I love throwing parties. Correction, I LOVE throwing parties!
I’ll use any possible reason to plan a get-together I can find, and the end of summer seems like a great one.
As much as I love fall, it seems a little sad to say goodbye to summer.
I wanted to throw one last hot weather bash, so on Labor Day I gathered up family and friends and we sent summer on it’s way with a bang.
I started planning about a month ago, and like I plan all of my parties, I started with an inspiration board.
I searched around the ‘net for photos that mimic the feel I’m going for.
My inspiration boards usually don’t even contain actual party stuff, it’s more of a guide for me to use when choosing decor and food.
I used PicMonkey to put my photos together into a grid, saved it to my computer and phone, and referenced it while shopping for party supplies and planning recipes.
Obviously, the theme is very summer-oriented with a pink and green color scheme and lots of fun textures that will provide movement in the wind. I made some awesome fabric scrap garlands and I shared the tutorial in another post.
I wanted the food to be summer-related, too, but I didn’t want to be in the kitchen all morning, so I decided to order a tray of pulled pork and chicken from a local restaurant, make some fun desserts, and ask guests to bring along their favorite side dishes.
Sticking with the pink and green theme, I tied in my desserts to the same color scheme.
Sliced fresh salted watermelon and white chocolate (tinted pink) dipped potato chips were some of the highlights of day, along with my husband’s grandmother’s lemon blossoms that everyone begs for at every event we host.
I opted for the party to be in the front yard so I could use the driveway as a space for tables and chairs. My back deck is a little small, so the driveway seemed best to accommodate places for everyone on the guest list to eat.
I really wanted to use fresh green plants, so I added a variety of them to the party area.
Luckily, I’m a proud plant mama of quite a few houseplants and even more outdoor plants, so I didn’t even have to buy any of them.
Potted houseplants made the perfect free decorations, and I put cuttings of hosta leaves in jars and vases on tables.
For a little summer fun, we set up this croquet course that wrapped around the front yard.
These yard flamingos guarded the wickets and made it extra fun for the kiddos.
Speaking of flamingos, I took the opportunity to match.
Seriously, when else can you wear a loud retro dress with flamingos and palm trees printed on it?
I’ll be honest, I’ll probably wear this again next summer, no party necessary.
I actually bought this dress on Amazon, and believe it or not, the quality is great!
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Need Help With Your Next Party?
Love throwing parties but never know where to start when planning?
Visit my Etsy shop to download the Event Planning Kit!
This is the exact process I use for every event I host. It’s a great guide to pop on clipboard and keep handy during the planning and setup process. It’s only $6.00 and the download is yours to keep forever. You can print unlimited copies anytime you want. Click the above image to get your Etsy download, and please check out the whole shop to see all the other helpful products designed specifically for a Busy Mama like you.
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