Mother's Day Picnic Ideas
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Mother’s Day Picnic Ideas | Beautiful & Inexpensive

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and I’m so excited to share these fun backyard Mother’s Day picnic ideas with you!

mother's day picnic ideas

Before we begin, I want to take a moment and Thank Cecilia with My Thrift Store Addiction for hosting this mini blog hop! I’m so honored to call her a friend and absolutely love her beautiful heart!

If you’re new here I want to take a moment to tell you welcome! I’m so glad you’re here!! Did you come over from Shelley’s Mother’s Day table setting? I absolutely loved it!

Mother's Day Picnic Ideas

Well, lets get started with these backyard Mother’s Day picnic ideas.

Mother’s Day Picnic Ideas in May

In Ohio, our gardens are far from being in full bloom. In fact, my little garden is quite bare right now.

But just because the garden of May doesn’t look like the garden of July & August doesn’t mean that we should forgo a garden picnic.

Mother's Day picnic ideas

I’ve found that one of my favorite places to plan and dream up garden upgrades/additions is in the garden itself.

Even when the garden has very little going on, I love walking the paths or sitting down and relaxing in its bareness. It’s still and silent.

I can think and plan.

Mother's Day picnic ideas

It reminds me of my DIY pot rack wall. Remember how I left that wall empty for a while to figure out how to utilize the space.

First, I had it filled with a huge hutch, but when I decided it was time for a change I left it empty until I knew what I wanted to do.

The emptiness lets me visualize without the distraction of other things. It’s like it allows my imagination to run wild without being hindered.

An empty garden does the same thing. It lets me see different plants in different locations without the distractions of what’s going on.

Mother's Day picnic ideas

All of that to say, a still and silent garden can be just as wonderful as a garden in full bloom.

Besides, who’s to say we won’t have another garden picnic later this Summer when everything is in full bloom?

What can I do for Mother’s Day with no money?

A Mother’s Day garden picnic is one of the most wonderful ways to celebrate without breaking the bank.

Mother's Day picnic ideas

You get to create a special place for some quality time, and BONUS mom didn’t have to prepare the meal! She is being gifted a relaxing meal she didn’t have to cook (or clean up *cough* *cough*).

Seriously, almost everything I used here was something I already had on hand. The only thing I purchased was the cinnamon rolls, and that’s because I have never had a cinnamon roll as divine as the cinnamon rolls from Nickel & Bean. Check out their Instagram page here!

Mother's Day picnic ideas

Truth be told, you wouldn’t need to do that if you had the stuff to make Belgian waffles, muffins, or pancakes. (I just may or may not have an obsession with these cinnamon rolls haha!)

What NOT to do on Mother’s Day?

This year for Mother’s Day I will not be asking anyone to read my mind.

I’m going to use my big girl words (like I ask my daughters to do) and I’m going to express how I’d love to spend the day.

Mother's Day picnic ideas

A backyard Mother’s Day picnic!

I’m also not going to assume that just because someone is doing something differently than me that it is somehow wrong.

Is my way better?

Maybe.

Probably.

Okay, of course it is haha!

Mother's Day picnic ideas

But for one day, I’m going to relax knowing that, I’m not the one doing it!

On Mother’s Day I’m not:

  • Loading the dishwasher
  • Sorting the laundry
  • Cooking the food
Mother's Day picnic ideas

What I am going to do?

  • Enjoy my family
  • Celebrate the mothers around me
  • Celebrate the mother God created me to be

How to Set up an Elegant and Inexpensive Garden Picnic

1. Select a Table

This was easy for me.

Remember the pallet table I made last Summer? It’s the perfect table for our picnics.

Boho pallet table

Although I will be honest, my dog has been using it as a chew toy lately.

(If you don’t have time to DIY a pallet table, then you can use a folding table with the legs folded up under it. I did that for this picnic last Spring.)

2. Tablecloth/Blanket

I pulled out this tablecloth for a couple reasons.

One because the dog has used this table as a chew toy.

Table with a tablecloth over it
Isn’t the view of the pond in the back beautiful?

Two because I think it adds a little bit of elegance to the whole setting. It creates a foundation that silently states this is more than your average run-of-the-mill backyard picnic.

This is a Mother’s Day garden picnic.

This is just a cute little tablecloth I picked up at a vintage shop, but you could use anything. You could even use a pretty blanket you have.

3. Bring a Basket (or 2)

I almost always use baskets when we do our backyard picnics.

Table with baskets and flowers

They are perfect for transporting multiple things in one trip and I’m all about efficiency.

If you don’t have a basket, then a market bag or a crate would work great too. I’ve used all three for different picnics I’ve set up.

But they are also nice because they add some visual interest and character to your table setting.

4. Add Flowers

After the baskets are empty of all the picnic essentials it’s time to add the flowers!

Basket of hydrangeas on the table

These are not essential in the slightest, but I figured since we didn’t have anything going on in the garden, I could create whatever kind of garden I wanted with my faux florals.

I grabbed a mix of colors that reminded me of warmer, brighter days and added them to the baskets.

Then I used some of my vintage bottles we found in the barn for a few simple stems.

Vintage bottle with flowers in them

I wanted to create a casual yet elegant look and laying flowers in a basket and single stems in a vase are perfect for that.

5. Simple Dinnerware

I’ve done backyard picnics in the past that were a little more labor-intensive as far as the dinnerware amount is concerned.

charcuterie board for the picnic brunch

But for this backyard Mother’s Day picnic ideas I decided to keep it simple.

A charcuterie board with a few plates, and cups is more than sufficient to create this brunch.

great grandma's "fine china" for our picnic

I used these glasses because there were my great grandma’s glasses and she used to refer to them as her “fine china”. As far as I’m concerned there isn’t anything finer!

6. Keep the Food Simple

For this picnic I decided to go with a breakfast or brunch menu.

Mother's Day picnic ideas

Mostly, because I love breakfast. Breakfast foods are some of my favorite foods.

But I also chose this menu because of how easy and inexpensive it is. Like I said before, everything, except the cinnamon rolls, were things I found in the fridge.

Adding food to the charcuterie board

Blueberries. Raspberries. Hardboiled eggs. Strawberries. Oranges.

The meal is so easy to prepare and easier to transport. It’s seriously mess-free!

Full charcuterie board mothers day brunch

PS If you want to cut your hard boiled eggs and have them turn our looking perfect without little yoke chunks going everywhere use your cheese slicer with the metal wire! It makes perfect cuts like these!

Well, that’s it! Our backyard Mother’s Day picnic ideas all laid out for you! I hope this inspires you to create a beautiful and budget-friendly picnic for your mom this Mother’s Day!

Pin for later!

Mother's Day picnic ideas

Don’t stop the Mother’s Day inspiration just yet! Go visit Amber with Follow the Yellow Brick Home!! Her posts are always so much fun and full of beautiful ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram! Also, sign up to be a part of our newsletter at the bottom of this post so you never miss a thing!

Have a great week! XoXo

Open Your Doors,
Aliya

Mother's Day picnic ideas

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Lora B. Create & Ponder 

Hi! my name is Aliya and I'm so glad you stopped by today! Truly you have no idea how much it means to me. I live in Ohio with my husband and 3 little girls. I believe that once we start opening our doors, that hearts will start to open around us as well. You can head over to the About Aliya page to get my whole story.

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