One of the great ways to spend some quality time with your family and friends is by throwing a fabulous outdoor party on a warm and sunny day. It does not matter if it is a birthday or just an imaginary reason that you came up with, just so you could celebrate, making plans for a party can be a stressful experience, even though the aftermath is fun.
There is a lot a person should take care of. Of course, you would like all guests to enjoy themselves and like drinks and food while at the same time the whole ambiance, from music and activities is satisfying. Not to mention decor. Here is some advice on how to manage all of that and throw the most fabulous party in town.
Make Seating Arrangements
First and foremost, your outdoor party should have enough seating for all people that are invited, although, that does not mean that you have to throw a “sit-down” dinner. What you could do is mix some regular patio furniture with outdoor stools and poufs. In case you are going for a more picnic vibe, lay down all sorts of thick blankets in the grass and add oversized floor pillows. Before the party starts, be sure to sweep up both the porch and stairs. For more ideas click here, and find out how much fun can be had.
The majority of guests are usually comfortable turning anything into a seat during a backyard party, for instance, your staircase. If you have decided on a more chic camping party, you could fill oversized tents with blankets and pillows. For soft and atmospheric lighting you could add some flameless candles to lanterns.
Decide The Theme
Sometimes realizing a theme for your outdoor gathering can be quite challenging tasks, however, it is still an accomplishable one. If you have fresh ideas, you can always throw a BBQ party. In case you want something more original you can host an outdoor movie night party. Since the whole event is taking place outdoors, you can focus your attention on one place. Have in mind that indoor space must be prepared as well for those guests that would like to change the scenery a bit. The thing that could complement the whole theme is if you were to decorate hallways, bathrooms, and kitchen in the same or similar way as your yard.
As an example, the beautiful thing about the outdoor party is that nature can serve as your centerpiece. You do not need much decoration since the lunch greens and vibrant flower colors can do the work. What you could do is strategically place flowers as centerpieces on side tables or the buffet and that way connect your indoors with the outdoors. When the sun sets, you can set up the mood with light stings or maybe even lanterns which you can hang up across your patio or even better, trees. Citronella-scented candles will keep mosquitos at bay in case they are giving you trouble.
Prepare Invitations
People that you invite should be comfortable with the theme you have chosen. You can always choose, whether the party is for adults only or kid-friendly as well. You should also consider what number of guests would be acceptable and are they going to fit the space you attended to have a party in. These are all things that you should think about before making invitations.
If it is a simple casual get together, you can just text or call people that you would like to be there. In case the party is a little bit more elaborate, consider sending an invitation in a form of an actual card that suits the theme.
You should include all the details there, like time and date, should children be present and in case the forecast for that day is not so bright to bring attire that will suit rain just in case. If you would like to have peace of mind, you can also add at which time the catering will start.
Food
If you do not want simply to ask your guests to bring their own food, you can make it a competition. It does not matter whether the competition will be on the spot, or that everyone can prepare a meal at home and bring it to the party.
It can be any type of food you want, from pasta dish competition to mac and cheese, the point is that everyone should show off their own unique cooking skills. Of course, you can extend that competition on to deserts too. You can assign numbers to each dish and select judges that will pick out a winner. As an alternative, if you simply want to throw a BBQ party, you could take out your cart BBQ grill, that professionals from Weber-Stephen Products LLC would agree is easy to work with, and start the best patty, burger, or even a hot dog cookoff. While you wait for main dishes, you and people that are not competing can eat jalapenos and red hot chili peppers simply as a spicy kick. Another idea is that you can make apple pies while the meat is sizzling on the grill. The upside of this option is that not only that it will be entertaining but you will also have a source of fresh food.
The only downside is that some people that are cooking will not participate in conversations with other guests. To make it up to them, when judges choose a winner, you can have the prize prepared in advance. It can be something silly or something more creative for the inner while everyone else can receive something that will simply show that you have appreciated what they have done for you and the rest.
Cutlery And Crockery
If you are having an outdoor barbeque party, there is nothing wrong with having acrylic or plastic plates. You could always check out your dollar store for glasses that are made out of plastic and yet can be nice looking. In case you are making a party that is somewhat a bit more elegant, you can use real glasses as well. They can be of various colors, and you can either purchase new ones or use the ones you already have. If the setting is casual, you can always use copper mugs that are designed sometimes can be wonderful, as well as mason jar glasses that have handles.
The place where you want to serve drinks can be also creatively done. You could use a workbench as a wine bar, or maybe even an unused dining bench as a drink station, the voice is yours. Another idea is to add an acrylic drink dispenser that can be filled either with water, or maybe lemonade, flavored vodkas, or you could offer plenty of ice water that is flavored with different herbs or fruit, that will make your guests hydrated during the whole event. If the party has children, then the first option of having plastic or paper glasses would be the best choice since they are not prone to break and shatter.
Drinks
If you would like to engage your guests in drinks, as well as in food, you can make an outdoor buffet table. Through the whole outdoor space, you could make signs that will lead them through their drink-making process. The first step would be for them to find their glasses that already have the main drink ingredients in it. All they have to do next is to follow the signs that will give them clues on how to create their drink.
The best would be to choose something a little bit more complex, that way you will keep them occupied and entertained. It may sound like that is a lot of work, however, it is actually engaging and can be fun when done with the right people. That would especially be the case if the whole atmosphere is nice looking. If you would like a standard approach, you can also go with that.
Even though the beer and wine are respectable drinks that can be used for relaxation during dinner or to unwind after one is done if you are considering an outdoor party you could try out something like a refreshing cocktail or icy cold summer drink.
These drinks, regardless if they are of a homemade recipe or were bought beforehand, are a perfect addition that you can serve at your whole day backyard event. Depending on what you are looking for, there is a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink tastes. They can be fruity and sweet that is ideal for cooling off or they can have a bourbon base and pair well with a nice barbeque. If you decide to make some picnic recipes, there is a big list of drinks that you can offer to your guests. These tastes will surely sit well with people and are delicious, those are Sweet Tea Sangria or Rose Dogwood Punch.
In case that you are not making only an adult party, but you need some drinks that the little ones can drink and enjoy it, you could make several recipes that are kid-friendly like a Mango Sunrise Pina Colada, Basil Lemonade, or the Strawberry Punch. If the summer is hot, it will be no match for your cooling drinks. All that is left for you to do is to make stockpiles of proper ingredients and you are good to go.
Plan Activities
In case you would like the party to continue after all food is gone, you can plan a few activities that will inspire them to stay a bit longer. Making outdoor games is fun and are exciting to participate in no matter what the age of your guests, especially if the party is of family type. All you would need is a little creativity and you can set up activities that will keep youngsters entertained and their parents inspired to bring out their inner child.
Pinata
Pinatas are easy to organize and are plainly fun. It is a great game in which children can easily be included, especially if it is a birthday party involved. Adults will also be keen to try it out. If it is an all-grown-up party, you can add some treats that they will be more pleased with than simply adding candy.
Photo Booth
You can set an area, and decorate it in a way you would prefer, and make your own outdoor photo booth. It would be even better if you could add a backdrop or a frame, as well as some props for a dress-up.
You can either layout a few disposable cameras or your guests can simply use their phones. Once pictures are done, you can send them to your guests on a card as a thank you for participating in your party.
Campfire
For a campfire storytime, you do not need anything special except fire and to tell stories. Depending on your taste, and your family and friends, you can tell funny, inspirational, or even scary tales. Also, you could prepare a prize for the one who was the best storyteller.
Bubble Machines
The easiest way to keep kids entertained is to have bubbles. You can layout Buble bottles everywhere, even those giant ones and kinds, as well as some adult's attention, will be occupied.
Music
Setting the mood with music is a must. It is an essential part of any party. You can choose between something that your guests will dance to or something that will be used as a background sound. Either way, you should make an appropriate playlist that will not be repetitive, prepare your sound system and you are good to go.
What every person would find as their highlight of the week is getting together with their family and friends to enjoy a sunny and warm day in the great outdoors.
Hopefully, these ideas have sparked your inspiration and gave you the clue of what you could do when hosting a next outdoor party. Before you decide to invite people to the next gathering, do not forget that the only thing you need is to plan up ahead and make preparations, and as a result, you will have a party that will be the talk of the town.
