My Best Tips for Entertaining Outdoors

17 August 2015

I've lived in this townhouse for a short while now, and have only entertained an actual larger number of guest once, due to it being so cold. Our best area for entertaining would have to be the decked courtyard area out the back, and now that it's actually warming up a little we can actually think about entertaining for real. 

Here are some of my personal favourite tips for when you're entertaining outdoors. 
I'm sure you don't exactly want to be embarrassed about entertaining people outdoors at your place, whether it's the style of just the general set up. It's not hard to get your courtyard or backyard into shape. 

Plants - I personally love plants, if you hadn't already guessed. They give any outdoor area a vibrant and fresh kind of vibe. Just make sure they're not too crazily overgrown or half dead when your guests come around. Give them some TLC beforehand, so they look their best. 

Outdoor Seating - I actually had people over just before we received that beautiful bench from the photo, but we have plenty of seating in the house already that we brought outside. Dining chairs, benches, and a random stool, all worked perfectly when we brought them outside for people to sit on and chat.

Decking - Okay okay not a requisite. But have you seen our courtyard before and after shots??? Gah! I mean how lovely and inviting does our courtyard look now that we have a deck. Exactly. If you're interested in having your own deck installed at your place, I'd check out Additions Building. If you've got a larger outdoor area, a Patio can be a addition to your backyard as it makes the area a lot easier to entertain in. 

Lighting - So you need legit lighting so you can see what you're doing when it gets dark, but then fairy lights or my favourite festoons are also amazing! They really help create an atmosphere that gets you in a party mood. Well I think my garden lights are cheerful!

Table Space - I've only just acquired a giant spool outside that can now be used as a table. It would have been super handy when we were entertaining as it's extra table space, for barbecuing and holding the cooked and raw ingredients. It looks really cool too. 

A Barbecue - I don't think your outdoor entertaining area is complete without a BBQ honestly. I'm not sure if that is mostly an Aussie thing?? We don't generally put shrimps on the barbie either guys, also we call them prawns. Ha. A good old Aussie Sausage Sizzle is what we're all about. (It's actually what my workplace is known for!) If you don't have one, what how are you even enteratining guests? With Pizza?? I guess pizza is okay too. 

 I had so much fun at our first house gathering. Because we're poor college kids, we asked everyone to bring a plate of food each, and we would supply a lot of the main stuff, sausages, salad, nibblies and some drinks too. 

Everyone was incredibly obliging! So lovely. We ended up with a lot of dip and nibblies, as well as pasta salad and side dishes. It was the best and made entertaining everyone so much cheaper and less stressful for us overall. 

Music is also an essential, we set up a spotify playlist that played through the tv, decide whether you want it loud enough to dance to, or as chilled background music, it's okay to mix it up throughout the night. 

I can not wait until it gets warmer and we will invite everyone over again! It will be a lot nicer with the warmer weather and when daylight savings starts! 
Cya! xx
Do you entertain at your place? What's your outdoor area like?




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7 comments

  1. Such good advice! I can't wait to have my own home and be able to look forward to doing fun things like this.

    xx

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  2. Great tips!! Table space and the barbecue are essentials :P

    Andrea.

    Seize your Style

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  3. I love all these tips! I don't live in a house where we have space for anything outdoorsy at all, but I'd love to be able to have a decked courtyard where i live in the future! Lighting is imperative for sure, ha!

    May | THE MAYDEN

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  4. What a gorgeous place to invite people over! I don't have my own place right now but when I do I can't wait to invite people over.

    x- Naomi in Wonderland

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  5. I used to entertain here before we had a baby. Ever since then all I want to do at night is sleep.

    www.lindalibraloca.com

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  6. These are all awesome tips. I've just moved into my own flat too and am lovvvvving it. One of my flatmates has an awesome speaker system and there's thankfully plenty of seating. I can't wait to see what we come up with to celebrate haha.
    xx, Pia

    http://gymbagsandjetlags.com

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  7. Love this! Your space is so gorgeous! x

    ratherstrangeblog.blogspot.co.uk

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Thanks so much for commenting everyone! I read and appreciate every single one of your comments! xx