You *know* I love hosting and I love a good brunch! I recently got rid of my dining room buffet table as I make room for new decor and some new furniture styles. I haven't picked anything out yet, but I'm loving having a little extra space in the dining room with my giant farmhouse table!
For now, I purchased a new bar cart to use for extra storage during dinner parties and events, so I want to share a few tips on how to style your bar cart for a fun spring brunch like the one I hosted below! I bought this one specifically for my Intimate Gender Reveal Dinner Party and it was perfect! I used to have a teeny tiny 3-tier bar cart that a friend gave to me years ago. I used it allll the time, even those it couldn't hold a lot. It was finally time to upgrade, and I LOVE this bar cart I got from Amazon, so first have to share that! (I'm still shook that it was only $80!!) It also came with wine bottle storage racks and wine glass racks, but to keep things looking clean, I didn't install them (and that gives me extra room for flowers!).
First things first, I love a bar cart plus balloon swag combo. These balloons were actually leftover from my Gender Reveal Party, but I love balloons so much that I wasn't ready to part with them, so I included them in this styled set too! You don't need a balloon swag, of course, but it never hurts ;) I'll link all of my DIY balloon swag supplies below.
So if you don't "need" balloons, what are the things that you actually do need to style a simple yet festive bar cart for your spring brunch or upcoming event? I like to include 3 things on my bar cart:
- flowers
- one beverage
- one bite (small snack option)
Depending on the size of your bar cart, type of event, and what you want to accomplish with your bar cart, your ratios may vary. Let's discuss...
Admittedly, my bar cart setups are usually for aesthetics, and to give the brunch or event a focal point for decor efforts. That means that my balloons and flowers are usually concentrated on or around the bar cart, and not spread out in other spots in the event space. This could be a great option for you if you want to have a visual focus but don't want to spend a lot of time or money decorating an entire room or area of the house.
Flowers
This is usually where I spend the most money for a bar cart or brunch table setup. Balloons are inexpensive, but flowers can add up. This is a DIY arrangement using a floral compote vase and green floral foam.
I like to place one styled arrangement on the top shelf of the bar cart. I will often use this arrangement on the table as well, but move it when it's time to sit down, depending on the arrangement height/space on the table.
I use one styled arrangement like the one above, then I use a looser arrangement, made up of my "leftover" flowers on the bottom shelf of the bar cart, on the opposite side (left or right) from the top arrangement. For this looser arrangement, I like to use a basket (with a mason jar inside to hold the water) or non-traditional vase and longer stems/mostly greenery.
One Bev
Next up: the beverage! It's nice to have one beverage that can be self-serve during a brunch or event. Usually for a dinner party, I use the bar cart for serving item overflow and my beverage is a water carafe. But for a fun brunch, a mimosa station or a juice would be a great option. For these photos, I was doing a smaller display but for a larger event, I would not include the cake stand on the top shelf to make more room for glassware or a beverage/ice bucket.
Here, I used a small carafe of orange juice (no champs for me because I'm pregnant!) and four of my favorite flutes.
If you have a larger beverage station elsewhere, a self-serve water station is always a good idea! To make it aesthetic, try adding sliced citrus to your beverage dispenser or resting your pitcher on a colorful napkin that matches your event theme.
One Bite
In my house, guests always seem to congregate in the kitchen, so I try to spread out a few different outposts and encourage them to browse. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. ;)
For a fun aesthetic event like a beautiful spring brunch, I absolutely recommend a small bite on your bar cart. Of course, if you have pets or small children, I wouldn't recommend a bottom shelf placement, but it worked for me here.
I like to use my bar cart as table space overflow, so having extra dishes that have already been passed around the table, stored on the bar cart is a great move for easy access to seconds.
For this event, I tried to keep everything as simple as possible, and all of my food items are store bought. Lemon scones and macarons are always great options for a festive brunch. If you live near a Trader Joe's, they usually have seasonally festive baked goods that are always a hit.
I'm chatting more about this in my Easy Brunch Hosting Tips blog post, so give that a read if you're looking for more ways to host with ease, on a budget or tight timeline.
Connect with me on IG @rhondajenkins and let me know how your bar cart turns out!