The warmer months are almost here, so now is the perfect time to start planning an outdoor event for you and your friends. Outdoor dinner parties are a great way to enjoy the warmer weather while also having fun. But how do you host an outdoor dinner party that’s unforgettable for all the best reasons? There are lots of things you can do to ensure your special event runs smoothly and without a hitch. Read on for our advice to help you host a garden party that your guests will be talking about for some time.
Preparation is key
One of the most important things to consider if you want to host an awesome outdoor dinner party that people won’t forget is the preparation. Planning ahead will save you a lot of stress and ensure that things run as smoothly as possible. Sure, you want to host an amazing event, but you also want to enjoy it and be able to relax at the same time.
First of all, create a guest list and make sure you have enough equipment to serve everyone with. Can you stretch to cover all your intended guests in terms of ingredients, plates, cutlery, drinking vessels, and seating? You must determine this before you start inviting people, so that you’re not caught short.
Another essential thing you shouldn’t overlook is potential allergies or special diets. Are any of your guests vegan? Gluten intolerant? Make sure you make an effort to find out about any dietary requirements – the last thing you want is to spend ages preparing a delicious meal, only to find out on the evening that one of your guests is allergic to the ingredients. Also consider the drinking situation beforehand. Even if your friends are all known to enjoy an alcoholic drink, situations can change, so never just assume. You should therefore ensure that you have plenty of soft drink options just in case.
Make your kitchen as stress-free as possible on the night of your party by ensuring that certain things are already taken care of. Firstly, the dishwasher should be empty beforehand and all dishes should be done and ready to use. It might sound obvious, but this will make things so much easier for you on the night and allow you to load up the dishwasher as you go along. You’ll also want to make sure you have more than what you need in case of breakages. It’s also wise to make sure you’ve emptied your kitchen bin beforehand as you don’t want to have to deal with an overflowing bin at your party.
It’s a good idea to create a digital playlist beforehand that can be put on at the beginning of the night. Make sure your playlist is long enough so that you don’t have to worry about changing the music in the middle of your dinner. You might want to ask your guests beforehand for music ideas or ask them to add some of their own songs to the playlist.
Even though your party is outdoors, you should still make sure your home is in order for guests coming over. Unless you’ve hired portable toilets, your guests will inevitably have to come indoors to use your bathroom. Unless you’ve hired portable toilets, your guests will inevitably have to come indoors to use your bathroom, so better check Viking Rental to help you with portable toilets. Of course, the downside to any outside event is that you can’t always rely on the weather, so you must be prepared for this. Temporary canopies can be fitted to provide shelter, but you should be prepared for having to relocate the party indoors.
Involve the guests in the menu
If the thought of preparing enough food for a large number of guests causes you stress and anxiety, don’t fret. Why not involve your guests in the preparation and invite them to bring along a dish of their choice? This idea works really well if you’re planning on hosting a buffet; plus, it makes your guest feel more involved with the party and makes for some interesting conversation – you never know, you might learn about an interesting new recipe form one of your guests. Create an online chat group for all your guests, so that you can discuss who is bringing what and make sure no one brings along the same dish. Having a group chat about the food will also keep everyone informed of any dietary requirements. By inviting party guests to bring along a dish, you ensure that there’s much more variation – and possibly more food! You should still be in charge of the main dish, but doing things this way means you’ll be able to focus on all the other details of the party. Your main meal doesn’t have to be too complicated – a large pasta or rice dish is easy to do and always goes down well at any social event.
A great talking point at a garden party is an outdoor pizza oven. These are great for garden dinner parties and can feed lots of guests. Plus, you can’t go wrong with pizza, can you?
Be welcoming
If you’re going to be the perfect outdoor dinner party host, it’s essential that you make your guests feel welcomed. This might sound simple, but there are a few steps you should take that ensure that your guests feel valued. Set up a drink station for guests to help themselves when they arrive. This should be placed near the entrance of the garden, so that it’s the first thing that guests see on arrival. You could include small appetisers or canapes on the drink table, but don’t go overboard – you don’t want to spoil everyone’s appetite! Ideally, you should greet the guests on arrival from behind the drink station, but this might be difficult if there is lots going on and you have a lot of guests. The best way round this is to place a sign on the drink station saying something along the lines of “please help yourself”.
Another way to make guests feel at ease is to set the scene. This will put everyone in the party mood and help you all to relax. You can set up candles or fairy lights to create a soft, cosy atmosphere. Candles or tea lights are a great idea as they are usually inexpensive and readily available; whilst fairy lights will look magical when it starts to get dark.
Don’t forget to have your playlist music on for your guests arriving. Ideally, this should be in the background as you don’t want everyone to have to shout over each other. You also don’t want to annoy your neighbours!
Conclusion
Hosting an outdoor dinner party can be daunting, especially when you want to make sure that everything is perfect. There are lots of factors to consider but you also want to ensure that you enjoy your party and have fun. By taking the time to plan and prepare beforehand, you should be able to put on a brilliant event that runs smoothly and is enjoyed by everyone. Involving your guests in the food preparation and making sure they feel welcomed will also help ensure that your party is one to be remembered. Follow these tips to make sure that your outdoor dinner party is one that is unforgettable.
