A Guide to Outdoor Summer Entertaining

Choose a Theme

The first decision that you want to make is what kind of theme your party will have. The theme of your party will set the stage for the rest of the decisions you make for your party. You might choose something like celebrating summer, 4th of July or a graduation party. If you have a pool, you could make it a pool party. Once you know your theme for the party, the rest of your choices will revolve around your chosen theme.

Choose a Date & Time

Once you have chosen your theme, now you have to figure out what date the party will happen. Make sure that you are sending out invites in enough time so that people don’t plan anything else around that time. It’s not necessary to send out paper invitations. You can invite people using Facebook or an app. But you want to choose your get together date quickly so that people can clear their schedules. Let your guests know the theme of the party and if they need to bring anything, such as a bathing suit and towel if it will be a pool party, or if you plan to have a pot-luck meal.

Plan Your Menu

Now it’s time to decide one of the most important parts of your party – what kind of food you are going to have. There are a few things that you can do to help you figure out what this menu should include:

  • Party time
  • Who is coming
  • Your budget
  • Reason for party
  • Party theme

Think about who is coming, what time the party is, your budget, the reason for the party and the theme of the party. If you are having mostly kids come to the party, you are going to want to go simple than if you are having mostly adults. In the same sense, if you are having a meal during the afternoon when it’s more likely to be hot, there’s a good chance you would rather have something cool and refreshing than a heavy meal.

If you are going to have guests of different ages at your party, make sure that you serve food and drinks that everyone can enjoy. Soda and water will be huge hits with kids and adults, as will hot dogs and hamburgers. If it’s only adults, you can offer drinks and food that is more geared towards adults.

If you plan to have people bring food to contribute, you can always have them bring sides such as potato salad, macaroni salad, or chips and dip while you provide the main course.

Plan Decorations

If you are only having a small get together, this may not be a necessary step. If you are having a party for a big event, such as a baby shower or a graduation party, you will want to have some decorations to celebrate the special occasion. If you have a lot of trees in the yard, you can put up signs and balloons and banners. If there aren’t many trees, you can always choose lawn signs instead.

Plan Activities

Depending on where you have your party, you may have access to a pool. However, if you don’t have a pool or you are having your party at a park, there are other things that you can plan to help keep your guests entertained. Since it’s going to be during the summer, a water balloon toss might be a lot of fun, especially if there are kids involved. You can also do a scavenger hunt, play volleyball or play board games outside. There are so many possibilities. Once again, think about who your guests will be to figure out what people are going to love doing the most.

Create a List

Finally, make sure that you make a list of what you have planned for the party. This will help you keep track of what you need to do and what you need to get for the party. This will help you greatly and help you stay on track.

Once you have everything planned, there are a few things that you can do the day of the party to help it be a success.

Make Sure There’s Shade

It’s summertime, so you want to make sure there’s plenty of shade for your guests, so they don’t get overheated. The last thing that you want is to have people passing out because they are too hot.  

Keep the Bugs at Bay

Your guests don’t want to be bothered by mosquitoes, flies and bees. So it’s a good idea to have things to keep the bugs away. Citronella candles smell nice and they help with mosquitoes. Peppermint is something that bees don’t like, so you can use that.

Have Sunscreen

You don’t want your guests to go home with a sunburn, and having plenty of sunscreen on hand for your guests will help them be protected from the sun.  this is particularly important if you are having a pool party.

Have Lots of Bottled Water

Just like the last thing you want is to have your guests get sunburned you don’t want them to be dehydrated either. Having bottled water and lots of it is important to make sure everyone stays hydrated while they’re at your party.

Use Disposable Items

The last thing you want is to have to do a lot of dishes after the party, so using disposable plates and utensils will help you avoid this. Simply set up a large trash can to have them dispose of then, and you will have a lot less cleanup after the party.

Put Up Signs

If you are having people to your home who have never been there before, make sure that you mark where the bathrooms are and anything else that they might need to know. This will help them find things easier and maybe stay out of areas where you would rather that they not go.

Have a Contingency Plan

You would like to think that the weather is going to be beautiful, but of course you know that summer comes with sudden rainstorms. If you’re throwing your party at your house, be prepared to have people come in if suddenly starts raining.

We have a lot of items that will make entertaining this summer easier for you and more convenient. If you have any questions about our produces, please feel free to contact us and let us know how we can help you. We are always glad to help you and give you advice.

We’re always adding new items to our store, so please check back frequently and see what is new.

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