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.
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.
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.
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!”
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?
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
September 23, 2015 at 3:13 pmYes, yes, yes! Sundays are always a hit with my friend and family! You can never go wrong with ice cream.
Stacie says
September 23, 2015 at 4:24 pmHaving enough seating is important. An outdoor party sounds great to celebrate the end of summer. And you can never have too much ice cream.
Liz Mays says
September 23, 2015 at 4:34 pmI’m hoping we can have a fun outdoor party soon. Having Smucker’s sundae toppings will be essential!
Jeanette says
September 23, 2015 at 4:46 pmFor us the most important thing is actually mister’s here. We live in the desert and anything to stay cool is great.
Debbie Denny says
September 23, 2015 at 5:02 pmSmuckers does have some great toppings. You have awesome party tips. I always forget about planning for music.
Carlee C says
September 23, 2015 at 5:05 pmDefinitely like to have a station setup with utensils napkins, and plates. I also like to have a seperate beverage and food station.
Jennifer says
September 23, 2015 at 5:13 pmThese are great tips. You really have to have your ducks in a row when you’re hosting a gathering.
Catherine S says
September 23, 2015 at 5:51 pmWith fall here a Sundae outside party sounds like a great idea. I think I will have one this weekend.
Liz Mays says
September 23, 2015 at 10:48 pmThat would be fun! The weather is still pretty nice down here so maybe I could have one too.
Pam says
September 23, 2015 at 5:58 pmSundae bars are so much fun. We always have them at our cookouts.
Maureen@ADebtFreeStressFreeLife says
September 23, 2015 at 6:54 pmI love make your own sundae! It’s so much fun and you get can really creative with how you make your sundae/
Seattle Travel Blogger says
September 23, 2015 at 7:09 pmDeciding 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!
Marcie W. says
September 23, 2015 at 7:32 pmYou 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.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
September 23, 2015 at 7:35 pmWhat 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.
Crystal says
September 23, 2015 at 7:43 pmWe adore spending time with our neighbors on the weekends. I know the kids would all have a blast with an ice cream party.
Penelope says
September 23, 2015 at 7:44 pmI find keeping it simple always works out best for me. Trying to overplan leaves me stressed and unhappy.
Brandy says
September 23, 2015 at 8:05 pmThis 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 !
Shauna says
September 23, 2015 at 8:28 pmWhat 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. 🙂
Theresa says
September 23, 2015 at 8:32 pmSundaes 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!
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
September 23, 2015 at 8:38 pmA sundae party is such a fun idea! So many options for the ice cream, toppings and Smuckers to drizzle on them.
Crissy Page says
September 23, 2015 at 8:46 pmThere are few things sweeter than sharing a sundae with someone you love. We buy these Smuckers toppings all the time.
Valerie says
September 23, 2015 at 9:42 pmI love a good sundae! I love Smucker’s toppings!
Mary Larsen says
September 23, 2015 at 9:48 pmThese are some great tips! I’ll be using some for an upcoming party 🙂
Kristi says
September 23, 2015 at 10:28 pmThat would be perfect for a neighborhood gathering or even a birthday party idea in the backyard on a warm day.
Lisa says
September 23, 2015 at 11:51 pmI 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!
Dogvills says
September 24, 2015 at 12:07 amSounds like a fun party. We love Smuckers, though we haven’t tried all products, yet. I will get them next time.
mburbage says
September 24, 2015 at 1:47 amI 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
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
September 24, 2015 at 1:59 amKids love ice cream! A sundae bar is a fun party treat for them!
Mama to 5 BLessings says
September 24, 2015 at 7:58 amI love caramel, the salted caramel is calling my name! What great selections!
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
September 24, 2015 at 8:48 amI 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
Annemarie LeBlanc says
September 24, 2015 at 9:07 amWorking 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.
Jeanine says
September 24, 2015 at 9:58 amYum. 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!
Tracey says
September 24, 2015 at 10:08 amOutdoor 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.
Donna Ward says
September 24, 2015 at 11:59 amOf 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
Krystal says
September 24, 2015 at 3:25 pmThat salted caramel looks AMAZING. I want to try that one myself!
Mykidsguide says
September 24, 2015 at 4:19 pmWe love Smuckers. My kids love to add their to our pancakes.
Amanda || Growing Up Madison says
September 24, 2015 at 9:12 pmI 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.
Mariana says
September 24, 2015 at 10:38 pmHow fun! There’s nothing better than a good ice cream sundae! It’s so fun to make.