11 Outdoor Entertaining Tips
Make hosting friends and family a breeze this summer!
A picnic with friends, a reunion with family, a cookout with neighbors, a potluck with the church, or a barbecue with the team. One of the best things about summer is the many hours spent outside making new memories with friends and family around food. Although the memories around these months are always worth the hassle, organizing and hosting can at times feel overwhelming and chaotic.
Use these 11 outdoor entertaining tips to make hosting easier this summer and enjoy hours of fun in the sun.
Deck Buffet for Serving.
Consider investing in an outdoor deck buffet to place platters or dishes of food or perhaps to hold drink dispensers to make serving easier.
On this deck, a reclaimed metal baker’s rack is used as a serving buffet.
A water dispenser is an easy way to provide hydration for a large gathering. For added visual appeal and flavor, consider adding sliced lemons, limes, strawberries, cucumbers, or blueberries to create a fruit-infused flavored water.
A picnic caddy stocked with paper plates, bowls, napkins, and plasticware is one of the easiest ways to simplify entertaining, not only outdoors but indoors as well.
Consider buying the disposable paper goods in bulk to keep the caddy fully stocked as needed.
Keep a bin routinely stocked with disposable cups to make it easy to set up a drink station.
Keep a marker tied onto the bin handle for guests to write names on their cups to help identify them, especially for a large gathering.
Bin for Reusable Plastic Serveware
Keep a bin stocked with light, reusable plastic picnic serveware and a picnic tablecloth for quick and easy outdoor serving.
Find a set that includes a large bowl for salad and serving platters for burgers, buns, hotdogs, sausages, and fixins.
Drink Cooler
Fill a rolling beverage cooler with ice and individual drinks. Consider using the bottom shelf for added storage.
Designate a trash can to be kept outdoors. Put a stash of extra trash can liners at the bottom of the trash can for easy liner replacement.
A picnic table is a must-have for outdoor entertaining, but consider a table umbrella that has solar light included for added ambience and lighting.
Splash pads are a low-cost way to provide a high level of entertainment for kids (and adults too).
Mosquito Tiki Torch
To help ward off unwanted insects, use screw-on mosquito tiki torches for a deck and in-ground torches for a patio.
Storage Container
Storage containers for outdoor spaces can come in all shapes and sizes. Here an outdoor side bar table is used to store essentials such as wipes, a lighter, bug spray, and sun-tan lotion.
Ahna Fulmer is a world renowned transformation coach with a passion for helping others learn how to leverage imperfection to claim success. In 2018 she founded a leading DIY lifestyle blog, Hammers N Hugs, where she inspires visitors to reclaim their hearts and homes with DIY ideas, house renovations, and strategies for healthy living through her virtual fitness and nutrition business. She is a freelance writer for Wayfair and has been featured by Apartment Therapy, Home Talk, and Food Talk, to name a few.
