Living in Florida means that we don’t get to enjoy many of the perks of Fall – no colorful, falling leaves, no crisp breezes, no toasty bonfires at night. So, when I decided to throw a party to celebrate Fall, I wanted to bring in elements of Fall that we don’t typically get to enjoy here. I was initially inspired by Meri Meri’s ‘Outdoor Adventures‘ collection. We don’t do much camping, but the idea of bringing the ‘great outdoors’ to our home to celebrate the season felt fun. I loved the pastel blues and greens mixed with the bright orangish red color scheme, as well. Originally, I wanted to host the party down by our dock on the lake, but the girls vetoed my idea because they wanted to watch a movie in the pool! I guess there are SOME perks of having a Florida Fall (aka the pool stays open all year long).
Decorations
Since the party was inspired by Meri Meri’s ‘Outdoor Adventures’ collection, I started my decor search there. I ordered our paper garlands which we used by the buffet inside and in the balloon arch and all of our paper table items from Gatherings by CP. Our balloon arch included fun bear mylar balloons from Gatherings by CP, as well. We always use Balloon Babe here in Orlando for our party balloons and she did such a great job on this setup. For the outdoor table where I placed all of our beverages, s’mores trays and party favor bags, I started with a simple brown gingham linen tablecloth from Quince. I used the matching linen napkins inside at the buffet in case guests wanted to use something more substantial than paper napkins. To showcase our fun personalized coozies, I found this adorable woven bear purse also from Meri Meri. I found the adorable little glass mushroom vases and white ceramic hedgehog and squirrel candlesticks at Target. The little ladybug surprise balls that we scattered on the table are from Meri Meri. I used small galvanized buckets to hold things like straws, utensils, etc.
Inside, I used our extra long kitchen counter for the buffet. I decorated the countertop with a paper brown gingham runner from Hester & Cook. I showcased beautiful hand-made felt pennants from Etsy shops like Mad Spirited Unlimited and the Poppy & Quail Shop. I even got personalized “Camp Corrado” mini pennants to put in our vases from the Etsy shop Stick Pony Studio. The inside florals lived in beautiful speckled enamel pitchers from Crow Canyon. I sprinkled these little mini mushroom candles throughout for additional whimsy.
Outside by the fire pit, I decorated our couches and chairs with soft, wool pillows in light blue from Target and spread these fun wool cabin/woods inspired blankets from Mark & Graham on the couch. I also housed a few additional super-soft Italian wool red windowpane throws in a basket for anyone who needed them.
Entertainment & Special Vendors
One of my favorite local vendors is Piccolina Orlando. I’ve used them for their customized food carts including popsicles, ice cream and cotton candy. This time we decided a custom hot dog cart would fit with the camping theme. Piccolina always does an great job taking the inspiration images and content I share with them and customizing their decorations and signage for the cart.
We also surprised all the kids with a massive Funboy inflatable movie screen poolside! With the matching navy and white striped pool floats the setup looked amazing. The kids ate and once they went in the pool they were in there for the rest of the evening until we did s’mores. We originally wanted to show Parent Trap to go with the camping theme…. but we got out voted and the girls got to watch K-Pop Demon Hunters for about the 100th time.
Food & Serving Details
For the food at the party, I wanted to inspire the idea of food you’d have at a cookout or around a campfire. They also needed to be kid-friendly. We used Puff N’ Stuff Catering for the main buffet. I worked with their team to come up with “Walking Tacos” which included flour and corn tortillas in pre-served kraft paper trays. I served the shredded chicken, beef and fajitas in pretty wavy baking dishes from Pioneer Woman’s collection from Walmart. We also served easy-to-eat fruit skewers and mini macaroni and cheese bites. For the mac and cheese bites I transferred these to My Mind’s Eye outdoor adventure snack cups to go with the theme. I printed the menu out using a fun template from Heather Grace Goods‘ Etsy shop. The buffet was stocked with paper goods from Gathering by CP mostly from the Meri Meri Outdoor Adventures collection including the cute camper plates, map napkins and wooden cutlery.
Outside, I setup all of our beverages. The main adult beverage was a pre-made camping sangria. I got this recipe from One Sweet Appetite. I served the sangria in single serving mason jars with tags that shared the recipe. Our coolers were stocked with all sorts of adult and kid-friendly can beverages and we made personalized coozies from MyFAVORitepartyco for people to use and take home. I also used Imprint to make customized stadium cups for drinks.
Finally, I wanted to end the party with a sweet treat. The girls and I made s’mores trays with all sorts of different chocolates, frosting, jam and other things to elevate our s’mores. I shared a s’mores menu from Shop Hadley Designs with all sorts of fun combinations to try including “The Nutty Buddy” and “The Oreo.”
Favor Bags
The Meri Meri backpack paper bags I used were the perfect starting point for these camping/adventure themed party favors. I started by adding a mini s’mores kit that the kids could take home to make s’mores at home. I used a cute print out label from PJs and Paint’s Etsy shop. Then I added a campfire/s’mores doh kit from That Dough Tho. I found the cutest mini light-up lantern keychains and tiny compasses to add to the bags. Finally, I added a mini trail mix to top it off – because every camper needs trail mix to keep their energy up.
Overall, everyone had a wonderful time at the party and I think the decorations really made the space feel like we brought the ‘great outdoors’ to our home. I have linked as many products as I could so you can re-create this party for yourself, but don’t hesitate to leave a comment below if you have questions!
