Planning the perfect party always starts with a theme. With the right theme and design, some parties that truly take the guests on a journey. Taylor Hayden had been planning parties and working in the service industry as a bartender, waitress, and bar manager for years, but in 2021 she decided to start planning parties as a business.
“I just love to have a good time and help others have a good time,” Taylor said. “I thought, I could get paid to throw an awesome party.”
So her friend created a logo and her partner built solid wood picnic tables for her to use. Picnics are trending now, so it seemed like the right foundation for her business.
“There’s something nice about getting down on the ground criss-cross, family style,” Taylor said.
Picnics create a more casual, intimate environment for the guests. But if you’re going to have a picnic, make sure your guests dress for the occasion. Taylor said tiny dresses and heels are going to make it difficult to sit down on the ground, so encourage everyone to wear attire that fits the setting.
Here’s four party ideas created by Taylor since starting her company: Take a Lil Trip.
Bohemian
This picnic is the most popular design. With pastel pinks, wicker baskets and pampas grass, this party theme is perfect for a birthday party, bachelorette party, or girl’s night in. You and your girlfriends can enjoy a natural, relaxed atmosphere while sitting on bohemian pillows.
For the menu, choices are limitless. Wine and wood-fired pizza might hit the spot, but you can also kick back with margaritas and tacos – whatever you want to eat outside with people you love.
Retro Tea Party
Taylor created this party theme for a Women’s Brunch hosted by A People Party Productions. Every item on the table was thrifted or second-hand and most dated back to the 60s or 70s. One item was a vase painted by her great-great grandmother in 1929. By putting unique items at every spot at the table, Taylor created an experience for the guests not only at their own seat, but across the table too.
For the brunch drinks, Taylor created custom cocktails including: raspberry/strawberry mimosa, peach mimosa, and matcha green tea with vodka – all perfectly fitting the retro tea party theme. Elda Grace Baking Co. provided scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and brunch foods.
Psychedelic Alice in Wonderland
For her most colorful and unique party, Taylor created a “Psychedelic Alice in Wonderland” for the company party and one-year anniversary of Very Good Ideas. The shapes and colors in the décor
represent what Alice might have felt after drinking the shrinking potion. For this party, Taylor knew many of the guests, and she picked colors that represented their personalities to her. She created handmade confetti for the tables and fringe walls crafted out of plastic table cloths. Her partner, Nick, created a wall display for shot glasses. Balloons by Jane of All Trades added dimension to the walls. And Taylor even coordinated with the DJ to curate the perfect playlist for the event.
On the menu for this event: lobster mac-n-cheese, black truffle mac-n-cheese, spicy mac-n-cheese, sliders with pimento cheese, mushroom sliders, and cobbler.
Jungle Theme
Heading back out to a classic picnic, Taylor kept things wild with “Jocelyn’s Jungle” – a birthday party for a woman named Jocelyn. This party featured jungle greenery, and leopard and python prints. Guests could drink a bright, lime-green cocktail, called Jungle Juice, out of customized Styrofoam cups.
By Haley Laurence
Photos Courtesy or Taylor Hayden and Lainey Jo Photography
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