One of the best parts of summer is spending the warm nights, which are perfect for outdoor dinner parties. I can’t think of much better than sharing a delicious spread of food with friends on a beautiful summer night. Sozy shares 6 of their tips for hosting dinner parties in the backyard, and I have shared them below:

Plan for success

Prep is always key to host a truly effortless and successful outdoor dinner party. Start by sending out invitations a few weeks in advance. Keep it small with just a few close friends for a more intimate evening. It also makes it much easier to plan for, especially if this is your first dinner party. Then you just need to clean inside the house, spruce up the outdoor areas, and mow the lawn a few days out. Set everything up so your guests will be entertained and comfortable.

A few things to consider in the planning phase:

what needs to be prepped beforehand? ie permits for public spaces, gardening, cleaning, grocery shopping, meals
which kinds of meals will be the easiest to prepare ahead of time?
if you're cooking food the day of the event, can you both cook and chat at the same time? this is an often overlooked factor that can take a dinner party from cute to chaos in a matter of minutes
what will be the effects of a group of people using your space? if you're a neat freak or have weak plumbing, consider these things as you invite groups of people over to your hom

Create a colorful vibe

Rather than having a bland backdrop for your delicious meal, create a truly summertime vibe all around your outdoor space. Use some colorful summer decorations which match the hues of the season like blues, yellows, violets, and pastels, with accents in deeper shades of blues, reds, and of course greens. Put these on a neutral white or beige tablecloth to make them really pop against the background.

Choose the right menu

Choosing the perfect dish or the best wine to pair with your food is honestly too stressful to try to do for an outdoor gathering.

Instead, choose options that can be made ahead of time so that you're able to enjoy your backyard party instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

Charcuterie boards work perfectly for an appetizer, so guests can munch on bite sized snacks leading up to the main course. For dinner, opt for a simple recipe like pasta salad, roasted pumpkin with sea salt, or easy one pot meals. For dessert, serve fruit drizzled with honey or some popsicles made ahead.

Mix and match tableware

You don’t have to bring out your best china or other fancy plates to create a great tablespace outside. Instead, try adding something a little different with some mix and match tableware. This is especially practical if you have a large group of guests because not many people have enough matching sets of plates anyway.

Mix and match a few different styles of simple yet elegant disposable plates, cups, and stemless wine glasses, and then balance the simplicity with some ornately engraved vintage silverware. Finally, neutralize the formal cutlery with some light colored linen napkins for a bit of a casual vibe.

Lights make the mood

When you begin a dinner party in the afternoon, the sun will most likely end up setting well before you’re all ready to finish. So instead of ending the evening just because it starts getting dark, add some lighting to set the mood to your spring dinner. Create the perfect warm glow with a fire pit to light your dinner after the sun goes down or hang up some cute string lights to light your outdoor gathering.

Add to that ambience by sprinkling a few candles or some tea lights around the table. You can also hang some fairy lights or solar lanterns around the area, and don’t forget some citronella torches if insects are a problem where you live.

Source: Sozy

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