How to Throw The Prettiest Low-Stress Outdoor Dinner Party
*This outdoor dinner party post was sponsored by one of my favorite brands, Crate and Barrel, but (as always) all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that make Lake Shore Lady possible!
Oh sweet summertime. I say this all the time, but I feel like Chicagoans appreciate this season more than most because we wait SO long for those gloriously warm evenings! Now that we have a grill and a beautiful table setting, we’re ALL about eating dinner outside, even if it’s just the two of us. But everything is more fun with friends, right?!
Now, entertaining itself can be intimidating without bringing everything outside! What should you cook that won’t make you stressed? What if a bowl or a wine glass breaks? How do you make sure not only your guests have fun, but YOU have fun, too? Well, I’m glad you asked because I’m going to answer all of those questions about how to throw an outdoor dinner party right now! 😉
How to Throw an Outdoor Dinner Party
#1 Invest in outdoor table settings.
Who doesn’t love sitting down to a beautiful table setting?! I love that this simple step makes an impression as soon as your guests arrive, and brings a homey feel to your outdoor space. As I get older, I’ve realized how wasteful single use plastic/paper plates are, and completely unnecessary if you’re only having one or two couples over for dinner. Adam and I can very easily get all of these plates in the dishwasher and napkins in the washing machine after dinner… and the fact that these plates are melamine means you won’t have to deal with any broken dishes in the process. Plus, they’re SO pretty!
For our table setting, I decided to start with these printed salad plates from Crate & Barrel. To complement those, we also got these solid dinner plates, these placemats (that also look great inside!), chambray napkins, wooden salad/soup bowls, and water glasses. Here’s a better look at each product:
I’ve been so impressed with what we got, so if you don’t have an outdoor set – I highly recommend these! They don’t even look melamine, which means that you could even use them for indoor entertaining if you wanted to, too. I won’t tell anyone!
In addition, we got this serving platter, this big serving bowl (and these serving spoons), this beautiful large cutting board, and nonstick grill grids to help with our outdoor dinner party needs.
*PS. If you’re engaged, these would make GREAT registry items!
#2 Plan to make part of your menu ahead of time.
I always like to keep it simple when I have people over, so I LOVE recipes I can make ahead of time. For this party, I cut up some watermelon and mint (the best combo!) and also whipped up my Mom’s very simple Tomato, Garlic & Basil Pasta Salad.
I’ve always thought of this as an Italian pasta salad because it’s so simple and fresh – no mayo is allowed anywhere NEAR it! All you have to do is chop tomatoes and let them sit in olive oil with lots of chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. An hour later (or the next day if you want to give it more time to marinade), boil some pasta, add it to the olive oil/tomato/garlic “sauce” and then stir in fresh basil. Sprinkle parmesan on top and you’ve got yourself a beautifully fresh dish for your outdoor dinner party that can be served at room temperature. Also, how pretty is it in the big wooden bowl?!
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for that full recipe!
#3 Choose additional menu items that aren’t a pain to cook as guests arrive.
To go with the pasta salad and watermelon, we decided to grill corn and make my zero-stress chicken sausage and pepper skewers. Because the sausages are smoked, you don’t need to worry if they’re cooked entirely through or not – you definitely won’t get your guests sick!
As for corn, we’ve learned that the key is to turn it every few minutes. That’s really all there is to it! And who doesn’t love corn in the summer? Especially when it’s served on this pretty platter (on sale!) with these handy little corn holders?! I’m obsessed!
#4 Make sure you set out both water and wine!
Whether people overtly ask for it or not, everyone wants water! Add some ice to each glass (obsessed with the dots on these outdoor glasses!) and then bring a pitcher outside so everyone can refill.
And, of course, you have to offer some wine! There’s nothing quite like a crisp chilled white wine (or rose!) on a warm summer night – and these acrylic wine glasses take any worry away. No one is going to shatter your favorite wine glass tonight!
#5 Sit down and enjoy.
This is the piece that most people forget! Sit your booty down, take a sip of wine, and enjoy everyone’s company. If someone else offers to refill the water pitcher, let them! Instead of rushing to get dishes done, let them sit in the sink for a second. Let yourself be present and enjoy the moment.
Do you like entertaining?
Would you host an outdoor dinner party? If you would (or have before!), what would you serve? I’d love to know!
This can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature. (Room temperature is my favorite, though!)
Tomato and Garlic Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
