Summer Party Ideas: Outdoor & Indoor Summer Tips

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Prepare Your Home Beforehand:

If the weather for party day looks anything less than inviting, it’s a good idea to prepare your home in advance. Be honest with yourself about which areas of your home you would feel uncomfortable with guests invading and block those off accordingly. While you’re at it, take a few moments to put away and valuable or sentimental items that you would hate to see accidentally damaged. Then, give the rest of your house a quick spruce up. It doesn’t have to be a deep clean, just enough to leave you feeling like you’re ready to show off your home.

Have a Moving Plan:

As soon as the rain starts to fall, you’re likely see chaos. Guests will start grabbing anything within arms reach and running for cover. But, once they get there, they’ll look to you for instruction. Things will go much more smoothly, if you know what to do. Consider having them put all the food on your kitchen table and countertop space to create a buffet that guests can enjoy at their leisure. Have chairs spread out through different rooms of the house so one space doesn’t feel overcrowded. Pick a designated space for people to store their belongings.

Set the Ambiance:

Even though the location of the party has moved, it should still feel the same. Pump up the music, dim the lights or light candles. If it’s appropriate for the occasion, move some furniture to the side and create a makeshift dance floor. Try to bring as many outdoor elements of the party in with you as possible to keep things cohesive.

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Provide Backup Activities:

One of the greatest features of an outdoor party is the ability to just chat with different groups of people all day long. However, a move indoors can sometimes bring the chattiness to a halt because guests feel unsure of where to go. Keep a few backup activities in mind to get the ball rolling again. Put a game on to keep the sports fans entertained and leave a few board games in the rec room to occupy rowdy kids.

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It’s easy to see how the thought of moving a party indoors is stressful. Piling lots of people into a confined space is rough. However, with a little planning, you can have just as much fun as you would outside. Use these summer party ideas to make your next bash a hit, regardless of the weather.

For more entertaining ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Spring is in full swing, which means it’s time to party! Whether it’s graduation, birthday, or just to kick off the warm season- there are reasons more than one to throw a spring party. And this does not mean that you have to spend a fortune each time you invite people over for spring entertaining. Read on these money saving tips that will help you plan a great seasonal bash without going overboard.

How to Save Money on a Spring Party

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Decorate with existing items

Make casual arrangements in containers you already have such as tall glasses, pottery bowls, vases, or canning jars. From your backyard, use green cuttings like rosemary, ivy, or bay leaves. If your party will continue after dark, use holiday lights and candles to decorate. Don’t ignore a simple bowl of fresh vegetables or fruits. An arrangement made of seasonal items like oranges, lemons, egg plant, strawberries, or pineapples will not only look attractive but will also help you save a lot on centerpieces.

Use flowers, vases, and other items for a gorgeous buffet display

Save money on invitations

Forgo the traditional paper invites, and use online services like Evite to send your guests a free invitation. Alternatively, you can use social networking sites like Facebook and Google to create events. Not only will it help you save a great deal of money, paperless invites will also help to reduce your carbon footprints.

Food and beverages

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Plan ahead and take advantage of sales when they come up. This will help to avoid the seasonal price hike. If you are planning more than one get together during the season, consider buying in bulk and freeze whatever possible. To save a few extra dollars, skip the pre-cut veggies and take time to chop them yourself.

Similarly, skip the expensive sodas and make batches of inexpensive drinks such as lemonade, iced tea and more. If you want to serve alcohol, don’t go overboard by including varieties. Try a pitcher of Fruity Sangaria or Margaritas.

Overall, entertaining on a budget does not have to be boring. All it needs is creative and careful planning.

For more spring ideas on Stagetecture, click here.