When Sterling and I first moved into our home, we had been renovating the inside of the entire house for three months. After the final construction details were complete, we moved in and got settled. We had to get settled quickly because our wedding day was coming up in less than a month. We kept our wedding small with just immediate family in attendance. However, we knew we wanted to celebrate later that summer with all our closest friends and family together at an outdoor party in our backyard.
At the time of moving in, the house was renovated, but the backyard was in bad shape. Our upcoming backyard party became our motivation for yard work, yard work and more yard work — from May until late July nonstop— we were BUSY!
But all the hard work paid off and we created a garden that was more than suitable for entertaining 60 guests. Here, I’ll walk you through all the details and planning that made this outdoor party so memorable for us and our guests so that you, too, can throw an upscale backyard party!
Prepare the Food Menu and How it Will Be Served
We were trying to adhere to a certain budget while throwing our outdoor party. After pricing out some local catering companies, we decided that a food truck would be the best option. Since the event was in our backyard, a food truck would be easy to have pull in back so guests could easily access.
We lucked out with finding a food truck that had a special catering menu for parties such as this. They were able to offer an elevated food menu to align with the fact this was a special celebration for us. The food truck first served passed around appetizers and then everyone was able to go up as they were ready to get their main entrée.
Plan for Guest Seating During the Outdoor Party
Since we weren’t having a formal sit-down dinner service, we knew we didn’t need chairs and tables to seat all 60 people at the same time. But we did need chairs and table for people to sit occasionally and have a place to eat their food after they got their entrée from the food truck.
We rented four long farm tables with white chairs from a local party rental company. We placed one under the covered overhang patio off the garage next to the bar and the others out in the lawn under the market lights. This company delivered them the night before the party and picked them up the day after, so it worked out perfectly for our backyard party.
Set Up the Bar and Create a Signature Cocktail
The best parties also have an area for guests to make their drinks. But we wanted our outdoor party to seem extra special and decided to hire a bartender. We didn’t want guests to have to pour drinks themselves. Not to mention, the bar area can get messy pretty quickly at a self-serve bar!
We created an outdoor bar from an old DIY workbench I found for free on Facebook Marketplace. We covered it with the old fencing we had taken down in the backyard before putting up our new privacy fence. Our friend with some previous bar experience was happy to be paid for a fun evening of pouring drinks for our group. All the liquor and beverages were purchased ahead of time from Costco (which also saved us money).
To make things easier on the bartender, I found two signature mixed cocktails recipes for a Cucumber Vodka Spritzer and a Paloma. After designing a cute chalkboard menu of drink offerings behind the bar, we were ready to pour guests drinks during the outdoor party. I prepared all of the mixers and garnishes for these drinks ahead of time so that the bartender could quickly grab and go.
Create Table Settings and Ambiance for Your Backyard Party
The atmosphere of the party is what makes an incredible experience for guest at an outdoor party. I wanted the feel of the night to be welcoming and have a bit of a farmhouse vibe. I love a long outdoor farm table at an outdoor party. It truly sets the stage for family and friends gathering together and enjoying each other.
But budget constraints drove me to keeping things very simple for table settings. You can throw together a beautiful party without spending a ton! We placed simple tea light candles and flower vases on every table. To add an extra touch and highlight this was a wedding reception, we included a small, printed photo in each vase from our wedding.
I also love battery operated candles for an outdoor table. You can place these in lanterns and don’t have to worry about the wind blowing them out. We strung market lights from our garage to the trees at the back of the yard to provide soft lighting and create the mood of a garden party into the evening.
Provide Entertainment for the Garden Party
At the very least, a good outdoor party needs some music playing in the background throughout the evening. But we had a special surprise for our guests after dinner. We rented headsets to have our own silent disco in the backyard!
There are several companies offering party packages for silent disco. Or if you’re feeling like making your dance parties a regular thing, you may be inspired to buy your own set of silent disco headsets! We opted to rent ours and found a company that had all the equipment shipped to us prior to our party. Headsets were provided with three channels that we could pipe in three different playlists. Guests were able to change their headset channel to whichever music they wanted to dance to. Depending on which channel you were listening to, your headset lit up to one of three colors. This allowed for a very interactive dance party experience. And the best part was that we weren’t blaring music for all the neighborhood to hear!
Invite Your Favorite Group of People and Enjoy the Night!
What’s the saying – “If you build it, they will come”? – well, we put it together and they showed up! Our friends loved this party so much that we got requests to make it an annual event on more than one occasion. If summers weren’t so busy, we’d probably have thrown another by now. It’s fun to watch everyone enjoy an outdoor party that you spend so much time envisioning and working towards.
And remember that you can create memorable outdoor parties for guests on a much smaller scale! We’ve hosted much smaller groups (8-10 people) for outdoor garden dinners in our backyard in a much more intimate setting. Also,k setting up the backyard with thoughtfully themed decor to enjoy summer holidays like a 4th of July party is something our guests look forward to as well.
I hope this gives you inspiration to throw a memorable outdoor party in your own backyard!
