Last year I fell in love with the idea of a pop up dinner by Jordan from Oh Happy Day. I knew I needed to do one as well and had the perfect location in mind. That was over a year ago and due to the wedding and mass craziness, I had to wait that long to put it into motion. It was so worth it.
One thing that made this pop up dinner different was I told the guests they needed to be free at a certain time on a certain date, and needed to bring a chair and dish to share. They didn’t know where we would be dining until 1 hour before. At 6pm this text went out:
Keep your booze at home and empty your bladders cause you’re dining atop mt tolmie! See you at 7pm on the cement pad.
It was the perfect location. Our view from the mountaintop was the ocean, city, and a crisp view of Mt.Baker. We couldn’t have picked a better day to dine for free with a view (aside from the mountaintop wind that made photographing very difficult).
The place settings were simple and sweet. Instead of plates I opted for cedar grilling planks. I found mine at chapters for 50% off. I scoured thrift shops and vintage fairs to collect pink vintage napkins and topped them with a sprig of rosemary and their name card which I made by cutting out circles, writing their names with calligraphy, then decorating with rose gold tinsel glitter.
Because we made it a potluck and asked people to bring their own chairs, set up was super easy. There was one long table for dining and a small square one to place the food and drinks. Set up (including photo taking) only took an hour. Everyone arrived perfectly on time (a rarity on this slow moving island) so we could start eating right away. And it was delicious!
We live in a very touristy city, and we were atop a very touristy mountain (with those views you can see why). During our dinner there were two cruise boat busses that dropped off several tourists. They were quite surprised to see a group of people eating a full on dinner with tables, chairs and linens. But isn’t surprising people half the fun of having an elaborate dinner party in a public place? One woman visiting from Chicago said she took a photo of us to show her friends and family back home how, in this city, people can have a dinner party outside in such a beautiful place.
For dessert, I knew I wanted something fresh, easy, and portable. The minimum amount of dishes and effort was top priority. And so, mason jars were the perfect answer, especially when topped with matching labels saying enjoy!
To make your own, simply layer the ingredients listed in the image. Absolutely scrumptious!
Thank you dear friends for coming out and making this evening so fun and special!
Gorgeous! Would have loved to have been a “pop up” guest!!
Everything looks GREAT – and I love the surprise element. Best surprise ever.
This looks beautiful! I love the idea of a pop up dinner. Actually, I like pop up everything — boutiques, food trucks, dinners, parties. Such a fun idea, and you executed it so beautifully.
Amazing!! …..lucky friends…. 🙂
wow! so stunning!! we are so lucky to live in such a beautiful spot I think! looks like it was an amazing dinner! complete with the loveliest sunset! xo
Wow! So gorgeous! The view looks breathtaking and the decor is beautiful. What a memorable evening!
So great! I love everything about it. Squirrelly Minds knocks it out of the park yet again!
Beautiful! I love the rose gold glitter too. We’ve got a park in Ballard called Sunset Hill that’s always been my favorite place to walk to. It’s small, but overlooks a marina, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountain Range – thinking that would be the perfect place!
Thank you so much everyone!
Ohh Adina you should definitely make that happen! The view would be stunning.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea.
Before February, I lived in an apartment with no outdoor space, but with a great park nearby. They have great built in tables for twos, fours and eights. On the regular I would eat my dinner in the part with husband or friends, with real linens, plates and cutlery. The trees around the tables made it easy to decorate to take our fresh air dining to the next level with garlands and poufs.
I love your tips and tricks for taking outdoor meals to a whole new level of classy and amazing!
kate
Kate that sounds so perfect! I would have loved to see those dinners in action
What a lovely idea! 🙂 Did I spot Lisa in one of the first photos….? Would love to do something like this one day….maybe at Filberg Park (in Comox)! 🙂
Nope not Lisa. She lives on the mainland now. I haven’t talked to her in ages actually!
Ohh yes do it! And instagram lots!
beauty pics, and great ideas!!!