After a long winter cooped inside, temperatures are finally rising. Which means you can finally throw your dining party in the backyard. Doesn’t everyone love a garden party? We know we do! So without further ado, let’s get started on how to organize the perfect backyard dining party in 7 steps.
1. Pick a theme
If you’re planning on throwing a garden party for at least 10 people, we suggest choosing a theme. Think about composing a moodboard on Pinterest or real-life, because this will visualize your party scheme. Wish you were in Mexico during your garden party? Throw a Mexican party with a piñata and bright colours. You can also go for soft colours such as white, beige and sand. But you can also pick a theme that’s very crazy. What about ‘Christmas in the summer’? Wear a Christmas dress (Dutch: kerstjurk) and put down a Christmas tree. Do you know about the Dutch carnival season? Well, everyone dresses up as a character of their choice with carnival costumes (Dutch: carnavalskleding). Whatever you pick, it’s up to you.
2. Send your invites
Even if it’s just an informal garden party, sending invites is always a nice idea. These can be sent through actual cards, email or just a simple text message. You can use Canva to create a beautiful invitation to send to your guests. In that invitation you should be specific about the date, location, time of arrival. Also request an RSVP (répondez, s’il vous plaît) so you know exactly who’s coming.
3. Beautify your area
Did you pick a place in the garden where the party can be held? Then you can think about what kinds of decorations you can use. Bring out the balloons, pom poms and paper lanterns to amplify your theme. Our tip is: don’t hold back on ambience lighting. Because when the sun goes down, there is a whole other vibe to your party. Your backyard will look like a twinkly paradise once you have installed lanterns, loads of candles and string lights.
4. Make sure your guests are comfortable
Your guests being comfortable should be your top priority. Whether there is a heatwave going on or it’s pouring down with rain. You should provide your party with the right shelter. Of course you want to have sunscreen laying around in case of hot weather. Also think about shaded areas of umbrellas, party tents or big trees with fans for daytime and heating lamps for night time. And if it’s really hot, make sure you have some citronella candles and bug spray on the tables for all the insects. Also think about having plenty of different seating arrangements. A bench over here, a table with chairs over there. You can even create some chill spots on the grass for people to lie on.
5. Serve a seasonal meal
Serving a seasonal menu will be a big hit for your party. Whether a chef is coming to make it for you, a catering company delivers it or you make it yourself. There are different types of ways you can implement seasonal food. For example, you can start with a cocktail with seasonal fruit ingredients. But you have to know that food doesn’t have to be that expensive. It’s all about the things you want. Do you want to serve a five course menu or just want small bites during the night? Ever considered throwing a barbecue, buffet or even a tea party? These are all points you need to take into consideration and which one will suit your garden party style the best.
6. Think of fun Garden Games
A garden party isn’t complete without a lot of fun garden games. Think about some lawn games such as criquet or jeu de boule. And when the night starts to evolve and everyone gets a little bit tipsy, get a limbo stick and show how low you can go. You can also consider renting games in the xxl version such as giant jenga or twister.
7. Play some music
Disclaimer: If you have close neighbours, don’t turn on the music too loud. You don’t want to have a feud because of noise disturbance. And if you don’t have close neighbours, turn it up and have fun.
Playing music is a great way to get the atmosphere in the right direction. Maybe you can hire a DJ or make a spotify playlist in which every single attendee can add songs to it. That way, everyone can dance and sing along to their own picked songs.
Are you ready for your summer party? Follow these steps and we’re sure you will have an amazing time.
