Host a Summer Party on a Budget
Look to fresh ingredients, easy-assemble party favors, and a simple color scheme to inspire your next summer party (on the cheap!).
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Summer entertaining doesn't get easier than this. Use our free invitations, a few nifty wine wraps, and some of the freshest fruits and veggies of the season to inspire your next casual get-together.
Set the tone for the party with a fresh and pretty invitation. Our free pattern (available, below), is ready for you to print or type your greeting and event details.
Cost: $6 for five invitation envelopes plus stamps
Kick off the party door-side with a framed greeting. Repeat the look of the invitation by trimming the orange and mounting it on striped paper with text and borders drawn with markers. Frame the piece and tie it to the door with scrap ribbon for a welcome guests won't overlook.
Cost: $5 for frame
Fruity white wine is the star of any summer soire, and this wrap idea showcases the event's highlight. Simple peel off the label of a light (and inexpensive) summer bottle and replace it with our free disguise. Type or handwrite the name of your personal wine directly onto the label.
Cost: $5 per bottle of wine
Skip the wine charms (we're going stemless, afterall). Instead help guests keep track of their drinks with numbered cocktail napkins. A set of letter stamps and inexpensive white cloth napkins do the trick.
Cost: $10 for stamps and napkins
Pretty up the night's utensils with a scrap of paper and twine. Our chopsticks were cheap and they'll incite dinner conversations as guests dig into their meal.
Cost: $3.50 for chopsticks
A pair of tweezers are all the gadgetry you need to make your own fortune cookies. Pull out the store-bought fortune and tuck in your own merry sentiment. Guests will love reading them aloud.
Cost: $5 for a pack of fortune cookies
Let the food be the focal point instead of a pricey centerpiece. Gorgeous still-leafy oranges and naturally pretty edamame delight both the eyes and tastebuds.
Cost: $10 for edamame and oranges
Frequent party host Grant Gibson offers his takes on the season's freshest produce and how to turn that into a fun summer party.
