a magical dinner in the woods.

Just because you have a baby doesn't mean 

you can't still throw a great dinner party.

The only thing needed are good friends and good food.

...a magical setting (AKA my backyard) doesn't exactly hurt either.

This past weekend our good friends Marc & Caroline were in town and we decided to create an intimate little dinner party for the four of us - plus Fern.  Caroline is a photographer and I am a stylist and we wanted to create a simple meal that was locally sourced.  Living in Portland, we had a lot of delicious options.

*Asparagus, Potatoes and Strawberries: Lake Oswego Farmer's Market

*Bread: St. Honore Boulangerie

*Cheese: Willamette Valley Cheese Company

*Chicken: Afton Field Farms

*Tea: Steven Smith Teamaker

*Cider: made by a friend

*Strawberry Vanilla Jam: made by Caroline of Coeur de La

*Flowers: Zupans

I did the styling and Caroline took the photos.

We all tag-teamed the cooking.

While we made dinner Fern hung out with Craig and got to watch it all unfold.

But...she did get to help a little.  

See! Babies can join in on the fun too :).

And the final product:

A delicious and simple meal with friends.

 It was so nice to share this lovely meal with friends, but also to share an experience like this with Fern. I know that she's still a little baby and can't understand all of this, but I really want to bring her up with an appreciation for things like this.  I hope to teach her the importance of balanced nutrition, supporting local business, the value of friendship and taking time to be with one another.  It's magical moments like this that will stick with her and I hope to create many more in the future.

Photography: Coeur de La Photography

Styling: Lauren Hartmann

xo

Lauren

PS...if you're looking for someone to plan your next forest gathering we're your girls...just sayin' ;).

This post is sponsored by Disney Baby. I'll be joining the Disney Baby blogging team next month, and look forward to sharing these kinds of stories (projects/ideas/etc) with you over there! Stay tuned for more details!