Outdoor Party Tips and Ideas

With Summer in full swing nothing is more fun than a little backyard get together, but when you are doing the hosting things can get stressful fast. Here are some tips and ideas to make your outdoor party the talk of the town:

Set the Table: Skip the tablecloth at your outdoor dinner table and instead use cute place mats. As well, use a small bowl of fresh fruit to hold down the decor against pesky summer wind and also great your guests with a sweet treat. 

Fruity Flavors: Make your outdoor party feel like a relaxing spa by serving fruit flavored water. It not only looks nice, it also is extrememly refreshing. Strawberries, watermelon, canteloupe, oranges all make for a great addition to water. Blend 3 cups of your choice of fruit with 1 cup of water, some lime juice and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Then strain and voila, the perfect accompaniment for your dinner table.

Get Creative: Nothing is more summer than a outdoor barbecue, but the standard hot dogs and hamburgers can get boring. Try a make your own pizza bar, which the kids will love, plus grilled pizza is delicious and easy to prepare. Or put on a twist on classic barbecue and make different types of kebobs, such as buffalo chicken meatball or pastrami. It is delicious and saves time on the clean up.

Spread out: Set up tables in separate areas outside. Have a drinks table, a dessert cart in addition to the dinner table. It keep things organized, and encourages your guests to roam around and mingle. 

Light it up: Although the sun won't set until around 9:00 during those long summer nights, its still important to remember light fixtures. An easy fix is buying cheap paper lanterns, or festive light strings to hang from any trees or backyard fixtures. As well, glowing lanterns can be added to tables for a classy, but functional look. Candles are also add to a mellow ambience, but be careful if their are a lot of young kids coming to your party. A quick fix for that is battery operated candles, so you don't have to worry about the wind ruining your night.

Feeling Fire-y: A summer party would not be complete without a cozy campfire. Save yourself the trouble and clean up by using a fire pit on grass or a stone patio. Make S'mores for dessert, and add different fun toppings to make it a unique and fun experience for the kids (and parents!)

 Check out realsimple.com's article's here and here to learn more tips and ideas to make this summer party season the best one yet.


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