Surroundings Market Blog

Are you planning a fun, outdoor fall party this year? Maybe you have a few ideas but aren’t sure how to pull them together or maybe you’re starting with a completely clean slate. We’ve gathered 7 great tips to help make sure your fall party is amazing! 7 Tips for an Outdoor Fall Party Choose the perfect location for your fall party. This could be the easiest (or hardest!) aspect of party planning. If you already know where your party will be, skip ahead! If you’re still deciding then you may want to keep these tips in mind. Fall weather can be unpredictable so look for a location that has indoor and outdoor seating and standing options. This will help should the weather turn bad. You can create “indoor/outdoor” space by using a tent or portable shelter as a backup. Other things you may want to look for include the general atmosphere. Hosting a party in a park or natural area will help with decorations (hello nature!) whereas a more industrial or basic location means you’ll need to do a bit of work to get the fall theme to be present. Create a fall atmosphere. As mentioned above, if your party is held in a more natural area you won’t have to do as much work to create a fall atmosphere. To bring more fall feel to your party, one simple trick would be to hold your party later in the day. As the sun goes down, dusk provides a very nice ambiance. The use of candles and lights are one way to easily transition from day to night.   Don’t forget seating! Even if your party is outdoors your guests will want somewhere to sit and place their food and drinks. Keep it rustic with items like hay bales or go a bit more chic with covered chairs and tables. A few fall flowers tied to the back of a chair can easily double both as seating and decorations!  Use Fall-inspired decorations. Some of the best decorations for fall are natural items found nearby. Think of things like leaves, twigs, pumpkins, and flowers to make a natural arrangement. You can also use things like candles and a variety of different textiles - think burlap or gingham - to add interesting color and texture to your tables and sitting areas. Gather a bunch of fall flowers in a couple of grass rope baskets. Use a singular color palette to keep the visual appeal of your party space. Dark jewel tones, rustic fall colors or stark black, whites, and reds are all interesting fall color choices.  Decide on the perfect Fall party foods. Let’s face it, food is one of the most important parts of a party. You could do a few things with food. Go with an all finger food or all appetizer party with a mixture of different fall favorites. Things like pigs in a blanket or corn dogs are a fun treat for all ages. Pulled pork or chicken sandwiches are easy to prepare in advance and serve a crowd.  For a more formal dinner, think warm, inviting flavors with a cozy feel. Soups, roast vegetables or meats and tart pops of flavor all evoke a sense of fall. This type of meal lends itself better to a family style serving which is perfect for a welcoming fall meal! Don’t forget the dessert (and drinks)! There is no shortage of great desserts that are perfect for a fall party. Pies and tarts are some of the first things that come to mind. No matter what you choose for your main meal, make sure there’s a few sweet items too.  You could even host an all desserts party! Pick several favorites or have each guest bring their own dessert and let guests vote on which was the best. All for fun of course! A great thing about fall is that you can serve cold or warm drinks and it works. If you’ll be having a party that goes from day to night, have colder items available during the and then a few warmer options as the sun goes down. Drinks like hot apple cider and hot cocoa can be made both as an all around beverage and in adult version.  Have a backup plan. A final tip to keep in mind is to have a backup plan. Sure, we all want to have a fun time outside but what happens if it rains or is extra cold the day of your party? Do you have a tent or a barn available that guests could move into? A garage could also serve this purpose. The last thing anyone wants to do is cancel their party but this may also be inevitable. Have a plan ready in advance so you’re not scrambling the day of. Final Thoughts While planning your outdoor party, don't forget to grab the best cups, use a cute cup holder, and get decor that can be reused for another gathering. These tips are sure to help you host the most amazing fall-inspired gathering. Don't forget to tell us your best tips in the comments below.

If you’re looking to make party planning super easy, then you need these five practical tips that will make hosting every gathering a breeze. Attending a party is one thing, but hosting them is a totally different story. Very rarely do people understand all that goes into throwing the best gathering. That is until they find themselves neck-deep in to-do lists and piles of supplies. Use our practical advice to make every party you plan easy and stress-free! 5 Practical Things to Make Party Planning Super Easy Before we dive into our suggestions, go ahead and bookmark this page so you can come back to it. Better yet, download our Party Planning Checklist freebie at the end of this post. Give yourself plenty of party planning time. We all know how fast time flies, so you will want to give yourself plenty of time to plan your party. Regardless of the type of gathering you plan on having, it’s a great idea to start planning up to a month in advance. This will give you time for anything you may have to order online or reserve from supply rental stores.  Instead of stuffing all of your planning into one day, consider taking several days to focus on one aspect of the party at a time. For example, plan your budget one day, decide and plan your theme on another, and so on. Doing this for about a week will ensure that you’ve crossed at the T’s and dotted every I, all with time to spare! Invest in reusable resources. Not only is this tip a money saver, but it’s also a time saver. Before you head for the toss n’ go plastics, consider adding the following to your reusable party resources stash: Classy Plate Holder Utensil Caddy Cup Holder Disposable Plan Holder Acrylic drinking straws Durable plastic table cloths Having these few resources on hand can cut your supplies list down by a fraction. Not to mention, they make decorating a bit easier as well. Make lists for different tasks and activities. It’s common to want to keep everything you need and need to do in your head, but that will only get you so far. Going back to our suggestion of giving yourself plenty of time to plan, consider making lists along the way. Here are the top lists we recommend creating to make party planning super easy: Budget: note the amount you are willing to spend, keep track of how much you’re spending for each aspect of the party, and so on. Guestlist: keep track of who you invited, who responded, people to contact, etc. Menu: jot down what you plan to serve, including desserts, drinks, and the like.  Activities/Games: write down any games and activities that you want to have at your party. Help: note anyone who will be helping with any aspect of your party. These are some of the most important areas where having a list would make the planning much smoother. You can also have lists for setup, cleanup, music, and decorations. Solicit help. Even if you’re throwing a surprise birthday party or baby shower, you can still recruit some help. In fact, we think it’s one of the smartest things to do. Skip trying to do everything yourself and look for ways people can help you out. Is there something your kids or spouse can help with? Could your friends or other family members pitch in with something as well? A few areas that are great for getting a helping hand with are decorating, food preparation, and gathering resources (such as tables, chairs, music/video equipment, etc.). Before you call the local catering company, check with people you may know who have a gift in this area. Instead of renting extra tables and chairs, see if someone has some you can borrow for free. Every little bit helps! Relax and remember your motive. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting everything to be perfect. Chances are, no one will ever notice the hiccups unless you mention them. Always keep in mind why you are hosting the gathering to begin with. Keep that the primary focus and don’t worry about what decorations didn’t get hung in time or the cookies you couldn’t make because you forgot to pick up that one extra ingredient. Make (and keep) party planning super easy by giving yourself grace, going with the flow, and making the most out of gathering together the people you love. By doing that, you can never go wrong! Don’t forget to download our free checklist to make every party you plan super easy!

When it comes to planning your next get-together, make sure you have the top must-have supplies for the perfect party. It can get a little overwhelming trying to keep up with everything you need, so use our list below to make all your future party plans much more convenient! How to Choose the Best Party Supplies Before going out and spending money and ending up with things you don't need, first decide what kind of party you are having. Some gatherings will call for certain things whereas others will not. If you're having a birthday party, chances are your supplies will be much different than if you were hosting a wedding reception or anniversary party. Another thing to keep in mind is how often you plan on having parties. If you are known for having parties often, then you may want to consider the type of supplies to invest in. With having parties every so often, you could easily get by with paper (or plastic) supplies that will be thrown away after one use. However, if you'll be having parties quite often, we highly recommend investing in party supplies that are reusable. With these things in mind, let's look at the top 15 supplies you will need for most parties, no matter what kind you're having! 15 Must-Have Supplies for the Perfect Party Decor The theme of your party will always take center stage. It's one of the first things people notice when they get to your place. Here are some versatile décor pieces that can be used for any occasion: balloons streamer paper tablecloths picture frames flowers garland Although you may not keep balloons and streamer paper after they are used, they make for some pretty cool and creative decor setups. Consider keeping a few different colors on hand for party time.  Use the picture frames for table markers, menus, and/or announcements. You can insert a white piece of paper and write directly on the glass part. This will save you printer ink and paper. Eating & Drinking What's a party without food and drinks? Even if you're only planning to have finger foods and mini bottles of water, you still want to make sure you have the things necessary for setting them up. Besides the common cups, plates, and flatware, below are a few ideas for supplies to hold those necessities: cup holder (with marker slot) utensil caddy plate holder More Supplies to Consider Continuing with things that are most commonly used at any and every kind of party, let's now talk about the least thought of. These are the things that are quite natural to get, but can sometimes be left of the get-list. This will help you keep those things in the forefront of your mind: party invitations tables and chairs ice cleaning supplies (paper towels, napkins, hand sanitizer, etc.) garbage can (and bags) other party decorations Practical Tips for Making the Most of Your Party Supplies We touched base with a few good tips earlier, such as deciding whether or not to get recyclable or reusable supplies. But there are a few other things to keep in mind. First, always set a budget when it comes to purchasing party supplies. Without one, you may find yourself over-spending and buying things you may not necessarily need. Set a budget and stick with it. Another practical tip is to think about storage for the supplies that you plan to use again. Typically small to large plastic totes, buckets, or baskets will help you keep everything together and in one place. Don't forget to label your storage solutions so you know what's in them.  Last but not least, look into supplies that can be rented. Oftentimes, this can help you save money in a few areas. If you need extra tables, chairs, industrial-size trash cans, and the like - most of those can be rented from a party place. Final Thoughts Gathering the supplies you need for your next amazing party doesn't have to be stressful. Use our suggestions and lists above to get exactly what you need for every party you plan.  We'd love to hear from you! What are some must-have supplies you need for your parties? Let us know in the comments below!