So are you planning for the summer party? Here are a few ideas that I have rounded up...
The invite
Found here
Found here
The decorations
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Found here
Found here
Found here
The Catering
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Found here
Activities
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Found here
The Event
A Progressive Dinner
Here are some tips for throwing your own progressive dinner.
1. Three houses feels about right. If they were close together I might try four.
2. Give people extra time at the first house to arrive
3. Serve foods that are already prepped and easy to heat. (We just called our babysitter as we were winding up at the previous house and had her heat up the lasagna.)
4. Try to keep a little bit of a schedule. Have the table set and start the food right as you get to each new house because things always take longer than you think.
5. If you are using taxis try to call for vans ahead of time.
1. Choosing the Movie. Depending on the crowd, picking a movie can be tricky. In general I try to pick something classic that isn’t too intense. And I consider if kids will be there. Here is a list of movies that might work: Star Wars, Rad, Footloose, Dirty Dancing, Indiana Jones, Goonies, Mean Girls, Any Pixar Movie, Real Steel, Nacho Libre, Lord of the Rings, School of Rock, Napoleon Dynamite, Back to the Future, ET.
2. Timing is Everything. Most movies are two hours which if you are socializing before it starts can easily drag into a 3-4 hour event. I start the party 30 minutes before it gets dark to allow for talking and eating. Then I start the movie as soon as it gets dark to get the party going. You have to mindful of the schedule or it can easily tun into a marathon party.
3. Sit on It. In my experience people prefer sitting in chairs. So even if you are doing blankets on a lawn, its nice to have some chairs around.
4. Keep the Food a Coming. It can be awkward to get up during the movie so send someone around with a tray of goodies every so often so they can refill on popcorn!
5. Intermission. I went to a party once where they stopped the movie in the middle and had an intermission so people could talk. If you wanted to go all out it could be funny to do an live intermission show. Have someone play a song or kids perform a dance or something.
