• Mom Life
    • Parenting
    • autism
    • baby
    • school
      • back to school
      • pre school
      • elementary
      • middle school
      • high school
    • family
    • kids
      • teens
      • tweens
    • Home
      • cleaning
      • gardening
      • organizing
      • green living
      • finances
      • Healthy Living
        • wellness
        • weight loss
        • women’s health
      • Holiday
        • 4th of July
        • Christmas
        • Easter
        • Father’s Day
        • Halloween
        • Memorial Day
        • New Year’s Eve
        • St Patrick’s Day
        • Thanksgiving
        • Valentine’s Day
      • Beauty
        • fashion
      • pets
      • weddings
  • Eats
    • Food
      • appetizers
      • desserts
      • main dishes
      • sides
  • Drinks
    • cocktails
    • Mocktails
    • Beverages
  • Crafts
    • bath bombs
    • soaps
    • DIY
  • Fun
    • books
    • giveaways
      • winners
    • movies
    • music
    • television
    • Technology
    • Travel
      • Atlanta
      • attractions
      • concerts
      • hotels
      • Nashville
↑

Kicking It With Kelly

Eats, Drinks and Crafts on a Budget!

  • Mom Life
    • Parenting
    • autism
    • baby
    • school
      • back to school
      • pre school
      • elementary
      • middle school
      • high school
    • family
    • kids
      • teens
      • tweens
    • Home
      • cleaning
      • gardening
      • organizing
      • green living
      • finances
      • Healthy Living
        • wellness
        • weight loss
        • women’s health
      • Holiday
        • 4th of July
        • Christmas
        • Easter
        • Father’s Day
        • Halloween
        • Memorial Day
        • New Year’s Eve
        • St Patrick’s Day
        • Thanksgiving
        • Valentine’s Day
      • Beauty
        • fashion
      • pets
      • weddings
  • Eats
    • Food
      • appetizers
      • desserts
      • main dishes
      • sides
  • Drinks
    • cocktails
    • Mocktails
    • Beverages
  • Crafts
    • bath bombs
    • soaps
    • DIY
  • Fun
    • books
    • giveaways
      • winners
    • movies
    • music
    • television
    • Technology
    • Travel
      • Atlanta
      • attractions
      • concerts
      • hotels
      • Nashville

7 Tips For Planning The Perfect Outdoor Party #SundaeFundae

December 27, 2019 by Kelly 38 Comments

I am excited to have been asked by The J.M. Smucker Company to share my tips for planning the perfect outdoor party, which includes using favorite J.M. Smucker Company products. So, my daughter is back in school and my son is getting used to our homeschool routine. To say we eased right into our back to school routine would be a bit of a lie. I am on a bit of a night owl by nature and so are my kids. This means we are up half the night and sleep later in the morning. Thank goodness Caitlin’s high school doesn’t start until 9:30! Perfection! Speaking of perfection…how about an end of the summer outdoor party? I love to throw a party, especially if we can arrange it outside. How about you? To have a successful shindig, you need to follow a few cardinal rules.

Planning The Perfect Outdoor Party

Here are my top 7 Tips for Throwing the Perfect Outdoor Party

Decide on a Theme: What is your party about? What are you celebrating? Coming up with a theme will make planning the perfect outdoor party much easier! We decided on an outdoor ice cream bar. Sounds like fun, right?!

Decide On A Budget: So, now that you know your theme, you need to decide how much you can spend. This will determine everything from the food and drinks you can serve to decorations to the number of guests you can invite.

Send Your Invitations: Now that you have a budget and know how many people you can invite, you need to make your guest list. Next, send those invitations! You can go the free route and send them an “e-vite” or you can go the old fashioned route and mail them a cute store bought or handmade invitation.

Planning The Perfect Outdoor Party suplies

Decide on the Menu: Now that you have the theme and the budget, and number of guests, you can decide on the menu. If you are having a Luau, your menu will be much different than from our ice cream bar. Don’t forget to include drinks in your menu. Be sure to serve some alcoholic and some non-alcoholic, so everyone has something to choose from. Are you having a buffet, serving a casserole or are you grilling out? Be sure to tell your guests what time you are serving dinner so you aren’t firing up that grill over and over and over again!

Seating: Be sure to have comfortable seating for all of your guests. This should be not only for them to eat, but to sit and relax as well. For the outside party, we have our patio table and chairs, Adirondack chairs and some big outdoor pillows. Renting chairs can be an affordable option if you don’t have enough seating of your own.

Lighting: If you are hosting an outdoor party, be sure to have lighting for when the sun goes down. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in some citronella candles to keep those pesky mosquitoes away! For the indoors, remember you don’t want to go to harsh and bright. Make sure you have lighting that will make people feel relaxed, but not put them to sleep lol!

Misc. Details: Don’t forget to include some music to set the mood, some fun activities to keep the kids occupied and an alternative place to sit inside if your outdoor party gets rained on. You will also need plenty of plates, bowls, glasses and flatware. If you don’t want to use paper or plastic, check into rentals. Many rental options will fit easily into your budget.

Planning The Perfect Outdoor Party Smuckers

When we were deciding on our party theme, the kids kept coming back to the ice cream bar idea. I loved it because it is easy to do and wouldn’t cost much as I had most of the supplies on hand. The only thing I needed was a few toppings for the ice cream sundaes or cones. For me, that would be a few of our family favorite Smucker’s® sundae toppings from Walmart. At Walmart, I know I will find the best selection of our favorite Smucker’s® ice cream toppings at the best price. Because Smucker’s® has so many options, we were able to find a topping to make each of us happy. With the Smucker’s® ice cream toppings at Walmart, you can make any day a “sundae!”

Planning The Perfect Outdoor Party Smuckers Caitlin

By shopping at Walmart for our “SundaeFundae” goodies, I am able to get everything we need at the best price. I can get all my sundae needs at Walmart and we can turn an ordinary bowl of ice cream into a fun occasion! I love their selection and quality. The strawberries and bananas we found were just perfect for our outdoor ice cream bar party. All we needed to make our stash complete was a package of napkins from the party goods area, small mason jars from the housewares area and some chalkboard paint for our “SundaeFundae” welcome sign. I cannot wait to share the pictures and tell you all about our outdoor ice cream bar we created for our back to school/end of the summer bash!

Will you share one of your tried and true tips for planning the perfect outdoor party?

Filed Under: food Tagged With: ice cream, party, smucker's, sponsored, walmart

About Kelly

Hi! My name is Kelly. I am a Southern mom, autism advocate, camera bug, foodie & crafter. Never miss a budget friendly recipe, DIY/craft project or fun tip

Comments

  1. Robin (Masshole Mommy) says

    September 23, 2015 at 3:13 pm

    Yes, yes, yes! Sundays are always a hit with my friend and family! You can never go wrong with ice cream.

    Reply
  2. Stacie says

    September 23, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    Having enough seating is important. An outdoor party sounds great to celebrate the end of summer. And you can never have too much ice cream.

    Reply
  3. Liz Mays says

    September 23, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    I’m hoping we can have a fun outdoor party soon. Having Smucker’s sundae toppings will be essential!

    Reply
  4. Jeanette says

    September 23, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    For us the most important thing is actually mister’s here. We live in the desert and anything to stay cool is great.

    Reply
  5. Debbie Denny says

    September 23, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    Smuckers does have some great toppings. You have awesome party tips. I always forget about planning for music.

    Reply
  6. Carlee C says

    September 23, 2015 at 5:05 pm

    Definitely like to have a station setup with utensils napkins, and plates. I also like to have a seperate beverage and food station.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    September 23, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    These are great tips. You really have to have your ducks in a row when you’re hosting a gathering.

    Reply
  8. Catherine S says

    September 23, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    With fall here a Sundae outside party sounds like a great idea. I think I will have one this weekend.

    Reply
    • Liz Mays says

      September 23, 2015 at 10:48 pm

      That would be fun! The weather is still pretty nice down here so maybe I could have one too.

      Reply
  9. Pam says

    September 23, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    Sundae bars are so much fun. We always have them at our cookouts.

    Reply
  10. Maureen@ADebtFreeStressFreeLife says

    September 23, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    I love make your own sundae! It’s so much fun and you get can really creative with how you make your sundae/

    Reply
  11. Seattle Travel Blogger says

    September 23, 2015 at 7:09 pm

    Deciding on a budget is the hard part for me. I am great at following a budget in my everyday spending, but when it comes to a party I want to spend, spend, spend!

    Reply
  12. Marcie W. says

    September 23, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    You can totally win me over with a sundae bar, especially one that is loaded with different tasty toppings. All of our outdoor parties always include a ton of food.

    Reply
  13. Mama to 5 BLessings says

    September 23, 2015 at 7:35 pm

    What a great idea! My kids would love to do this. I need to plan this and surprise them, they would love to have many topping choices.

    Reply
  14. Crystal says

    September 23, 2015 at 7:43 pm

    We adore spending time with our neighbors on the weekends. I know the kids would all have a blast with an ice cream party.

    Reply
  15. Penelope says

    September 23, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    I find keeping it simple always works out best for me. Trying to overplan leaves me stressed and unhappy.

    Reply
  16. Brandy says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:05 pm

    This is a great outdoor party idea, I am thinking about planning an outdoor party for my daughter’s 13th … it is coming up and she just decided she wants a party !

    Reply
  17. Shauna says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    What a fun idea. My kids love ice cream and it would be fun to set this up to see what they come up with. I could totally see them adding a bit of everything. 🙂

    Reply
  18. Theresa says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:32 pm

    Sundaes are always a welcome treat at any outdoor party! Of course, it isn’t a Sundae fun day party unless Smucker’s is also included!

    Reply
  19. Toni | BoulderLocavore says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    A sundae party is such a fun idea! So many options for the ice cream, toppings and Smuckers to drizzle on them.

    Reply
  20. Crissy Page says

    September 23, 2015 at 8:46 pm

    There are few things sweeter than sharing a sundae with someone you love. We buy these Smuckers toppings all the time.

    Reply
  21. Valerie says

    September 23, 2015 at 9:42 pm

    I love a good sundae! I love Smucker’s toppings!

    Reply
  22. Mary Larsen says

    September 23, 2015 at 9:48 pm

    These are some great tips! I’ll be using some for an upcoming party 🙂

    Reply
  23. Kristi says

    September 23, 2015 at 10:28 pm

    That would be perfect for a neighborhood gathering or even a birthday party idea in the backyard on a warm day.

    Reply
  24. Lisa says

    September 23, 2015 at 11:51 pm

    I need budget on there twice to remind me to stick to it! Theme is a great starting point so everything else can hopefully fall into place. I need to plan a Sundae Fundae soon myself!

    Reply
  25. Dogvills says

    September 24, 2015 at 12:07 am

    Sounds like a fun party. We love Smuckers, though we haven’t tried all products, yet. I will get them next time.

    Reply
  26. mburbage says

    September 24, 2015 at 1:47 am

    I need to do this before the summer weather is over! It’s still reaching 100 here so lol gotta a few weeks left, this will be great for the kids

    Reply
  27. Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says

    September 24, 2015 at 1:59 am

    Kids love ice cream! A sundae bar is a fun party treat for them!

    Reply
  28. Mama to 5 BLessings says

    September 24, 2015 at 7:58 am

    I love caramel, the salted caramel is calling my name! What great selections!

    Reply
  29. Kristen from The Road to Domestication says

    September 24, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I just used that exact Salted Caramel Topping in a cake last weekend! I guess I should try it on ice cream like it was intended LOL

    Reply
  30. Annemarie LeBlanc says

    September 24, 2015 at 9:07 am

    Working around a set budget is the way I start planning for an outdoor party. It is easy to overspend and that is what I have learned to avoid. Thanks for sharing these tips.

    Reply
  31. Jeanine says

    September 24, 2015 at 9:58 am

    Yum. I love outdoor parties. Sadly it will soon be too cold here to have any, so maybe I can do something like this soon. Sundaes sound delicious right about now!

    Reply
  32. Tracey says

    September 24, 2015 at 10:08 am

    Outdoor parties are so fun, but outdoor parties with Sundae Bars? YES PLEASE! I’ll have to sneak one more party in before the weather gets too cold here.

    Reply
  33. Donna Ward says

    September 24, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Of course sundaes are my fav desserts – with frui added – like strawberries, bananas and fudge – oh dear – don’t get me started! lol Great post of fun times

    Reply
  34. Krystal says

    September 24, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    That salted caramel looks AMAZING. I want to try that one myself!

    Reply
  35. Mykidsguide says

    September 24, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    We love Smuckers. My kids love to add their to our pancakes.

    Reply
  36. Amanda || Growing Up Madison says

    September 24, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    I love Sundae’s and can never get enough of them. Didn’t realize Smuckers had a Sundae syrup. I’m going to have to give it a try.

    Reply
  37. Mariana says

    September 24, 2015 at 10:38 pm

    How fun! There’s nothing better than a good ice cream sundae! It’s so fun to make.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connect with me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Me & Disclosures & Policies

Read About Me and My Disclosures and Policies.

Copyright © 2023 · Custom Theme by PixelMeDesigns.com on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in