An Elegant Fall Picnic in the Park

I know this says and elegant FALL picnic, but it could be a summer or spring picnic … Feel free to read on no matter what season!

A Beautiful Fall Day

Let me take you with me on an elegant fall picnic in the park! I woke up to gorgeous crisp fall sunshine the other morning, and decided the weather was perfect for a picnic. I asked around, but all the usual suspects were busy, so I just headed out on my own.

We’re so lucky to have a beautiful park in our neighborhood. It’s almost 27 acres of trees, paths, hollows, and grassy spaces. Also a pond, sports courts, concert lawn, playground, and etc! Lots of potential picnic places.

Finding a Picnic Site

I looked around for the perfect spot for my elegant fall picnic. And knowing the park as I do, it didn’t take me long to find it! A pretty quiet lawn just off one of the lesser-used paths, and surrounded by bushes and trees.

Wouldn’t an elegant little table be perfect right there?

Picnic Table With a Lovely View

I swiped the little folding table from our back patio, and brought one of our wooden folding chairs. My mother had these chairs for as long as I can remember. However, she only got them out for card parties, so I hardly ever got to sit in them. That made them extra special. I ended up with three of the four. I love having a piece of family history.

And how about this lovely tablecloth!? When my partner of 19 years and I finally decided to get married a couple years ago, our neighbor girls (who are like the daughters I never had) were in Europe. When they heard the news, they got us this beautiful handmade tablecloth, and brought it back as an engagement present. It’s so special to me, and a romantic touch for my elegant fall picnic.

I set up so I could look out into the grassy area and some of the big trees. What a lovely view from my little picnic table!

Elegant Fall Picnic Table Setting

Just because it’s a fall picnic, doesn’t mean it can’t be an elegant fall picnic! While I like a good paper-plates-and-pop-can picnic as much as the next person, I also like to dress it up occasionally! (Ok – often – who am I kidding!?)

I love copper, especially in the fall. So I chose this copper charger for the base of my plate stack. I particularly love the great texture of the hammer marks on it too.

For even more great texture, I used a white dinner plate with an embossed design around the edges. It’s hard to see in the pictures, but it’s really beautiful. I got two of these from a friend who got them from a thrift shop. But I’ve found a very similar one that I’ve linked below in the shopping section.

And isn’t this a cool salad plate? I got it, along with the rest of the set, as a gift from my cousins. It’s a Villeroy & Boch pattern called Normandie, and I just love it. I’ve been waiting for a chance to use it, and this picnic was exactly the right time. I especially like it because it ties all the other elements together – copper, white, and gold.

And of course, crystal is always a brilliant idea!

Elegant Fall Picnic Flowers

As is a flower arrangement! This was one of our few garden roses that made it through the recent rain storms. (You can read more about this rose and some of our other garden beauties in this post.)

Paired with some deep alstroemeria, the delicate pink really got to show off.

Then for a little bit of fall color, I added a maple branch that had just barely started to turn. Its shape created some asymmetry and movement too.

Picnic Time Part I – Cinnamon Orange

After everything was all set up, I was ready to sit down to my elegant fall picnic. Since I was on my own, I got to choose whatever I wanted for my lunch! And since one of my favorite fall things to eat is a cinnamon orange, that was my first course.

It’s so simple to make, you can hardly even call it “making.” You just cut an orange in half and sprinkle ground cinnamon over it! I usually use a grapefruit spoon, but since I didn’t have a gold one, I used a regular teaspoon. A cute little bottle of limonada finished off the fruit section of my lunch.

Picnic Time Part II – American Dream Pizza

And can I just put in a plug here for my favorite pizza? Not only are we close to a wonderful park, we’re close to a wonderful pizza parlor! In fact, when we bought out house, we had to make sure we were in the American Dream delivery area!

My husband and I have a pizza and movie date every Friday, so we see the guys at American Dream at least once a week. They recognize my voice on the phone now, and just ask me if I want the usual!

Elegant Fall Picnic for One

Even though my spot was pretty secluded, the people who did pass by were inclined to wonder what I was up to. Several of them came over to ask what the heck I was doing, and I ended up having lovely chats. It almost made me wish I’d brought a bigger table and ordered more pizza so I could share my elegant fall picnic!

———- Shop the Elegant Fall Picnic Post ———-

Click on the pictures for links to pieces I used for this table.  If the exact item isn’t available any more, I chose a similar option.

* This post includes affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you click on a link and buy anything from that site within 24 hours, I get a small commission with no extra cost to you! It really helps toward the cost of publishing Mantel and Table, and I seriously appreciate it. (You can read the whole disclosure policy here.) Thanks so much for shopping with me!

And remember, a portion of anything you buy from MANTELandTABLE.com goes to Habitat for Humanity and Proud Ground. With our purchases, we get to help people build homes for their own mantels and tables!

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