With those longer, warmer nights fast approaching, the Summer Party that you willingly decided to host last year, suddenly feels right around the corner. You very excitedly invited your family and friends months ago – easy part done, but have you even begun to think about the planning and preparations of the party?
For this blog post we have put together a Summer Party checklist to ensure that your guests are wowed and no party essentials are forgotten!
What Kind Of Party?
First things first; you need to decide what kind of party it is you’re going to be hosting. Are you hosting a party for a special occasion i.e. a birthday party or anniversary, or are you just looking for a reason for you to enjoy those long Summer days with your friends and family? Either way, a theme will help set the base to plan everything else. Maybe you are hosting a BBQ in your garden, or a large group picnic in the park or even holding a party in a marquee – this should be the first thing to plan, it’s now time to find decorations to accompany your theme. Fill your space with occasion balloons and/or banners for that special occasion, have LED furniture or a couple of lanterns dotted around for that subtle ambience, you could even provide blankets/pillows for that extra bit of comfort; and to make your outdoor furniture a bit more pleasing to the eye.
Party Essentials
Ample Seating and Tables
If you’re hosting a Summer Party in your garden, you need to ensure that you have enough outdoor furniture for all your guests to be able to sit down and be comfortable. You can go all out with stylish Aluminium & Wooden Bistro Sets, or perhaps Folding Samsonites will more than suffice, which means you can fold these away until you need them!
If you are having more of a sophisticated, stylish affair and require seating for a sit-down dinner, perhaps Chivari Chairs and round Banqueting Tables with linen will be more what you are looking for.
Lighting
Unfortunately the glorious daylight won’t last forever and you could find yourself in the dark part of your garden earlier than you had initially anticipated. You should make sure that there is adequate lighting for when the daylight does escape you but until then, create the cosy summer evening glow with a couple of Tonto Lanterns dotted around the garden, or even some fairy lights draped across a wall, fence or tree. LED Uplighters are also a simple but effective way of creating light for a space, either have these up against the walls of your marquee, inside your venue or even up the side of a tree for a great effect!
Heating
Although we are all hoping for that always promised heatwave this Summer, the likelihood of you needing to provide heating for your guests is quite high. Accompany your outdoor seating/smoking area with our stylish Athena Patio heaters or Wine Barrel Fire Pits for that extra bit of warmth when the sun inevitably disappears and to be used as decorations for the garden. Another personal touch is to have a basket full of blankets by the door for people to help themselves to as they make their way outside!
Refreshments
Another important factor to think about is what refreshments you are going to provide for your guests. You may just want to put out a few nibbles yourself and then have your guests bring their own drinks or maybe you would like to go all out and provide a sit-down meal for everyone attending, why not contact some friends of Blast and Bristol-based caterers to see what they can do for you?
Additionally, why not wow your guests by having a fully functioning bar at your party? The great thing about our Cash Bars is that they are completely mobile and can be set up anywhere; a garden, marquee, venue or even off land; on a boat (it has happened!). Why not take a look here at why you should have a cash bar at your next event.
Entertainment
Lastly you need to think how you’re going to keep your guests entertained. No matter what kind of party it is, music is always a winner with guests as it fills any of the (hopefully) rare awkward silences and allows for the dancers of the group to let loose! You can of course do this the easy and cheaper way and make your own playlist and have this playing from your own speakers, or for a slightly more lavish affair, maybe you want to get a professional DJ to come in and take care of it all, so you can unwind and let loose yourself!
Party games are also a really good idea to get all guests involved and socialising with each other as this could be the first time that some of your attendees have met. Team games are always fun as there is nothing like a good bit of competition to break the ice at a party! Make the most of those long, sunny, Summer days and host your own ‘Sports Day’! Think three-legged race, potato sack race, egg and spoon race and tug of war – you may not have competed in these styles of games since you were at School but we promise the nostalgia you will feel playing these games will only add to the fun of it all!
There are so many other ways to keep your guests entertained when you’re the host but the most important thing is to make sure that you’re enjoying yourself as much as your guests! When the host is relaxed and having fun, your guests will too! As long as there is sun, friends and wine; who’s not going to have a great time right?!
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need help with any aspect of your Summer party this year!
