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A Vibrant & Colorful Kentucky Derby Garden Party

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Kentucky Derby Horse Decoration with Flower Wreath

YOU GUYS. How is it already the first week of May… and in other works Kentucky Derby Party time?! This is the first year in a long time that I haven’t created a brand new Derby theme myself, but luckily Sarah Knepp of Sarah Sofia Productions did and sent it our way, so I still have bunch of beautiful eye candy to share with you today!

This colorful Kentucky Derby Garden Party boasts a gorgeous color palette, painted succulents, flirty dresses, and playful “Cheers Y’all!” mason jar drinks. Let’s be real, I love anything that has “fun signature drink” written all over it, especially when it’s literal. ;)

Another thing that’s definitely in the Winner’s Circle as far as party atmosphere goes… the venue! You can’t beat rustic stables, outdoor seating at the ranch, and beautiful horses wandering around this soirée. And for those of us that can’t experience that part in person (sigh) – at least those things WILL  be all over our screens come this Saturday. So get the mint juleps (or mint julep cupcakes) ready!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

  • Peach Mint Juleps served in playful “Cheers Y’all” mason jars
  • Contemporary horse head statue enveloped in a gorgeous spring floral wreath
  • Fab designer hats and LaRoque dresses in a coordinated party palette. ;)
  • Spraypainted horse and jockey figurines + beautiful live horses on the premises!
  • Handprinted bow tie, Derby hat, and horseshoe cookies from Edible Art Cake Shop

Derby Garden Party Printables

Planning a Kentucky derby party? Check out my Garden Party printables. They make it so EASY to add pro designer style & personalization to your event. It’s like branding for your party! 🙌 Click here to shop now.

Derby Garden Party Printables

Kentucky Derby Garden Party Style - Hats, Dresses, and Invitation

Kentucky Derby Lunch Table

Handpainted Horseshoe Cookies

Derby Drink Station on a Barrel

Custom Mason Jar Drinks

Kentucky Derby Dessert Table and Horses

Kentucky Derby Printables by HWTM

Kentucky Derby Place Settings and Party

Kentucky Derby Garden Party Centerpiece

Kentucky Derby Hats - Navy Pink Mint

Printable Kentucky Derby Betting Card

Kentucky Derby Sugar Cookies - Hats, Horseshoes, and Bowties

Gorgeous Floral Painting

Kentucky Derby Fashion - Hats and Dresses in Pink, Mint, Navy

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Sarah

We’re off to the races with this colorful Derby Garden Party!

Whether you’re throwing a Kentucky Derby party, Derby inspired wedding, or hosting a tent at a horserace this spring, you’ll love this Derby inspired party!

Spring is in the air and this Derby Garden Party has us wanting to celebrate with bright pastel colors, fun and flirty dresses, designer hats, and a bite size Derby inspired menu!

This Garden Party took place on Breezy Meadows Farm with lots of rustic charm and of course beautiful horses.

Sarah Sofia Productions mixed and matched highs and lows to create an electric garden party look such as faux white bamboo chairs and blush and blue napkins and blue and white table linens from Classic Party Rentals, with blush and gold plates and pastel vintage glasses from Anthropologie. Adding miniature horse and jockey figures that were spray painted gold to each place setting make it festive! You can even use them as place card holders if you wanted a more formal setting arrangement.

The centerpiece is lush and full of spring blooms and a beautiful large succulent arranged in a wooden crate by the Flower Diva. This look is modern yet rustic with the wooden crate and horse and jockey gold figure displayed on top. Fresh mint flower arrangement were displayed in silver mint julep cups on the food table with plastic horse figures spray painted gold.

Speaking of mint juleps, this peach mint julep displayed in Cheers Y’all Mason from Shutterfly was a guest favorite! Adding a twist on the traditional mint julep gives your guests options and also the wow factor! Plus, guests can take home their custom mason jar as party favors! We also love coordinating the southern phrase Cheers Y’all on personalized cocktail napkins.

When you think horseracing and the Kentucky Derby first thing comes to mind is the fashion! Whether you pick out your dress or hat at first, both go hand in hand. How fun and flirty are these one of kind LaRoque dresses?

Kentucky Derby hats are a tradition dating back over 100 years. Dee’s Hats handmade designer hats and fascinators and will tailor your custom hat just for your Derby outfit!

Derby inspired menu consisted of small bites such as mini hot browns, mini crostini, mini cheddar cheese and herb biscuits with ham, and rainbow bow tie farfalline (pasta) with succotash by Sarah Sofia Productions. When hosting your own party and making food, consider making at least 3-4 main dishes. When being a hostess, I always try to make a few things from starch and buy a few things pre made such as cheddar biscuits and succotash I bought at a specialty store.

The desserts were the best in show with custom bow tie, Derby hat, and horseshoe cookies, mini pecan pies, mini lemon rosette cupcakes, and bourbon balls from Edible Art Cake Shop and pastel colored macarons from Tree House Macarons.

I love making a wedding or party unique with custom invitations! These hand painted invitations by Paperie Off Park set the tone for the party, pretty pastel colors and lots of fun! Playing off the invitation “Gentlemen, grab your bowties” I added a limited edition Derby Bow Tie from Vineyard Vines.

Place Your Bets! Custom designed betting cards that coordinate with the hand painted invitation add another element of fun for this Derby inspired party!

Besides spray painting horse and jockey figures, my other favorite DIY is the beautiful spring wreath around the horse statue displayed at the bottom of the food table. Adding paper flowers either handmade or this garland adds another element to the design.

When I saw a piece from Christenberry Collection I knew I had to have it or something similar for this Derby Party! Christenberry Collection curated a custom piece of art by artist Shields Catone, which displays the pastel colors used throughout the party design.

Adding a few printables finishes the design look. Sometimes less is more. You don’t have to have a sign or tag for everything. However, I do love the Kentucky Derby 2016 watercolor sign designed by Hostess With The Mostess!

Derby Garden Party Printables

Planning a Kentucky Derby party? Check out my Garden Party printables! They make it so EASY to add pro designer style and personalization to your event. It’s like branding for your party! 🙌 Click here to shop now.

Derby Garden Party Printables

Vendor Credit

5 Comments

  1. @clubwedd May 4, 2016 at 12:26 pm

    A Vibrant & Colorful Kentucky Derby Garden Party: Hostess with the Mostess®

    YOU GUYS. How is it already the … https://t.co/YdgGE8z1sO

  2. Linda May 10, 2016 at 7:42 am

    The details of this party shoot are gorgeous. And those hats are awesome!

  3. Alexander May 14, 2016 at 6:33 pm

    Jennifer, I love these details! All is beautiful!

  4. @HappyGiftCo May 14, 2016 at 8:09 pm

    A Vibrant & Colorful Kentucky Derby Garden Party https://t.co/5dhNDbzWrT https://t.co/xTG4CZKB5k

  5. Jaime Barnette Spencer July 5, 2016 at 1:42 pm

    So much gorgeousness!! Blessed that http://www.awelldressedlife.com was asked to be a part of such a fun shoot!

Comments are closed.

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