I love a teddy bears picnic for the little ones and in fact this was exactly what we did for Molly’s second birthday. As it was November it wasn’t exactly going to work in the garden so instead we set up picnic blankets in the lounge, packed a big basket with goodies and invited all her friends to tea. It was so much fun.

Towards the end of last year the RMF team were invited along to the most fabulous Teddy Bears picnic I have ever been on. Held at the Hampton Manor by the fabulous Ava Event Styling it was a super fun afternoon. The girls loved it all, especially the face painting and bear chasing as you can tell from these photo’s by the amazing Anna at We Are // The Clarkes.

Now before you start to say that you can’t create a party on this scale I am by no means suggesting you do. This was in the style of wedding epicness and I wouldn’t know where to begin with doing this yourself. However, there are some gorgeous details that you could use to create your own party.

Teddy Bears Picnic Party

Venue

The ideal would be to have the picnic out in your garden or in a local wood if that is possible. For Molly’s second birthday it was November, freezing cold and rainy so outdoors wasn’t really an option. Instead we transformed the lounge. They were two years old after all and so not really that aware that they weren’t in the mystical woods where teddy bears play. I think so long as you make it fun it really doesn’t matter.

Decor

Little Bears Big Day Out went all serene and whimsical with their decor. I loved it. There were beautiful helium balloons and the most stunning table settings. Glass terraniums filled with edible foliage, glass candlesticks and wooden tree slices. It looked magical.

Hat’s off to you if you can pull this off, I would love to. I see no harm in going down a more fun route with picnic blankets and checked tablecloths. Spread them out on the floor or across the garden to create baby and kid friendly areas for crawling and snacking.

I would definitely be adding some balloons and some bunting to add a bit of cheer.

Teddies

It wouldn’t be an Teddy Bears Picnic without the teddy bears so make sure the invites remind the little one’s to bring their favourite cuddly friend.

Food

For me a teddy bears picnic party needs just that. You could pack individual boxes with treats or one big wicker hamper full of goodies. Cut out sandwiches in to teddy shapes and then add in the ever popular party snack of Pom Bears. Some suitably foresty fruits of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are an excellent addition.

I adored how Ava Event Styling had stacked old apple crates and piled them full of treats for the little ones. Apples, smooothies and some chocolate treats, as well as Alice’s favourite marshmallows. She did try and see how many she could get in her mouth at once!

I would also love to be able to make these phenomenal edible terrariums from Conjurers Kitchen. They were out of this world crazy good.

For the adults I make sure you have a good supply of cups of tea and mini cakes to keep you going! I won’t make you jealous with how amazing the afternoon tea was. I also won’t remind my scales of how many chocolate brownies I ate.

Activities

We went on a teddy bear hunt which was a lot of fun. There were posters stuck up around the grounds for them to find. For the older ones each poster had a different letter on and once you had found them it spelt out a famous teddy bears name.

A teddy bears picnic needs a story time so gather some books together ready to have some quiet time. At Little Bears Big Day Out there was the most fabulous story caravan from How Brave Is The Wren. I fell in love with all the wonderful stories and colourful illustrations. She also sells lots of the books so worth a peek if you want something different to the norm.

You could print off some colouring sheets and have a colouring rug where the littles can settle down for a few minutes and get scribbling.

For older kids you could set up a craft area (I do love a bit of craft) with various bits of glitter and general chaos. At the Little Bears Big Day Out Molly was in her element as their was not only a craft table but it was a craft table where you made pretend cakes using wedges of foam, glitter, ribbons and scraps of fabric. She loved it.

There was also the best face painter I have seen. Absolutely amazing and I’m pretty confident Molly will never be happy with my attempts ever again. She transformed Molly in to a pink teddy bear complete with floral detailing and Alice was a pretty butterfly. They loved it.

And of course you need a mini disco. Get the nursery rhymes on and a a bubble machine blowing and they will have a whale of a time.

Party Bags

I fell in love with the cute party bags the girls were given at the end of the day. The sweetest little knapsack for them to carry home which would be simple to recreate yourselves. Take a square of checked fabric, fill with goodies and then gather the fabric up around them. Take some twine or ribbon and tightly tie the fabric bundle on to a stick.
 
I hope that has given you a bit of party inspiration for your little ones. I always love to see an epic party and then make my own (more achievable) version! Is anyone else planning a teddy bears picnic party? Do share your ideas with us.

Photography by Anna at We Are // The Clarkes | Styling & Event Planning by Ava Event Styling | Edible Terrariums by Conjurers Kitchen | Crafts by Sharper Arts | Magician Amazing Guy |