdays or baby showers. We chose a pink boho style that fitted us perfectly for the concept we had in mind.
3. Fresh Flowers
Fresh flowers are the luxury picnic must-have. Freshly cut flowers always elevate the interior and I believe it’s the same for outdoor parties or events. You can have a beautiful flower composition or a simple flower bouquet. For a more effortless style, you can pick up fresh flowers from the field and create a small bouquet or flower crown.
source: Pinterest 
source: Pinterest
4. Add pillows for luxury picnic vibes
Pillows mean comfort and cosiness. If we add many pillows to our outdoor picnic then we can have cosy living room vibes outside. When you will bring more cushions, you can sit on them, lay down, and children can play on them. Last but not least they will add a stylish look. However, first, you need to decide on the colour scheme of your event and then add in beautiful outdoor pillows or even bring your home ones. They will truly compliment the overall theme and elevate a simple picnic to a luxury picnic. For more comfort, you can also bring blankets, especially if you plan a sunset picnic. This will create more comfort for you and your guests. In the case of cushions and blankets, the comfier the better, so bring as many as you can.
5. Bring a beautiful picnic basket
Every Al fresco dining deserves a beautiful and complete picnic basket. I will show you a few ideas for luxury picnic baskets, that are not only luxury but also sustainable. By having real cutlery and tableware you reduce the use of disposable items. They are also so much more stylish and they can last for many, many years.
My favourite one is from Alessi. It’s a luxury item with a price tag, but honestly, it’s an investment for years. Price:
520.00 CHF.
More budget-friendly options:
Willow picnic basket – $137.88
KAIWU Picnic Basket – $104.38
6. Create a fruit and cheese board and present food beautifully
A cheese and fruit board is very easy to make and doesn’t take much effort. You can simply add a few kinds of cheese, for example, camembert, gruyere, and mascarpone. Decorate it with fresh grapes, figures, and berries and voila your cheese board is ready. For more options, you can add charcuterie, hummus and baguette for a French vibe.
For our picnic in the park, we decided to have a brunch basket that was provided by Ritz Carlton Hotel in Geneva. Their Brunch Basket from Ritz Carlton Hotel in Geneva created by Living Room Restaurant included:
- Cheese and Cured meat selection.
- Homemade Pancake, Smoked Salmon, Cottage Cheese Avocado Toast, Poached Egg, Muffin, Spinach, Pickled Mustard Seeds.
- Egg Benedict: Poached Egg, Muffin, Spinach, Hollandaise Sauce.
- Sunrise Granola Bowl: Light Greek Yogurt, Red Fruit compote, Homemade Granola.
- French Toast, Caramel Sauce.
- Viennoiseries and Bread Selection. White bread, Cereal Bread, Croissant, Pain au Chocolate, Honey, Jam and Butter.
- Fresh orange juice. Evian Water.
They also provided us with a gluten-free meal, which was very delicious. For the full Brunch Basket at Ritz Carlton menu or reservation please click here.
In case you would like to prepare some more simple recipes by yourself Little toasts are a great option and easy to make. For example, with smoked salmon toast, people love this kind of food at outdoor events. Other options could be hard cheese and figs toasts or mini tortillas with chicken and avocado.
7. Make homemade refreshments
Homemade refreshments are always a good and healthy idea. They are very easy to make at home and they will be more appreciated than ready drinks.
Few ideas:
- Peach Ice Tea
- Pineapple Kiwi Mojito – nonalcoholic
- Strawberry Cucumber Limeade
- Watermelon Limonade.
8. Use real glassware and reel cutlery
This is not only more luxurious but also sustainable. I believe that wine tastes better from a real glass and food tastes differently when eaten with cutlery rather than plastic disposable ones. So my only advice would be to try to avoid plastic as much as you can.
9. A luxury Picnic attire.
Wear something pretty yet comfortable and don’t forget flat footwear.
Some picnic fashion essentials are:
- Comfortable dress, alternatively top and shorts, but not jeans. Cotton shorts, Bermudas or culottes will also look stylish. You can choose different colours, depending on the theme. For our picnic, we were all wearing dressed from By Adori Brand. By Adori is a Swiss brand, that produces Prêt-à–porter designs.
- Flat shoes: Sandals, mules, ballerinas.
- Large Hat, the bigger the better.
- Sunglasses.
And also don’t forget the sunscreen.
Conclusion
Picnics are a wonderful way to get outdoors and enjoy al fresco dining with friends, partners or family. Summer or a later summertime is just ideal for this kind of gathering and event. It’s lovely to throw a luxury picnic in the park or on the beach. To create luxury vibes just add small details to your al fresco dining and you will create an Instagram-worthy aesthetic. I hope that you enjoyed my tips for creating this ultimately enjoyable experience. Please let me know in the comments which one was most helpful.
Picnic setting prepared by @almapicnic
Brunch prepared by @ritzcarltongeneva @livingroombarandkitchen
Dresses @by.adori
Wine @m_g.wine
Photography @slowikowska.photography
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As always with love
Bella Zofia xx
Swiss Blogger
