How to Host the Perfect Summer Garden Party
The warmth and light of a summer evening can turn almost any garden into a great party venue. Family and friends of all ages can come together in a familiar place to relax, reconnect, dance to music (that you all want to listen to!), play games and indulge in tasty food and drink. Garden parties are best when they’re informal, so there’s no need to worry about standing on ceremony or spending a fortune, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it something special. Here are some tips and ideas to help you plan and host an outdoor garden party with no stress and plenty of satisfied guests.
1. Keep Things Relaxed
While it’s nice to be fancy every now and again, a garden party can be just charming when you keep things simple and informal. Rather than using a fabric tablecloth and crockery, try a roll of burlap with paper plates instead. Use a variety of different drinking glasses and silverware in all shapes and colors and your guests will feel right at home.
2. Consider Lightning
Your lighting can be both decorative and functional if you get a little creative. Mason jars with a little water and a floating tea light are really pretty and add a vintage touch to any table. You could even use scented candles like lavender and lemon or add fresh herbs like rosemary to deter insects from the table. Strings of fairy lights and hanging lanterns look fantastic as the sun sets and provide that extra touch of magic to the evening.
3. Keep Food Simple
A common mistake people make when hosting any party is to put themselves under too much pressure when it comes to food. You don’t want to spend the whole evening preparing, serving and clearing away when you could be with your guests eating and drinking yourself. One way to handle this is by having a professional prepare your food for your event instead of doing it yourself. Again, food doesn’t have to be extravagant; by searching for ‘party subs near me‘, you can have delivered a platter of subs, salads, soups or sides for your party, which people will be more than happy with. Alternatively, you can solve this problem either by only serving a cold buffet of self-serve dishes or finger food, but you then have to consider how to ensure the food isn’t out for too long in the heat. To make things even easier you may want to consider hiring BBQ catering in Toronto who will prepare and serve delicious and hot BBQ food and clear away afterward. One thing that can’t be promised on the day of the party is sun. So to prepare for the likelihood of rain, it may be in your best interests to have a look at buying a canopy to ensure your food stays dry. Have a look at some reviews here.
4. Choose Your Playlist
One of the perks of throwing your own party is that you get to choose the music for the evening. Music software like Spotify will enable you to put together a playlist which sets the mood that you’re going for. Music for conversation, music for dancing, music for relaxation or music to sing along to. You could even ask your guests beforehand what they’d like to hear and create a collaborative playlist. Try and add enough songs to ensure that you don’t have to repeat them as even the songs we love can become irritating if we hear them on a loop.
5. Remember the Finishing Touches
It’s important to remember the practical finishing touches which will really make a difference. Rather than having a cooler full of ice cubes which will melt throughout the evening, fill some balloons with water and freeze them instead. They will keep your drinks cold and dry, even when the ice melts. You can also add some beautiful vases of flowers to tables with minimal expense. In the weeks leading up to the party, save and recycle wine bottles or similar, paint them in a matt color to suit your theme and pick some lovely flowers to dress the tables.
