Before we know it, summer, our favorite season is well underway. Living in New England, it feels like we wait all year round through the cold months yearning for the warmth to return, and no sooner than it arrives, it quickly disappears. If you’re lucky, you can visit the beach a few times and enjoy time in the backyard grilling with friends. With Labor Day weekend only two weeks away and the summer drawing to a close, it’s more important than ever to take advantage of the warm weather, and sneak in some impromptu backyard barbecues and enjoy dinner outdoors. Today on the blog we’re sharing our favorite tips for throwing the perfect casual summer gathering.
Create a Simple Set-Up
Summer afternoons can often result in last-minute impromptu meetups, and chances are, you don’t want to be tied up while guests are visiting. Less is more when it comes to entertaining and barbecuing. A simple tablescape of linens, fresh flowers, and casual serveware are all that are required. For us, a cheeseboard alone will often suffice.
Make it a Potluck
No one wants to host a dinner party and not be able to enjoy spending time with guests because you’re stuck in the (often hot and sticky) kitchen. To avoid this less than ideal circumstance, ask friends to bring their favorite dishes. Be sure to keep recipes simple and light. A one-pot recipe is a great option because not only will it save you money and prep time, but guests won’t think about there only being one item on the menu.
Provide the Drinks
There’s no need to play bartender and provide an alcoholic option for every taste preference. Feel free to ask guests to bring their favorite wine or beer to share with the group. Or simply choose to offer your partygoers one option like a chilled rosé. It’s a medium-bodied wine, which often can be all at once dry, yet fruity and refreshing. For instance, Whispering Angel is our go-to rosé and is known as the world’s best (at only $19 a bottle).
Punch bowls and sangrias are the way to go for outdoor barbecues and are always a crowd-pleaser.
When the Anthropologie in Portland reached out to see if we’d like to host their Golden Happy Hour event, we jumped at the chance to showcase our favorite summer entertaining tips: sharing how to create a rosé cocktail and showing how to style summer party outfits with attendees.
That night we had the opportunity to meet local readers and connect with former image consulting clients at the store. Not only did we share our summer entertaining tips like we did above in this post, but we also offered complimentary styling services.
Currently, Anthropologie has an amazing selection of work-to-weekend summer essentials. You can take a look at the 2019 summer styling tips that we shared with event attendees:
- Embrace the slip dress this summer. It’s sexy but not clingy — perfect for hot nights or for pairing down with a denim jacket for your next BBQ.
- Natural fibers are way more breathable than anything synthetic. Think wide-leg pants worn with a slightly cropped top, which can catch an errant breeze, without feeling sloppy
- Rancher hats not only make for the ideal summer accessory, but they protect your scalp from UV rays, and will eventually keep you cooler.
Let’s not forget that flowers have a way of making every occasion feel more festive – including cocktail hour. Our friend and florist Anika, of Bad Rabbit Flowers, not only provided a beautiful floral arrangement for the event but showed us how a few blossoms can elevate classic cocktails.
Be sure to join our email list to stay up to date on our upcoming events and hopefully we’ll see you at our next personal styling session at Anthropologie!
Photography by Brianna Lueck
Thank you, Anthropologie for partnering on this post!
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