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How To: Throw the Perfect Outdoor Party

With the warmer evenings upon us, we can’t think of a more perfect way to cap off the day than by enjoying a leisurely dinner outside.  Whether you’re hosting a small get-together among friends or a large neighborhood potluck, you’ll entertain outdoors like a pro with our easy-to-follow ideas for outdoor parties. We’ve included tips for planning, decorating, and food prep- everything you need to get you on your way to throwing the best parties of the summer!

Photo: Pinterest

Outdoor Party Planning Tips 
Follow these easy outdoor entertaining tips when organizing and planning your next outdoor party:

-Send invitations if you’re going to invite more than 12 people or if you have a theme for your outdoor party. Otherwise, call or invite guests in person.

-Ask guests if they have any food allergies or special preferences (vegetarian, kosher, diabetic, etc.), so everyone is able to enjoy the party fare.

-Lessen the stress of hosting an outdoor party by making it a potluck. Assign each guest a dish (appetizer, salad, side dish, or dessert) to contribute, so you only have to make the main dish. If you want a cohesive buffet, organize the potluck around a theme, such as Tex-Mex, Asian, or All-American.

-Mix up the seating. If you have multiple outside spaces, set up a table, chairs, and blankets throughout the yard.

-Account for anything that might prevent entertaining outside: If you think bugs, rain, heat, or cold might get in the way of your party, make sure you have a backup plan.

Table Setting & Decorating Tips 
Transform your space and add a bit of elegance to your outdoor party table with a few of our simple and easy outdoor decorating tips:

-Buy two of the same tablecloth if your patio table is too large for one to cover. Simply fold each in half and drape over the ends of the table.

-Coordinate your tablecloth, place settings, and table decorations to give your outdoor party table a coordinated look.

-Hang string lanterns from trees to make your outdoor party glow.

-Use candles on the table if you’ll be dining outdoors after dark. Votives can be set in wineglasses, jars, or tin cans with holes punched around the sides. To create magical overhead lighting, make wire cradles for jars and suspend them from trees. String icicle lights along a fence, around a porch, or through a tree or shrub for another take on whimsical outdoor lighting.

Food Prep
Keep food for your outdoor party fresh and serve it efficiently with our helpful tips:

-Keep unwanted pests away from individual dishes using wire domes, which are available at kitchenware stores.

-Serve drinks in glasses or clear bottles rather than cans, which can hide bugs in the openings. Avoiding red or yellow drinks, which can attract bugs, is another way to keep your party pest-free.

-Follow the two-hour rule: Never serve food that’s been out of the refrigerator, off the stove, or out of the oven any longer than two hours. On warm days, follow the one-hour rule. Sit down to eat for an intimate gathering, and pass the food in bowls family-style.

-For a larger crowd, set up a buffet table and stack dishes at one end so guests can help themselves.

Photo: Pinterest

How To: Make Overnight Guests Feel At Home

Summertime is always a fun time of year to invite guests for an overnight or weekend stay.  It means they can linger longer at your BBQ or cocktail party and enjoy brunch with your family the next day.  So when you have guests coming to stay with you, it’s nice to go the extra mile to make your guest room especially inviting.  Now if you haven’t given much thought to your guest room (in which case you’re not alone) we’ve got good news for you!  It’s actually quite simple to make it inviting and comfortable for guests, and it can even be done at the last minute.  It’s all about the small, but important, details.  Those little touches go a long way.  Keep reading for some simple tips you can incorporate anytime to turn your spare room into a place your guests will want to come back to again and again.

Photo: Pinterest

The Guest Bedroom 
First things first- the bed!  If your guests don’t get a good night’s sleep, the rest doesn’t matter. Make sure that the bed linens are freshly cleaned and laundered.  There’s nothing better than crisp, clean sheets and your guests will thank you for it.  (Use fragrance-free laundry detergent in case they have allergies).  The bed should also have plenty of layers so guests can choose the coverage they want without having to hunt through closets for extra linens. It’s nice to provide some extra pillows on the bed too.  And keep extra blankets nearby or drape a stylish, cozy throw at the foot of the bed or on a nearby chair.

Once you’ve got the bed dialed in, focus on some of the smaller details that we feel make all the difference.  The bedside table is a key guest room element, so make sure you set yours with the essentials.  A bottle of water and a glass (an all-in-one bedside carafe is a great option) is important so that guests won’t need to navigate their way to the kitchen when they’re thirsty in the middle of the night.  A pretty bouquet of fresh-cut flowers lends a charming and cheerful touch, but keep it simple.  A small bud vase will work just fine.   And stock your guest room with a few good reads, especially if there’s not a television in the room.  Go for a combination of books and magazines that are easy to flip through. Fashion, interior design and travel are all good options. If your guests are arriving in the evening, set a mellow mood with dimmed lighting and a burning, unscented candle.   It’s also nice to give guests a place to sit other than the bed.  You may need to bring a cozy chair or chaise lounge into the room but a bench or simple chair will work just fine.  And make sure to stock the closet with a few hangers- we go for the wooden option.

Photo: Pinterest

The Guest Bathroom 
Make sure there are clean towels in every size- bath, hand and washcloth.  I also like to place a basket with a blow dryer, shampoo and conditioner, a shower cap and some shower gel, lotion and a good hand cream in the bathroom just in case my guest forgot anything at home. You can also fill the medicine cabinet with any other items they might need, such as Band-Aids or mouthwash.  A toothbrush, toothpaste and floss are also good to offer.  And don’t forget, guests don’t want to ask you for extra toilet paper.  Place a new, full roll on and store a few extras in the bathroom cabinet where guests will easily spot them.  And, for the ultimate in luxury, stock the guest bathroom with a plush robe and French-milled soaps.

 Photo: Pinterest

These few simple details will go a long way towards transforming a spare room into your guest’s home away from home!