Outdoor Entertaining and Outdoor Party Ideas
With the summer almost a wrap I thought I would share with you some outdoor party ideas you can do at home. What is great about entertaining outdoors is that it can be casual or formal, you set the tone. Plus in the west, we have summer-like weather most of the year making the outdoor entertaining season last a bit longer than other parts of the country.
First, some tips when considering outdoor entertaining, especially when hosting a party at home:
Look for any type of tripping hazard or potential ankle-turning backyard issue that needs fixing. Also, for events on your lawn, it is best to stop watering a few days in advance to create a hardened service.
If you plan on having a number of people over and it’s an evening affair, make sure that during the party, turn off as much of the house power as possible to avoid a power outage.
Also, be sure to give your neighbors a heads up that you are having a party at your house. Maybe even invite them to help ward off any late night calls to the police for noise or crowds.
Here are a few outdoor party ideas you can easily do to make your party stand out and not break the bank:
Instead of round tables, seat your guests at either one long table or square tables. This idea will create better conversation pockets and give your party a different look.
Arrange your guest seating ahead of time and mix it up a bit. If it is an outgoing group, break up the couples and make sure to seat people next to one another who have something in common. Place a conversation starter sentence on the back of their place card and tell everyone to use it to learn more about the person sitting next to them. Who knows, new friendships might blossom with your outdoor entertaining seating arrangement.
Use low centerpieces with different shaped containers. Square, round, triangle shaped or maybe a small flower piece in front of everyone’s seat.
Make lighting easy and your guests look great by placing candles all over, on the tables, in lanterns around the pool (if you have one) or hanging from trees. Also, you can now purchase those great LED votive candles that look real and you don’t have to worry about wind or a potential fire hazard.
If you have a pool, then use it as part of your decor by either floating a flower arrangement in it (be sure to use fishing line to tie it off at two ends to keep it centered) or shining a gobo light with something written like Happy Birthday.
Add a personal touch and instead of a goody bag, give your guests a small bag of muffins as a morning after gift.
Enjoy the last days of summer with your outdoor entertaining and until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, stylish, fun and economical for all!