I’m a big fan of outdoor parties, but living in Minnesota, outdoor anything is a “for-a-limited-time” kind of thing. You can bet if I can be outside (without getting eaten alive), I’m all over it.
Besides enjoying the great outdoors, hosting your party outside has other perks as well. Not only does it give you extra room, that you may not have in your home, but it also keeps the mess outside too.
This particular outdoor event was for my daughter’s graduation party. We were so lucky to have a gorgeous weather day and great helpers to make this go off without a hitch. Did you know that you don’t have to decorate with the school colors when hosting such a party? She picked pink and grey (versus red and white).
Our outdoor patio is pretty plain but is surrounded by some nice trees that offered some great shade – an important thing to have for your guests. In order to spruce it up a bit, we hung garlands in various pinks, white and grey. My sister strung the felted wool balls (from Wooly Sheep Dots) along with mini pompoms (made by me) – which gave the garlands some nice texture and another pop of color – and we hung them across the patio from the house to the trees.
I love having a few pub tables, for those who don’t like to sit, and it also creates a casual gathering place for a group of people. I sewed up some very basic table squares, in a pretty pink fabric, to top the white table cloths and anchored them with a very simple glass jar from the Target dollar spot filled with some basic flowers and accents from my yard shrubbery. For an extra pop of color and to tie the garlands in, I added more Wooly Sheet Dots felted wool balls to wire and added them to the jars for felt flowers that never wilt.
For this party, the food was in the house, but you could certainly set it up outside too – just make sure you have shade to help keep it fresh.
You’ll definitely want to have plenty of beverages (especially water) to offer and don’t forget your garbage and recycling bins – hey, why not let your guests help with the party clean up?
This was my last graduation party but you can bet I’ll find another reason to plan a party to decorate for. That might just be my favorite part!
love the decor and great tips on setting up an outdoor event.
Absolutely love how this turned out. Great idea to sew your own table squares to tie your colors together. I certainly love the Whooly Sheep Dots and your use of shrubbery from around the house. Great ideas for party decor!