It rains often here in Seattle – especially in spring, summer, fall and winter! One always has to be prepared, as a hostess, to take the party inside on a moment’s notice.
Or, should the day be warm enough and your guests dressed warmly enough, you can still throw a garden party outside even if it’s raining!
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This is my Tierra Garden Haxnicks Sunbubble Greenhouse, which I usually use for plants, but decided to use as a rain shelter for my recent wine party.
I dressed it up with some inexpensive ruffly pink curtains that I didn’t mind getting a bit wet. Inside, I set up a buffet table, using a vintage tablecloth my grandmother embroidered with pink flowers. I added some faux pink flowers under the table just for a pop of color and a relief from all the green grass, and put real pink roses on the table.
The sunbubble protected the table and foods from getting rained on, and raised the temperature a little bit when guests came in to fill their plates.
Often, I stop by Metropolitan Market in Sammamish or Kirkland to pick up these beautifully frosted pink swirl flowery cakes.
Next I set out snacks and sweets that pair well with the pink and white wines I was serving (all from Woodinville wineries, of course!) Beignets, cherries, cookies, and of course a meat and cheese plate.
I never can resist golden raspberries when I see them in the store, and of course I set out freshly baked bread to go with all the cheeses.
I love to serve guests cookies and treats on this Toscana Picnic Time Serving Ladder. You can get it at Molbak’s (or at least you could last spring when I bought mine!)
Outside the sunbubble, shielded by patio umbrellas, I set out big galvanized buckets full of ice and the white and Rosé wines I was serving at this late winter/early Spring party. Guests ducked out of the greenhouse sunbubble to fill their glasses with wine, then stood chatting while filling their plates (six people at a time comfortably). A few mingled back into my house, but most preferred the light sky outdoors to my winter-darkened house.
Soon the rain stopped and we could pull out my carefully stored (therefore dry) outdoor chairs and sit by a bonfire enjoying the rest of our snacks and gossiping.
-Carrie
