Martha Stewart’s guide to spring entertaining
The warmth is trickling in. Moments reserved for packing picturesque picnic baskets, picking vibrant flowers in flourishing gardens, and conjuring up ideas for new gin spritz cocktail creations are here. Yes—spring has finally sprung—and we couldn’t be more excited. There’s something inherently inspiring about seasonal entertaining, and with that inspiration, spring party ideas pour out like the elderflower mule you can’t wait to sip on this weekend. If you’re seeking a little extra guidance finding that inspiration, there’s one person—one icon—you can always turn to: lifestyle mogul and entertaining expert, Martha Stewart.
The hosting connoisseur lives and breathes seasonal entertaining, so spring entertaining ideas, hosting tips, and DIY décor hacks are her bread and butter. We partnered with Martha Stewart to create a carefully designed selection of timeless invitations that represent everything we love about the season: crunchy carrots and red rhubarbs, the budding flowers of April and May, and everything else that embodies springtime. With our Martha Stewart spring collection, there are endless possibilities to host the perfect spring birthday party, flower exchange party, bridal shower, and any other moment that your heart desires. Let’s ring in spring, shall we?
3 tips for springtime hosting
With everyone eager to defrost after the frigid winter, spring is the perfect season to host a gathering. Though many hosting concepts seem innate to us, such as cleaning up our spaces and curating our guest lists, some elements call for a bit more expert guidance. Martha Stewart is no stranger to spring entertaining, so we gathered some of her most foolproof tips to keep in mind when you’re hosting your own spring party.
Tip 1: Lean into seasonality
Springtime offers us everything we need to set the mood for a season-specific soirée. When planning a spring get-together, Martha Stewart suggests sourcing fresh spring produce like asparagus, cherries, leeks, peas, and more from your local farmers market or farmstand. Daffodils, peonies, tulips, and poppies are in-season flowers that you can purchase (or pick!) for décor—but more on that later. Our spring entertaining invitations showcase vibrant and elegant in-season florals in all their glory. The bottom line? Lean into and embrace the natural elements; the earth is waking up with and for us in the spring.
Tip 2: Take advantage of Mother Nature’s venue
In spring, the outdoors is your best backdrop. Think vine-dressed garden arbors, tire swingsets, and pine farmhouse picnic tables against flourishing foliage and vegetation. A Martha-approved approach to al fresco dining means working with the outdoors, not against it. Mother Nature graciously gives us the venue, and all we need to do is enjoy her offering.
Tip 3: Embrace spring color palettes
The sun is finally setting after six o’clock in the evening, which means that darker, heavier hues no longer go with the spring-summer sunshine we bask in for nearly 14 hours a day. Martha recommends ditching deep and heavy hues for fresher, more lively tones—and we couldn’t agree more. Swap deep colors for brighter greens, pinks, purples, yellows, and other hues that remind you of flora and nature. And don’t sleep on pastels—they aren’t only reserved for Easter.
Martha Stewart-inspired spring party ideas
Garden dinner party
Embrace al fresco dining and lean into natural elegance. Welcoming the warmth may get us excited to take on an abundance of spring garden party ideas, but luckily, they all require the same core elements. Add touches of color and vibrance to your outdoor tablescape with in-season floral arrangements. One of Martha’s hand-picked favorites? Tulips. As the color tiptoes back into our palettes, vibrant tulips are budding for the first time this season.
Though we all love flower gazing in the spring, pollen allergies come back with a vengeance. Since Martha typically hosts an array of guests, she often has allergy medicine on hand—for seasonal allergies or pet sensitivities—to ensure her guests’ utmost comfort.
For your dinner menu, opt for in-season produce and herbaceous delicacies. Martha’s Spring Pea-and-Spinach Vichyssoise or Mushroom Risotto with Spring Herbs is a great place to start!
Backyard aperitivo hour
Who doesn’t love a refreshing garden cocktail? Gather your nearest and dearest for a backyard soirée decorated with twinkling lights, lace tablecloths, and in-season crudités. For drinks, opt for lighter liquors like gin, blanco tequila, or vodka to complement the floral infusions you’ll feature in your cocktail creations. Martha’s Lillet Rose Cocktail showcases notes of grapefruit, berries, and orange blossom to match the spring atmosphere. Garnish this refreshing apéritif with edible flowers to elevate the sipping experience.
For your non-drinking guests, make it a mocktail by substituting Lillet Rosé with tonic and floral syrup, and replacing the gin with a non-alcoholic alternative. In the warmth of the season, all your guests should have a tasty refreshment in their hands.
Flower exchange picnic
Not every occasion needs to be as high-effort as a spring dinner party or backyard cocktail hour; a flower exchange party fills the time with a spring-forward activity that allows you to take home a beautiful bouquet at the end of the soirée. If you have a green thumb, Martha suggests picking fresh florals from your garden to personalize the flower social. Alternatively, you and each of your guests can stop at a local farmers market or florist to pick out spring flowers like poppies, tulips, or peonies.
Have everyone bring their own picnic blanket and gather in a local park—Martha recommends each guest lay out all their flowers in one designated area to create a makeshift flower bar. Then, leave some twine on the flower bar so everyone can use it to tie their flower stems together. From there, you and your guests can build your own bouquets.
Martha tip: Supply guests with filler flowers like baby’s breath or honeywort to make the bouquets look full and lush.
Farmers market swap
Spring is all about fresh produce, so you have every reason to gather with friends to swap your harvests! The setting for a farmers market swap can vary, but you should consider hosting the event in a space with access to a faucet for cleaning the produce. For the swap, guests can opt to support their local farmers markets and pick up fresh fruits and veggies such as leeks, apricots, cherries, and more. Martha explains that fruits and vegetables are not beholden to existing solely as side dishes; they can be used in soups, pastas, and even desserts.
As the host, create a cornucopia-esque centerpiece with spring veggies to set the mood, and consider providing small wicker baskets so each guest can whimsically collect their favorite produce. Have each guest lay out their harvest atop the kitchen counter, and let the harvesting begin. Spring produce is colorful, refreshing, and most importantly, immensely tasty.
Spring bridal brunch
Many couples choose to get engaged or tie the knot in the spring because the weather allows for gorgeous proposal pictures and lush outdoor ceremony backdrops. If you’re deciding between an array of different spring wedding ideas, consider adding a spring bridal shower brunch to your wedding events calendar. Think floral décor, Martha Stewart’s delectable Spring Shower Almond Petits Fours, and a few bottles of your favorite bubbly.
Gather loved ones in your home with a long table dressed in an ivory tablecloth or at your favorite waterfront restaurant with a menu that’s to die for. Come to the celebration with a handful of bridal shower games in mind and let the good times pour out like wine. Whether you’re hosting your own bridal shower or you’re the maid of honor in charge of your best friend’s bridal brunch, spring is a bride’s season to shine.
DIY decorating tips
Easy centerpieces
Since spring is all about leaning into natural aesthetics, there’s an influx of centerpiece ideas to choose from for any seasonal occasion. Floral arrangements are an in-season and eye-catching way to effortlessly emanate spring energy without breaking the bank.
For a Martha Stewart-inspired centerpiece, collect lotus pods, tree peonies, and asparagus ferns and place them in a half-dome fishbowl to call more attention to your floral display. If you’re looking for a bouquet that lasts, consider sourcing lifelike fabric flowers so you and your guests can gaze at your beautiful centerpiece all season long.
DIY tablecloths
There are some decorations you invest in, and there are some you can thrift and upcycle. When it comes to tablecloths, we love a good DIY moment. For an upcycled tablecloth, transform a plain cloth by using natural dyes from produce like beets, turmeric, and spinach.
A Martha-approved dyeing method is simmering your ingredients of choice in a pot of water with a bit of vinegar to bring out those vivid natural colors. To avoid fabric damage and shrinkage, keep your pot on a very low simmer, strain your dye, and place your tablecloth in the pot. Check on it every so often until you reach your desired hue. Then, voilà! A sustainable, spring-forward tablecloth made with love.
Use dinnerware as displays
Not only is vintage dinnerware the perfect art piece for kick-starting casual dinner conversation, but it’s also a sustainable décor choice because you’re sourcing secondhand items. One way Martha displays her dinnerware is by curating a plate wall that mixes and matches her favorite pieces. Between a gallery wall, a symmetrical shape, or a monochromatic color moment, there’s an arrangement out there for every kind of host.
Martha tip: Use vintage glassware as single-stem display vases, catch-all trays for guests, or eclectic serving dishes for springtime parfaits.
Up your spring entertaining game with Paperless Post and Martha Stewart
We hope these Martha Stewart tips and tricks inspire spring dinner party themes and ideas, DIY décor projects, and spring-forward recipes for your next gathering. At Paperless Post, we prioritize timeless design, guest tracking, and every host’s comfort at each step of the party-throwing process. Browse our Martha Stewart spring collection now to get a head start on your next spring soirée.
Tips, ideas, and recipes courtesy of MarthaStewart.com.