Outdoor Entertaining: Casual Wine and Cheese on the Patio
In this post: If you love simple and easy outdoor entertaining, try hosting a casual wine and cheese gathering on the patio this summer.⇒
I love a formal table setting… I really do.
Some of my settings have gotten so complex that I feel like I’m staging a production with props, where the table itself can barely be seen. But at our first gathering in our new home, I did the complete opposite.
It was a lovely day to sit outside and only the first pieces of our patio decor had arrived. I had two tables set up inside, but it was also the perfect time to do casual wine and cheese on the patio.
For outdoor entertaining, you really need to wait to see what the weather will bring, so this was truly thrown together at the last minute. I was delighted to pull out my blue birds’ nests salad plates to set the mood and work with the natural landscape.
Only a few of our pillows had arrived for the cozy patio sofa and I’d purchased nothing in the way of outdoor tabletop items to go with the vision I have for the patio, so I was completely improvising here. The look will eventually be more chinoiserie blue, but I had a house full of people coming, so I grabbed what I could find.
Most of the hors d’oeuvres were served inside, but cheese goes quickly and works well with wine, so out it came for a little pre-dinner nosh. The vintage inspired spreader on the left mixed nicely with an antique silver cheese knife I had.
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As always, my favorite glen plaid crystal wine goblets were on the scene. I have many different glasses for various types of wine, but these are an old favorite and are often my go-to choice.
Even on a warm day, you need to worry about the breeze blowing the lighter items around, so I rolled up the ruffle edged linen napkins and tucked them in this mercury glass vase.
I’ll need to be adding more planters to the patio, but we started off with some simple blue hydrangeas. To me they’re one of the happiest flowers! You can see the wire peeking out of the bottom, as these particular planters hold an awesome little secret. They actually have speakers inside!
This sweet little wine and cheese gathering launched off our celebration in just the right way… and you could even see the table beneath the simple setting!
If you’d like to see how our patio has evolved since we moved in, you can visit each of the detailed posts below or simply check out this summary: The Evolution of Our Patio Decor and What Comes Next
- Casual Outdoor Entertaining on the Patio
- Autumn Charm on Our Townhouse Patio
- Preparing The Patio For Summer Entertaining
- Dining al Fresco on the Patio
- Adding Summer Style With Outdoor Accessories
- Creating an Outdoor Lounge on Your Patio
- Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas: Hors d’Oeuvres on the Patio
- Updating The Patio With Summer Color
There’s something so liberating about outdoor entertaining and it frees you up to be relaxed and casual. This is the best way I can think of hosting when you really get to enjoy your guests!
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The outdoor setting is great….colors are great…love those plates!
Thanks, Bev! It was nice to have the opportunity to use them again. Sometimes I feel funny re-using things with an obvious pattern on them, but I try to make them look different… 🙂
Very pretty and elegant! I love the plates and the Pottery Barn spreader and vintage cheese knife. I find that sometimes improvising yields the best results– it definitely worked for you here!
Thanks so much, Melissa! Yes, it’s often best not to stress too much over it and pull things together by instinct… 🙂
Beautiful setting!!
Thanks, Jeanie!
I love everything about this! It is so charming and calming. I love the idea of putting a pretty vase to use to contain napkins. I’ll be using that idea. Thanks!
Thank you, Pattie! Those are the kinds of ideas that come together when you’re working quickly and not laboring over it too much… 😉 Thanks for visiting!!
Love the plates…now I have to go and look to see if I can find any :^)
You can use them over and over and I will be delighted to look at them!
Have a great weekend, and blessings to you,
J
Thanks, J!! I actually do like to challenge myself to find new ways to use obvious patterns. Will definitely revisit this one… 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful setting! Love those plates:D
Thanks, Cindy!
What a cute informal setting. I like the way the blue repeats in the plates and napkins and is reflected in the vase. The reflections in that vase is awesome! Great inspiration.
Thanks, Cyndi! Funny, I was just noticing that blue in the vase when I pinned that post on Pinterest yesterday. That one was unplanned serendipity… lol! Glad someone else noticed though… 🙂
Casual but still elegant, I love it!
Very pretty. Love the napkin holder. Hope you had a lovely time. Thank you.
It’s always nice to be outside enjoying friends and food. Your setting is casual and relaxing, love the F&F plates. I’ve been thinking about potting some hydrangeas in a pot so glad to see yours.