Hello everyone! Daniela here from over at @coldcoffeemombrain on Instagram.  I hope this summer is treating you well!  Time has been flying by.  I can’t believe it’s almost time for back to school! 

Here at our home, we love hosting parties in the summer.  We love to have people over during those summer evenings and fire up the grill and make lots of memories with those who mean the most to us.

If you’re having a small get together or something big, here are some tips to entertain in the summertime! 

Playlists

A good playlist is key.  Music is a vibe during the summertime when the grill is fired up and you can sing around an evening campfire with your friends and family.  Find some good playlists and jam out with those you love as the sun is setting.

If you are looking for some inspiration, check out Decocrated's Summer Playlist here: https://spotify.link/a/key_live_pfaVQo61xda7Zq1zC1ca3igayxarnljw?product=open&%24full_url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fplaylist%2F08lcMZfDnK38otUaoosDaL%3Fsi%3D3448b2048b7843d7&%24fallback_url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fplaylist%2F08lcMZfDnK38otUaoosDaL%3Fsi%3D3448b2048b7843d7%26nd%3D1&feature=organic

We love using our Bose portable speaker for outside but when we come inside, I love firing up our record player!  This particular one has a cord you can hook your phone up to and you can stream music from your favorite music streaming service.

Plus, it looks so awesome! 

Games

Bringing out games keeps everyone from getting too bored once the night begins to settle.  It seems in the summertime when we entertain, we want to be more active.  

We love to put out the cornhole boards, especially during those beautiful summer nights.  It’s friendly for all ages.  You can even find those gigantic yard versions of games such as Jenga and Connect 4 at your local retailers!  If you don't want to spend extra money, look and see what games you have already at home!  It’s fun to bring them out and make some memories with good friends.  We love playing card games a lot! 

Tablescape

I love a pretty table with all the finger foods out.  Get some platters, some minimal seasonal décor and throw it together on a table scape!  I enjoy adding my tropical house plants to really make it pop!  It looks welcoming and it’s organized for you and your guests to go back to as the night goes on. 

I tend to keep the table simple and less crowded for quick grab and go snack options!  We keep all the cooked food in the kitchen once it comes off of the grill.  I also love utilizing our bigger dining room table for the snack foods because you can gather around and munch while you’re playing games inside! 

Hydrating Snack Foods

Key word: HYDRATING.  

It’s no surprise that in the summer it’s hot.  Whenever we entertain in the heat, I always make sure to have fresh, hydrating fruits out !  It’s easy to get wrapped up in drinking alcohol or even sodas when you’re hanging out with good people, but it is really important to remember to keep your guests hydrated (and yourself).  

Water bottles are obviously needed but you can also put fruits out such as melons, strawberries, peaches, oranges and cucumbers for your guests to keep snacking on as the day goes on.  

Be sure to keep a cooler outside and inside (unless you just keep your beverages inside the fridge) so those outside can also keep up with their liquids! 

If you’re hosting a lot of people, you can even do a potluck style party where everyone brings a dish.  It helps feed everyone, you get such a good variety of food and everybody has something they love there at the party.  Win win all around! 

I hope you enjoyed some of these tips for summer entertaining.  Let’s continue to soak up all the late nights we can get!  Keep it simple and enjoy the memories being made with some amazing friends and family! 

Stay safe!