Design Ideas For A Backyard Dinner Party

Planning for a backyard dinner party is just the same as planning for any other type of party, only that this is an outside event where you'll be dealing with Mother Nature's best if you're lucky.

The difference between these backyard BBQs and that of formal indoor dinners is that it's more laid back and casual. Making sure that the outdoors are safe and fun for everyone will see to it that everyone will be leaving the party in good spirits.

Clean and Check for Maintenance Works

First things first, you want to show off a beautiful, clean area to your guests where they won't fear of contracting salmonella or tripping on a loose floorboard. Take this time to clean and inspect all areas as well as furnishings.

Give your outdoor kitchen and grill a good scrub and sanitize your pool. This might be a good time to harvest your edibles, clean the yard of any dead leaves, and pull out weeds. Whether it's outside or inside your house, cleaning is a massive part of the preparation for any party.

Go Beyond your Patio Furniture

Have a huge number of guests but lack the tables and chairs? Before the big day, take advantage of sales and bargains during the cold months before summer. You can score great finds that won't break the bank like vintage chairs that you don't mind putting outside.

Wooden crates joined together can form one long table, and you can have your guests sit on the grass to encourage conversation. If you don't have the time and budget, get some floor cushions, blankets, and rugs and let your guests lounge around in lawn benches or glider. Entertain your guests by putting out a portable projector screen for a movie night.

Make your Centerpiece Edible

Sure it's fun to look at flowers, and beautiful floral arrangements never fail to brighten up a table setting, but it'll be more fun if guests can eat your centerpieces instead of just ogling at it. Create a colorful set-up with your very own produce. Put salad greens, celery sticks, cucumbers, and carrots in separate glass jars and have a tray for dips or have a round tray filled with ready to eat salad in cups or small bowls.

You can also try a basket of loaf bread with colds cuts, and cheese slices served on a wooden chopping board. If you're aiming for sweetness, try some cake pops or, better yet, set up s'mores bar that your guests can roast in your fire pit.

Get Creative with the Way you Serve Drinks

For convenience, place several snack and drink carts around your garden so that everyone has their fill. Don't have a cart? Fill up an old wagon or wheelbarrow with ice to chill beer. Get an old shelf or bookcase, paint it in vibrant color, and you've got a place to display bottled waters, sodas, glasses, and dispensers.

You can also use unused flower boxes and turn them into a cool drink box. Tie your bottle openers with strings on each of your carts to prevent it from getting lost in the party.

Create Different Self-serve Food Bars

Instead of serving sweets all the time, go ahead and offer your guests different kinds of refreshments and snacks. If you're planning a movie night, a popcorn bar is perfect. Cold summer nights will need a hot chocolate or a 'smores bar. If you can afford it, why not try a sushi or seafood bar with oysters and mussels for a different take on a summer party.

Make your Guests Comfortable and be Prepared for Weather Changes

For an open-type garden, getting a canopy before the party can help you and your guests enjoy the party even when the skies turn cloudy and rainy. Get your outdoor umbrellas or tent ready on-hand. Get a basket and fill it with sunscreen, bug repellent sprays, first-aid kits, towels, and blankets. Set out mason jars filled with natural bug-repelling solutions like lemon-eucalyptus oil.

Make Cleaning Easy

Parties can generate lots of trash. Get cheap hamper baskets and cover it with a biodegradable garbage bag. Label each one. You can never have too many of these. If the only place to wash up in your kitchen or bathroom, set up a handy cleaning station for your guests.

You can get two tables, one lower and wider than the other, place two tubs that you don't mind getting dirty, and on the higher table, place water dispensers and hand soap. You can take this idea further by boring a hole into the tub and attaching a hose so that the water can be drained away.

Create a Place to Capture Memories

Hang around cardboard frames or cheap wooden frames you can get at the dollar store, or if you have a tree, you can create a backdrop and hang the canvas on it. Use freshly cut flowers, twigs, and even leaves to adorn the backdrop of your porch bench.

Share your Hard Work as Souvenirs

Do away with the usual party favors and give away some of your edibles or seeds. You can also make your gardening starter kit, and who knows, you might encourage some future gardeners. You can also take a few edibles and transplant them into pots to give away as gifts.

Keep the Kids Entertained

So that the adults can kick back and relax, use a circular stencil, and spray paint some circles on your lawn to create a game of Twister. Get trash cans or buckets and a volleyball and play giant beer pong. Leave out the drinks or substitute some non-alcoholic beverages like juice if playing with kids. Take out the water guns, play with water balloons, or get a kiddie swing to refresh and entertain them during summertime.

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