The Party Spot Recreational Area
For a truly stress-free party, you want to keep the pests—and the guests—from buzzing in your ear. Here’s how to create a backyard oasis where the revelers are satiated and no one gets eaten alive. (Want more advice? See how to calculate the amount of food and drinks to serve at an outdoor party.)
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Spread the Word
The three things to include on the invitation:
When they’ll be eating. Avoid re-firing the grill for latecomers with something like “The grill master will be slinging grub from 6 to 7. Come and get it!”
Attire. Everyone (OK, every woman) is wondering what to wear. Tank top? Sundress? Give guests a sense of the vibe: “You wear the flip-flops; we’ll flip the burgers” or “Bring your swimsuits!”
Rain plans. “I don’t think you need a rain date unless it’s a 600-person church picnic,” says Clark. “A 30-person barbecue at my house is going to happen no matter what.” But if you want to clarify, add a note: “Rain or shine.” Or “If it rains…game night inside!” Just be sure that you have room for everyone in your living room.
Have Enough Seats
What if you have five patio chairs and 25 guests? Assess your indoor furniture. The easiest option is to press dining chairs into service, along with any drum stools or poufs. If you’re keeping things casual, you can spread pretty quilts on the ground and let people gather picnic-style.
Renting can be another surprisingly cheap way to go. Folding chairs start as low as $2 apiece. (You may also be able to rent coolers, speakers, tableware, and a bigger grill.) Many vendors will even drop off and pick up, so all you have to round up is the guests and good cheer.
Light It Right
Is that your dog Sparky? Or a skunk? Don’t leave guests in the dark. All you need is a little ambient lighting, says Jimmy Duhig, the owner of Creative Lighting Design, in San Francisco: “If you’re outside while it’s getting dark, your eyes will adjust.” Just hang strings of lights on the deck, the fence, even tree branches, and add some hurricane lanterns or tealights. Duhig recommends globe string lights, elegant round bulbs that give off a warm glow (try Room Essentials Clear Globe Lights; $15, target.com). “This is what you always see strung overhead at outdoor dinner parties on TV,” he says.
What to do with extension cords (a.k.a. trip wires) If you need to run cords through the yard, says Duhig, snip old wire hangers with a wire cutter and bend them into skinny U-shaped pegs (like croquet wickets, but only an inch or two wide). Then arc them over the cords and hammer them flush into the ground.