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How to make your garden party a success
It’s the height of summer, the school holidays have started weeks ago and everyone is throwing party after party for family and friends.
Never out of fashion, garden parties can be everything: from being invited to the annual event in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to assembling all your friends for a night spent chatting away while the flames of your barbecue slowly die.
Whether it’s a posh affair or an informal gathering, everyone wants their garden party to be a success, so here are some tips – beyond the classic ‘provide enough drinks and string up some bunting’ – to make sure your party goes well.
Put up a marquee
Rain or shine, the Garden Igloo is made for every weather – even storms.
Unless you have a roofed terrace, putting up a small marquee has the potential to save your party: if it’s a hot day, your guests will appreciate the option to cool down in its shade.
If the heavens spontaneously decide to open (as they so often to in the UK), everyone can just huddle underneath – we’ve yet to encounter the party brought to a halt by a downpour.
For a more futuristic version, check out Greenbop’s Garden Igloo – priced at €599 (£423.46, $657.50), the stormproof igloo can be used all year round.
Have enough seats
Not just for parties: a simple, yet elegant bench is a nice addition to every garden.
Having to stand while trying to eat that nice steak you just got off the barbecue might not be the end of the world, but it makes for some awkward (and often mildly unattractive) attempts at table manners.
Providing enough seats doesn’t necessarily mean having everyone sitting around the table – benches, stools or beanbags are an easy way to have everyone sitting while easing up the atmosphere and getting people talking to each other.
The Victoria steel bench, available through QVC for £88 (€124.48, $136), adds some vintage elegance to your garden and will surely get your guests talking.
Crank up the comfort level
Rule of thumb: the more comfortable your guests are, the longer your party will last.
As warm as the days might be, summer nights can often get quite chilly, especially if all you’re doing is sit around, eat and drink – not to mention that sitting can get uncomfortable, too.
Beanbags or pillows are a nice alternative if your bum has gone numb from the chairs; scatter in a few throws, to keep not just the always-freezing friend (everyone has at least one – it might be a sign if you don’t) nice and toasty, and your party is set to continue into the wee hours.
Get a fire going
If you’re having a fire, don’t forget to roast some marshmallows.
No one can resist a bonfire, but just piling some wood onto your terrace to then set it aflame is something we wouldn’t recommend.
Fire baskets aren’t just much safer, some also add a nice, rustic feeling to any garden without taking the fun out of roasting marshmallows – like the one by German manufacturer Pro-Idee, clocking in at €395 (£279.24, $433.56); made from ceramic, it’ll also radiate heat for up to two hours after the embers have died.
Turn your garden into a cinema
Only one thing is better than going to the movies with your friends: having your own open-air movie night, with free reign over drinks and snacks and sans the annoying stranger sitting next to you.
Getting a big screen into a garden is easy – all you need are a sheet or a non-textured white wall as the screen, a laptop and a projector; span the sheet (strining it on a washing line usually does the job), arrange the projector and get comfortable.
You don’t even need to own a projector: simply rent one, either online or from a local electronics store – prices in London start from around £50 (€70.73, $77.63).
The post How to make your garden party a success appeared first on Gay Star News.
Stefanie Gerdes
www.gaystarnews.com/article/how-to-make-your-garden-party-a-success/
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