The Complete Guide to Enjoying Your Yard this Summer

It’s a great time of year for backyard entertaining! Entertaining outdoors can be both fun and difficult.

After spending the winter indoors, you are ready to get out, spend time with friends, and even have a little fun. There are a lot of factors to consider that you don’t have to worry about when you throw a party indoors.

The following 5 tips will help you throw a successful outdoor summer party:

Choose simple foods that are going to stay fresh and inviting in a warm outdoor environment. Guests don’t want to eat food that makes them feel hot or that they suspect may be spoiled.
Serve cold beverages. Drinks that are cool and refreshing keep guests happy. Keep in mind that alcohol is dehydrating so have a variety of non-alcoholic choices. Plenty of ice is the key to keeping them (and food) cold.
Keep the bugs away. Insects can ruin a party. Unfortunately, in the summer, you can’t avoid them. It is important to invest in some insect repelling instruments, such as citronella or mesh nets to cover food.
Use lights to set the mood. If your party is at night you are going to need lights. Lights can be functional and decorative at once. Citronella torches can give you a tiki party vibe or use strands of white Christmas lights for a more romantic feel.
Use the outdoors to enhance your ambiance. If you wanted an inside party you would have held it inside. Take advantage of the outdoors in developing your desired mood. For example, use garden flowers for centerpieces or arrange the seating to maximize views of nature.

Need help in creating your ideal outdoor space for entertaining? At Field of Dreams, we have the expertise to help make your ideas come alive. Please contact us to begin planning your dream outdoor space today.

If you are looking for some new ideas on how to entertain guests or family members outdoors, take a look at some of our ideas!

Try Some Outdoor Games

Games are a great way to be active. They also help your guests relax, have fun, and get to know each other better. Try bocce, volleyball, or croquet. For some serious ice breaking, try a game of “Lawn Twister.”

Gather Around a Fireplace or Fire Pit

It can get chilly in the evenings. Find some comfortable chairs and place them around a fire pit. Have some extra blankets handy for guests in a basket or on a table nearby. Grill some s’mores and hot dogs for a casual dinner party with minimal cleanup.

Make Luminaries

Glowing luminaries with candles inside placed on a table, on a deck, or lining a path can be very beautiful and calming. Make a floating candle inside a mason jar and add some essential oil to the water to ward off mosquitoes.

Hang Up Beautiful Lights

String multiple sets of lights between trees or posts. Pick some unique light designs like stars, light bulbs, or animal designs. You and your guests will talk for hours beneath the glow of beautiful lights.

Watch an Outdoor Movie

Set up an outdoor screen, grab some comfortable seating options, and let the movies begin. Have a popcorn station nearby with different options for toppings. Put chilled drinks in buckets with ice nearby. Make sure everyone has a blanket in case the weather becomes colder at night.

And let’s not forget about celebrating the warmer weather by throwing that ultimate pool party!

Before you do, however, it is important to arrange for pool maintenance first. This ensures that your pool is clean and safe for all your guests. Once your pool is ready to go for the season, it’s time to start planning a party.

Consider a Party Theme

While inviting guests to your pool is great fun, it’s even better when you turn it into a party with a theme. For example, you could decorate the pool deck and chairs in a Caribbean theme and serve drinks with tiny umbrellas in them. It will really help your friends get into the party spirit!

Get Your Exercise with Water Sports

Not only is playing volleyball, polo, basketball, or another popular water sport highly entertaining, it gives everyone a great workout at the same time. The resistance of the water makes people work just a little bit harder to hit or catch a ball. What could be better than getting in a good workout while you’re also having a blast with a friend?

Play That Music

Before you send the invites to your pool party, take some time to gather a playlist of music you know your guests would enjoy. You will then need to buy or rent some wireless speakers and download or stream the music so that it plays continuously without interruptions. Some stores even sell floating, waterproof speakers that allow you to bring the music closer to the action.

Looking for different ways to entertain your guests and enjoy your pool this year?

The cool, relaxing water has a lot of fun to offer, perhaps even more than you know. Here are our top ways to enjoy your pool more this year.

Relax

There is no better way to unwind than floating in the pool while sitting on a lounger with the warm sun on your face. Who doesn’t love a nice poolside afternoon?!

Adventure

Throw a couple of toys and coins into the pool and go searching; don’t stop until you find all of them. Perfect for entertaining all the kids!

Workout

Swimming is an exercise; it is just too enjoyable to note. As such, swim often and in the process get fitter.

Who is the Better Swimmer Challenge

Challenge your friends and loved ones to a swimming competition; make sure you don’t lose in your own home ground.

Catch Some Vitamin D

The sun is not going to be around for long. As such, take advantage of it by basking next to the pool and diving in to cool off.

Read a Book

Sit at the edge of your pool with your feet in the water and read a book. The water (and some silence and privacy) will offer a serene setting for your imagination to run wild.

Teach a Swim Lesson

You must certainly be appreciative of the person who taught you how to swim. Pass the service over by teaching another person so they too can enjoy a dive every now and then; it will feel fulfilling.

No Pool? No Problem!

Maybe this all sounds like great fun, except that you don’t have a pool. Now is a great time to review the many available pool styles from Field of Dreams and contact us for a free quote or to discuss your design plans.