These garden party decorations follow on from my Secret Garden party theme page.

The Secret Garden is a wonderfully evocative party theme that I recommend using to transform a regular garden party into something a bit more special.

Although these garden party decorations can be read on their own, you may prefer to read The Secret Garden party ideas page first—which explains the theme in more detail and features ideas for invitations and food & drink, along with lots of food styling and presentation tips.

You can then follow the link at the bottom of that page to return here and continue my suggestions for garden party decorations in the order they are intended.

i’m matt james

professional event producer

27 years event-planning experience
Winner of 30 industry awards
Clients include:
Elton John,
Stella McCartney,
Sarah Jessica Parker,
Kevin Spacey……and more

welcome

OPEN BIO

affiliate disclaimer

This post contains affiliate links so I may earn a small commission on any products purchases at no extra cost to you.

GARDEN PARTY DECORATIONS

Give your secret garden party impact with dramatic lighting, creative food and drink, and eye catching thematic styling with these ideas.

the idea

GARDEN PARTY DECORATIONS: LIGHTING

Lighting has a huge impact on the ambiance of a party so think about using only candle light for your garden party decorations. Line the route to the garden with paper luminaries (check out my post here) which give a lovely warm amber glow.

Just fill brown bags with sand to weigh them down then pop a jam jar inside with a candle in it.

Alternatively, you can use battery operated LED candles which are really cheap and have a flickering effect to look natural (see more info in my post about paper luminaries).

paper bag lanterns lighting the path through a garden

the idea

JAR LANTERNS

Suspend hanging jar lanterns (available here) en-masse at different heights from tree branches or trellis. This photo (below, from Martha Stewart Weddings) shows how effective these simple garden party decorations can be.

the idea

PAPER LANTERNS

Paper lanterns are also a great way to create a big impression outdoors. Personally, when using paper lanterns for garden party decorations I always prefer to use plain white / cream colored ones as I think the natural look works best when surrounded by trees and greenery (see below left, from Martha Stewart).

That said, colored lanterns can also work outside too, but I’d recommend choosing soft, muted tones (see below right, by Paul Johnson via Green Wedding Shoes).

Check out all the options here.

If you’re using plain paper lanterns, a great way to embellish these further is to add these cute paper butterflies using the free template here (below, by Martha Stewart).

the idea

FAIRY BERRIES

Another way to give your garden party decorations a magical feel is to light your event with these Fairy Berries (available here).

These 3/4″ diameter balls contain small white LED lights that slowly fade on and off. Scatter them over your lawn or hang from trees and bushes using the recessed hooks. Collectively the lights create a magical moving firefly effect (see video below for demonstration).

don’t miss a thing

follow me on social

Keep up with my latest ideas by following me on social media

the idea

CRYSTAL BEAD CURTAINS

Crystal beaded strands, available here, can add a really magical touch to your Secret Garden party theme.

When I produced Elton John’s very first White Tie and Tiara Ball I worked with Swarovski to dress one of his gardens, turning it into a enchanted forest, using strands of their ‘Crystal Rain’ hanging from trees.

You can do something similar by hanging strands of crystal beads from trees in clusters at varying heights. Be sure to angle some lighting towards them (or position some jar lanterns among them) so they’ll twinkle when they catch the light.

A variation of the crystal bead strands are these larger ‘bubble curtains’, available here, which make impressive looking clusters when hung from tree branches or over the table as a chandelier (below right).

the idea

TABLE DECORATION & STYLING

For a Secret Garden theme I think it’s important to make the garden party decorations seem less everyday. So I suggest dressing the table in quite a theatrical way so it has a fantasy-like quality to it.
When I think of The Secret Garden it conjures up images of an untouched and slightly overgrown garden where nature has been left to do its own thing. So I recommend keeping everything quite earthy, rustic, and deliberately un-manicured.
Use a neutral coloured table cloth, like beige or stone, with matching napkins, then add a dark brown table runner down the middle.
Red makes a great accent color against earthy browns so set the table with dark red charger plates.
Wrap ivy tendrils around the table legs and up the backs of the chairs to create a wild, overgrown feel. Keep a few tendrils spare to arrange over the top of the table after it’s been set.
Intersperse a few white-pink rose heads in and among the ivy to soften the look and perhaps scatter a few leaves around.

the idea

APPLE / PEAR VOTIVE CANDLES

Carve out the top of red apples and pop in a small votive candle then dot these around the table to add more accents of red. Alternatively, use a mixture of apples and pears.

the idea

APPLE PLACE CARD HOLDERS

You can also use red apples as place card holders and position one on top of each napkin on the charger plate.

the idea

LEAF PLACE CARD HOLDERS

Alternatively you could make these beautiful leaf place cards (below, from Cathie Filian) using the stencil provided. The photo here shows them in fall colors, but I think a mixture of green and brown would be perfect for these Secret Garden party decorations. Also, I’m sure you could make them using decorative paper instead of fabric if you prefer.

the idea

APPLE CHAIR SWAGS

Following on with the apple theme, here’s a tutorial for how to make these cute Apple Chair Swags (below, from The Bride’s Cafe). I’d suggest using red apples though, as red makes a nice accent color against all the earth browns and greens of the other garden party decorations.

the idea

GARDEN PARTY CENTERPIECES

Centerpieces don’t always have to be flowers. Instead, try arranging a pyramid of fruit mixed with some green leaves in a rustic wooden crate or urn and fasten them in place with florist’s wire (see the red apple example below left, created for one of my events by top UK florist Rob Van Helden).

I prefer to use only one type of fruit in the arrangement (like the green apple example below, from Your Wedding Day), but you can use a mixture if you want, especially if they are all similar colors (like this last example below, from Get Married).

the idea

pear CENTERPIECES

The video below shows you how to assemble a Pear Centerpiece similar to the ones above:

the idea

more fruit centerpieces

Here are a couple of other examples using lemons (by Brittany Janelle Photography), limes (via Pinterest – origin unknown), and oranges (by Rob Van Helden)

the idea

more fruit centerpieces

The same principle can also be applied to vegetables if you want to give your garden party decorations a really rustic feel. Check out this cute Crudite Centerpiece (below left, from Martha Stewart) or this Sugared Fruit and Vegetable Centerpiece (below right, from Delish).

the idea

PAPER LANTERNS & TISSUE POMS

I always think it’s important to hang something above the table too, it really helps to define and enclose the space. So use a cluster of paper lanterns, such as the ones below by Martha Stewart. Check out budget-friendly lanterns here, or regular lanterns here, or more decorative lanterns here.

You can also pick up cheap battery mini LED lights here to pop inside and make the lanterns glow without having to worry about power cords.

Alternatively, for a more feminine look use tissue pom-poms, like the ones below by Martha Stewart. Check out budget-friendly pom poms here, or decorative pom poms here, or a wider range of colors here.

the idea

FOOD STYLING & PRESENTATION

If you haven’t already, follow the link below to check out my main Secret Garden party page for food styling and presentation tips to go with these garden party decorations, such as this Veggie Buffet Table .