Here you'll find tips and tricks to make your backyard party a complete success.
Throwing the perfect backyard party: our tips will make it happen!
The sun is shining, the sky is bright blue, the days seem endless. It’s time to invite your friends and family over, get the grill out and drinks chilled. From summery decorations to suitable seating to the perfect buffet: we’ve collected ideas, tips and tricks to make your backyard party a complete success. Put on your party hat, let’s get started!
Important questions about your backyard party
Before you worry about the further organization, you should first clarify some basic questions. After that, nothing will stand in the way of your perfect backyard party.
Why do we celebrate?
Sure, a good party never hurt. But is there a special occasion? Is it someone’s birthday? Is the birthday boy or girl an adult or a child? Was there a recent engagement? So maybe the general ambiance should be a little more festive? Or do you just feel like spending time with your loved ones? No matter what your occasion is, you should definitely keep it in mind when planning so that you can coordinate decorations and food well with it.
When and how long will the party last?
If you are planning a backyard party with children, it is best to have it during the day. You should provide plenty of toys, or ask parents to bring some, to keep the little ones occupied while everyone waits for the food. If only adults will be present, then the party can happily start in the evening. This will be especially cozy on balmy summer nights when you have a warming fire pit in your backyard and a delicious punch bowl to pour.
And your neighbors?
Have you decided to have an evening party? Then please be considerate of your neighbors and inform them in good time if it gets louder in the evening or you fire up the grill again. Or even better: just invite your neighbors too, then no one can complain.
The party guests
As mentioned earlier, it makes a difference whether you party with adults only or with younger children as well. You should also clearly define the number of guests in advance. This is what you need to consider when it comes to providing food and drinks.
How many guests are coming and where are they coming from?
You also need to clarify the number of seats and possible sleeping places for guests who have traveled a long way. For a larger party, it’s well worth asking guests to bring their own favorite beer or some small items like salads or rolls so you don’t have to take out a loan for your party.
The perfect location
A backyard party is celebrated in the garden, right? Not necessarily. Where exactly your backyard party should take place, you should choose based on the invited guests and your space. For example, a backyard party can take place not only in the garden, but also on the terrace or in the courtyard driveway. In any case, there should be enough space for enough chairs and possibly also a sun awning or gazebo. It is especially nice if the sun can reach the selected place even into the evening hours.
The bad weather alternative
Of course you want high temperatures and bright sunshine for your backyard party. But you should always have a bad weather plan up your sleeve. For example, waterproof awnings, party tents or simply the garage at home are suitable for this, where you can then continue to party happily despite a sudden downpour or heat storm.
The invitations
What’s the best way to let your guests know about your party plans? Exactly, with summer invitations. Once you’ve addressed all the previous questions, we recommend that you visually customize your invitations to match the party. Themed invitations on paper are not only more stylish than a dull Whatsapp message, but their beautiful design also makes you want to celebrate together in the open air.
Finished planning? Now it’s time to decorate!
Decorate the garden
Once you have all the basic questions answered and your invitations sent out, you can start decorating your garden. Since your party is taking place outdoors, it’s generally more casual than a fine dinner. Depending on the occasion, different decorations are recommended. Basically, however, we advise you not to overdo it. To emphasize the natural beauty of your garden, you should choose summery, light, natural-looking decorations.
Decorate in style
Basically, you should limit yourself to about two colors, so that it does not become too colorful. Lanterns and fairy lights bring light into your garden and create a cozy ambience. If the occasion of your celebration is a birthday, then we recommend colorful garlands and table decorations in the favorite color of the birthday boy or girl. We especially recommend decorations that can be spread in trees and high bushes, and thus create a harmonious overall picture with a coordinated table decoration.
The table decoration
After you have distributed decorations in your garden, it is the turn of the table. Tableware and placemats should match the colors of the rest of the decorations. Again, the more natural the better. A real must-have are fresh flower bouquets, whether you buy them or pick them from your own garden. They emphasize the natural character of the outdoor party and are a real eye-catcher. Floral napkins and bowls with floral patterns complement the bouquet perfectly. In the evening, you can additionally set up some lanterns or candles to make your guests really cozy at dusk.
Outdoor lighting
We have already touched on the subject of lighting with the tips for decorating your garden. Depending on the weather and the occasion, there are numerous ways you can light up your backyard party. The classic is candles and lanterns, but you can’t go wrong with a simple string of lights or pompous lanterns.
Solar lights are also suitable as table decorations, which store energy during the day and shine for a long time in the evening without cable chaos and open flames. For a more rustic feel, set up garden torches along the path or prepare a fire pit instead of electronic lighting. If you are celebrating with children, campfires or fire bowls are ideal for toasting bread sticks or marshmallows over the flames. If you’ve decided on a larger fire pit, make sure it’s a bit out of the way so your guests aren’t sitting in smoke all evening.
The physical well-being
Food
The first and best idea to take care of the physical well-being at your backyard party: throw on the grill. Nothing is better than a rich barbecue buffet. With meat, fish, salad, various dips, sauces and homemade herb butter, there’s something for every one of your guests. Vegetable skewers and baked potatoes are great for vegetarian or vegan guests, and baked bananas, ice cream or fruit salad are great for dessert.
According to the occasion
If you are planning a birthday party, then a cake should not be missing. If the sun is shining and it’s hot, you can replace the classic cake with a well-chilled ice cream cake to cool your guests down a bit. Of course, you should also make sure that children and animals are always supervised near the grill or fireplace. If you haven’t found your perfect grill yet, check out our great grill test.
Suitable drinks
What would a summer outdoor celebration be without tasty drinks? With homemade lemonade, punch or milkshakes, you can offer something for everyone. Plus, it’s easy to prepare homemade drinks in bulk and match them to the number of guests you have. If you want to make things a little easier, for example, cold beer, wine or non-alcoholic soft drinks are a good alternative. Don’t forget to chill the drinks in advance, and keep topping them up in between. If you have a lot of guests, a bucket filled with ice cubes is suitable in addition to the refrigerator.
Other essentials for your perfect backyard party
Seating
Besides the decorations and food, you’ll obviously need enough seating for all your guests. After all, no one should have to stand around stupidly while you fire up the grill. Maybe you already have a large seating area on the patio or a bunch of garden chairs in the basement. If you’re not so well equipped yourself, you might be able to borrow chairs from your neighbors or make do with blankets, mats, and seat cushions. If you have room to spare, you can even set up a beach chair or create more seating options with cozy beanbags.
Music
No party without music, that’s for sure. But it should also be appropriate for the occasion and not blast the entire neighborhood. The simplest method is wireless Bluetooth speakers in combination with a laptop or smartphone, which you simply place outside. That way, there’s no tangle of wires and you don’t have to worry about guests tripping over you. For a large party crowd, you might actually consider hiring a band and having them play for a few hours. For the music played, you should go by the taste of your guests, and it’s best to give them some room to dance as well.
Plan for bad weather
No matter how well you’ve prepared your backyard party, unless you’re a magician, you can’t influence the weather. It’s worth taking a look at the weather app the day before. But even if rain is forecast, you don’t have to cancel your party right away. As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of ways to have a successful backyard party despite sudden weather changes.
Bad weather ideas
Waterproof awnings, umbrellas, party tents or dry alternative locations let the party go on. To avoid having to panic and move everything into the dry in the event of a brief rain shower, it’s best to plan ahead by setting up tables and seating directly in a wind-protected location that is as dry as possible.
When it gets cool in the evening
Whether it’s after a rain shower, thick clouds or when the day is drawing to a close – it cools down quickly in the evening, even in summer. The best way to take care of this is with warm drinks, cozy blankets, a mushroom heater or a fireplace. If you set up a fire bowl, for example, you will ensure a convivial end to your successful backyard party around the crackling fire.
