Summer is here and with it brings the coveted outdoor entertaining season. Dawn Bryan, founder of The Qualipedia, offers some basic summer party hosting tips that will also turn your outdoor event into a spectacular evening.

Party Basics

• Arrange guests in small comfortable groups, to foster mingling (this can be done with small tables or even over-sized grass blankets with filled baskets anchoring the corners)
• Offer fun water toys/floats for parties with a pool
• Enhance ground seating with rugs, pillows, or blankets
• Serve up a rain date on the invite so there is always a contingency plan

Buffet Basics

• Arrange food by this order: entrees, sides, salads, bread, butter, and condiments, and always prepare extra portions
• Provide enough extra dishes and silverware for second helpings to be enjoyed on clean dishes
• Position the drink table away from the buffet to avoid traffic jams
• Offer leftovers in take-away containers, especially to guests who have children

Beyond Basics

• Create a signature theme with a recipe, color, music, or games
• Send guests home with a gift bag that relates to your theme (example: if your party theme is 4th of July, find some sparklers and ring pops with a note attached saying “let freedom ring” to fill each goody bag!)
• In your gift bag, include a take home bagel or Danish for Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast

Above all be sure you feel comfortable, look great, and are ready to have a fantastic time!

This information was provided to us by Dawn Bryan, founder of The Qualipedia. Qualipedia is a consumer information and lifestyle website. Qualipedia strives to educate consumers on their choices, helping them achieve independence from product hype, providing transparency about everyday items and giving people the information they can use to determine quality for themselves, enhancing their lifestyles in a way that works for them.