This past Saturday was full of good food, pretty scenery, wine-induced dancing, and sunshine-filled quality time with my favorite chick! ???☀️ #SummertimeGoals For those reading who are local, you probably are familiar with Ravinia festival and may have even been. Inter-friends not from the area, Ravinia is an outdoor music festival in the Chicago area running all summer long. There is a pavillion where you can stand in typical outdoor-concert fashion, but also a huge lawn with general admission tickets that allow you to sit down and picnic while you enjoy the show. ? It’s such a pretty and relaxing atmosphere and it’s super entertaining to see how “extra” people get with their spreads. You will see friends in picnic setups that look like they came straight out of a magazine, so naturally we had to bring our A-game ? I was seeing Darius Rucker with my best Meliss, and despite a few minor set backs, (we came dangerously close to missing our train and had a wine causality ??♀️) we had the best night ever! It made me think about how many summer concerts and festivals are picnic-friendly, and how tricky these things can be to plan for. So today I’m going to delve into outdoor events- what to eat, what to drink, what to wear. You know, the important stuff ??
First things first, I know a lot of you are probably thinking: How the heck do you cart all of that stuff around?! ? Really the best advice I can give is plan in advance. Think about what is going to be realistic for you to transport, and then do your best to fit everything that you need inside of that. I packed 90% of this food in ziplock bags to save on space. The food itself took up very little room, so that left more space for serving ware and cutesy stuff! I decided to take a small rolling carry on and a tote. Keep in mind that we took the train down there. So if you are going to have your car with you, you’ve got it easy!
Food wise: this little feast was so perfect for us to nibble on while we waited for the show to start! Here is a packing list in case you want to recreate this (or something similar) for your next outdoor event!
Packing List
Charcuterie
Red Grapes
Strawberries
ProsciuttoSalami
Goat Cheese
Crackers
Sliced Baguette
Salad
Spinach
Mandarin Oranges (4- Peeled and Divided)
Avocado (2- Chopped)
Red Onion (1/2- Chopped)
Apples (2- Chopped)
Walnuts (1/2 Cup- Chopped)
Poppy Seed Dressing
Bite Sized BLTs
Sliced Baguette (Toasted ahead of time)
2 Avocados (Mashed)
Sliced Cherry Tomatoes
Bacon (1/2 pound baked and crumbled)
Sriracha Mayo (1/2 Cup Mayo, 2 Tablespoons Sriracha, 1 Tablespoon French Dressing)
Drinks
2 bottles of Red
1 bottle of White
1 bottle of Rosé
Water bottles
Extras:
Cute Blanket
Picnic Basket
Mini Candles
Lighter
Wine Key
Plastic Chargers
Plastic Plates
Plastic Silver Plated Dinnerware
Wine Glasses
Large Plastic Bowl
Cheese Board
Dollar Store Tin Platters
Cloth Napkins
Jumpsuit: Similar. Hat: Similar. Shoes: Similar. Sunnies: Here.
Jumpsuit: Here. Sandals: Here.
For outfits- as you can see, we both decided that jumpsuits were the way to go! ?? They kept us cool, allowed us to sit cross-legged while we ate, and most importantly weren’t a hassle while dancing later in the night! ? I love wearing hats to outdoor events, and this boater hat worked perfectly here! My hair always gets so flat after being out in the heat for hours, so a hat is a cute way to hide that. Melissa’s half bun feels very festival-ish, and off the shoulder anything is a win in my book! Both of these looks are perfect for transitioning from day to night, which is something to consider for all-day events. Outfit details are tagged above!
One of the best parts of the day was when an adorable little girl saw me photographing our spread and yelled “MOM, I WANT TO BE A BLOGGER! I want a fancy camera and artsy food!” A chick after my own heart ?? Darius surprising everyone with a cover of Friends in Low Places wasn’t half bad either…imagine how much screaming happened when I heard that AFTER the bottle(s) of wine listed above ? In short: Plan ahead, pack well, don’t sacrifice the cutesy stuff, and wear something fashionable, yet practical. Outdoor events are such a huge part of what makes summer so perfect, take advantage of all that you can!
Have any questions about how to handle your next concert? Heading to Ravinia soon? Want to talk about how freakin adorable Melissa’s jumpsuit is? Leave some love in the comments or hit me up on Instagram! And if you’re using any tips, hashtag #347Foodie or #347Style so I can follow along! Happy festing! ❤️
Xo Amanda