Do you love to have your family and friends over for holiday celebrations and barbecues? If you love to entertain a crowd and want to make your patio party central this summer here are 10 easy and inexpensive ways to redecorate your patio so that you can party all summer long.
1. Get creative with seating.
When you’re having a lot of people over frequently unless you are having formal dinner parties ditch the large dining set. Bring in a couple of picnic tables to hold all the food and build a small bar in one corner of the patio to hold the beverages. You can buy basic pre-made bar units at many home stores. Get a few bar stools as well. To make sure there is enough seating for everyone get furniture that does double duty.
To maximize your patio space you can build your own seating. Make long benches on all sides of the patio that double as storage space. You can buy cushions or make your own cushions to go on top of the benches. That way you can store extra glasses, dishes, extra napkins and all the other things you’ll need in the benches and everything you need will be right at hand but out of sight. Add a few chaise lounges or papasan chairs and you will have an uncluttered, crowd friendly patio that can seat everyone at the party comfortably.
2. Create flow on the patio.
On a small patio with lots of partygoers the flow of the patio is very important. Set up a distinct area for conversation and a distinct area for eating. Create a line where people can pick up plates, silverware and glasses and then head to the grill to pick up any grilled items, then finally hit the buffet or picnic table for salads and sides and condiments before sitting down to eat. It will be a lot easier to keep everyone fed and to keep everyone moving if you arrange the furniture so that there is a definite flow.
3. Set the right mood for the theme you want.
To make the party more fun for everyone pick a theme for each party and add decorative touches to enhance the theme. You can use different types of lights, place settings, decorations, dishes, cushions and so on to make the patio look cohesive and represent that theme.
If you give a lot of parties you might think it’s too expensive to decorate for every single one but the key to decorating well on a budget is to recycle your leftover decorations as much as possible. It’s cheap to change the covers on cushions and pillows. Pick tablecloths in neutral colors so that you can reuse them for different events. Splurge on or two larger decorative items that are just for that party, like a piñata for Mexican cantina theme party, and keep the rest of the decorations in solid colors that you can reuse for other events.
4. Always cook from a menu.
Even if you’re just serving simple appetizers and party foods you should always plan a menu that fits with the theme of the party. If your theme is an Italian dinner party you could serve appetizers of prosciutto on fresh Italian bread with herbs and plan a nice Italian dinner and stock the bar with lots of Italian wine. If you’re planning a barbecue for the big game then you have to stock up on football favorites like burgers and brats. Planning a menu will help you keep the party on track.
5. Keep the cold drinks cold.
If you have just a basic bar set up on the patio it can be tough to keep sodas and other beverages cold. If you don’t mind spending a little money you can buy a solar powered mini fridge that will keep your cold drinks nice and chilly behind the bar. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money then an old tin washtub or new large metal trash container filled with ice does a fine job keeping water and sodas and other beverages cold for a long time.
6. Decorate using the landscape of your yard.
It can be tough to decorate for an outdoor party but the trick is to use what you already have. Do you have lots of small bushes and hedges? String some white lights or use a net of lights to decorate and provide some light. Are there lots of trees? Hang paper streamers, lanterns or small wind chimes in the trees to provide some decoration and some music. If the path to get to the patio is rocky or is hard to see at night place small votive candles in white paper lunch bags, anchor them with sand, and light them. Place the bags along the path to make sure your guests can see where they are walking.
7. Have lots of games and activities to keep guests and kids busy.
Have plenty of multi purpose balls like beach balls, soccer balls and so on in the yard, or set up a croquet set and let the kids play croquet. If you have enough room to play volleyball then a volleyball net is always a crowd pleaser. Horseshoes is always fun if you have a lot of room away from the patio for people to congregate. Frisbee is also a great, easy game for guests of all ages to play.
8. Keep the fun going after the sun goes down.
When it’s too dark to play sports or do other outdoor activities and people are getting bored bring out a stash of board games to keep everyone interested. Trivia games and situational games are a lot of fun at parties.
You could also use a fire table to simulate a campfire. Fire tables are fabulous for outdoor entertaining. They are sturdy small tables that have a fire pit built into them. You can have a roaring camp fire or you can have a small smoldering fire. Roast marshmallows, make s’mores, sing songs or tell stories and keep the fun going late into the evening.
9. Plan the music ahead of time.
Your music should also fit with the theme of the party. Bring a small battery powered CD player outside and play some pre-mixed CDs that have a blend of popular party songs and songs that fit the theme of your party. If you invest in a multiple CD changer than you don’t need to worry about music for the whole evening, just put in all the CDs that you have and push play.
10. Have a backup plan.
Even the nicest summer weather can turn ugly with a moment’s notice. You should always have a backup plan in case the weather gets bad. Have a space ready to move the party indoors if you need to or make sure that you have an awning or some type of cover over the patio to protect your guests from wind or rain.
