The season for outdoor entertaining has finally arrived! With warmer weather and more sunlight, summer is the perfect season for outdoor entertaining, especially if you prepare ahead. No doubt you’ve read dozens of different outdoor entertaining ideas, from decorating to recipes. However, these 16 outdoor entertaining tips make it quick and easy to host a beautiful brunch, a memorable child’s birthday party, and a fun-filled barbecue.

1. Get the Space Ready: Mow the lawn, pull any weeds from your garden, set up your outdoor entertaining spaces (deck, patio, etc.) with all of the chairs, tables, and other items you’ll need for your party. Use plants and flowers from your garden to decorate the space. Don’t forget to set up garbage bins throughout your yard so that it is simple for guests to dispose of trash when they are done.
2. Clean Inside, Too: Guests will walk through your home, even if the soiree you are hosting is outdoors only. Make sure everything is tidy and any rooms you don’t want visitors to enter are sealed off with closed modern barn doors (on sale now for 20 percent off with promo code SUMMER20) and privacy locks.
3. Buffet Style Serving: Set up multiple tables spread throughout the outdoor space to encourage mingling and to make food serving easier. Have a table for appetizers, desserts, drinks, and so on.
4. Keep Cool: Make access to frosty cold beverages easy with ice dumped into antique tubs, wheelbarrows, wagons, and other unconventional coolers. These pieces look so much prettier than standard plastic coolers and elevate the taste level of your event.
5. Comfortable Seating Options: Make sure guests can settle down and enjoy themselves by providing numerous seating options. Benches, stools, chairs, lounges, and blankets work marvelously outdoors. You can also bring durable indoor furniture outside if you don’t have enough outdoor pieces.
6. Pick the Right Music: The music you play for a lunchtime children’s party is different than what you would have on for a late night adults-only gathering. Consider your guests, the reason for the get-together, and the time of day when the selecting the music you’ll play.
7. Skip Plastic and Paper: Many plastic and paper plates and utensils are not environmentally-friendly while also looking cheap. Elevate your party by using real flatware and dishes, or invest in recyclable ones that cut down on waste. Invest in a set of heavy-duty, reusable plastic plates, flatware, and cups if you do a lot of outdoor entertaining. Buy fabric scraps to use as eclectic napkins.
8. Offer Options: People have many different dietary needs. Serve a selection of foods that offer everyone something that works for them: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, low-calorie, and so on. If kids will be there, remember to have snacks for these picky eaters. You can also choose to host your outdoor party as a potluck and ask everyone to bring their favorite dish. This really helps vary the menu. It’s important to note that anything that has out of the fridge, off the grill, or out of the stove for more than two hours needs to be throw out.
9. Cover Food: Upturned tupperware containers and mesh colanders keep pests off of food but make it easy for guests to see what you are serving.
10. Work with the Weather: If it’s going to be windy, skip the tablecloth or weigh it down with centerpieces. If it’s going to be particularly hot, serve food that won’t spoil in the heat. Set up umbrellas and tents if it forecast calls for rain.
11. Grill Station: If you are grilling during your party, set up a dedicated station for this so the chef doesn’t have to run back and forth between the kitchen for everything s/he needs to prepare the food.
12. Game Away: Bocce, cornhole, badminton, ultimate frisbee, and croquet are just some of the fun outdoor games you can play at your party. This gets guests engaging with and talking to one another.
13. Play with Lighting: It won’t get dark until later since it’s the summer, but even as the sun sets for the day, you’ll want to have candles (regular and flameless), lanterns, hanging lights, and other light sources, so your guests can enjoy the party into the night. Playing with different lighting options also helps set the mood for the event.
14. Nature-Inspired: Decorate your get-together based on your favorite summer theme: nautical, bright colors, florals, whatever reminds you of the season.
15. Insect Protection: Citronella candles and screened-in areas provide the much-need protection your guests require from unwanted party attendees. Provide friends and family with bug repellent spray, bracelets, or patches, so no one leaves with an itchy bite to contend with on the drive home. It doesn’t hurt to have sunscreen on-hand as well.
16. Prepare for the Evening Chill: Many times when the sun goes down, the temperature drops significantly. Set up a fire pit and have cozy blankets for guests to use.

These outdoor entertaining essentials ensure you spend your party having fun and mingling with guests, rather than cleaning up and serving the whole time. Most importantly, enjoy yourself and all of the hard work you did to organize the party!