Ideas To Keep Guests Cool At Outdoor Party
When hosting an event at your home, there is a lot to keep in mind. Whether buying food and drinks in the lead-up or ensuring everyone has a great time on the day, you’re undoubtedly going to have your hands full. In this article, we’ll run you through a few things to keep in mind whenever entertaining guests, from food preparation to creating a great entertainment area with retractable awnings.
1. Send invites
First and foremost, you’ll need to ensure everybody knows about your event by sending out invitations. The traditional way to do this is with paper invites sent out in the mail, but these days it’s just as common to send the invite via text or email, or perhaps create a Facebook Event. Whatever the case, ensure people know when they need to RSVP by so you can have a good idea of how many people will be coming.
2. Buy food and drinks
In different cultures around the world, parties and celebrations have one thing in common: people like to eat, and they like to drink. You’ll need to ensure you have adequate food and drinks to cover everybody. Sit down and consider how many people are coming to your event, and then do the maths to figure out how much meat, salad, alcohol, soft drinks, bread and so forth you’re going to need to make up the numbers. Remember, it’s better to have more than not enough — you don’t want people to go hungry!
3. Ensure you have a great entertainment area
Every home can be turned into a great location for entertaining guests, but you need to have it set up that way. If you live in a high apartment, for example, you might want to make use of your balcony. If you have no outdoor area, you’ll need to create plenty of space inside for people to gather. Ideally, you’ll have some sort of backyard area that can be used. An open space with covering options is ideal, whether it be a patio, pergola, or underneath retractable awnings.
4. Tidy up!
The day before people arrive, give your entertainment area a thorough clean. Take all the junk that has crept out of your garage over the last few months and use this as an opportunity to put things back in their place. Mow the lawns, trim the edges, clean the pool and sweep the ground. If you have pets, ensure their leftover bones, food and toys are out of the way. In fact, it’s sometimes a good idea to create a spot for your pet to stay while your guests are visiting, so that they’re not wandering around begging for scraps while your guests are trying to eat.
5. Let the neighbours know
It’s always good courtesy to inform your neighbours that an event is taking place before it happens, particularly if it’s going to go on into the night when some may be trying to sleep. A note on the door telling them of the date and time is often sufficient. Bear in mind, however, that a note is not going to be enough to placate some neighbours if you’re planning on partying till all hours of the morning — remember, after 10pm, police are more likely to act on noise complaints.
6. Have a wet weather backup plan
That outdoor area you’ve prepared might be great in the sun, but if the weather gods choose to not smile on your big day then it pays to have a backup plan just in case. A retractable awning is a great way to create an entertainment area suitable for any occasion; you can extend it if the weather is poor and retract it if the sun is shining.
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