Holidays & Entertaining Entertaining 5 Easy Outdoor Party-Planning Tips This Event Planner Swears By Event planner Kelly Revels is sharing her best party-planning tips for a simple backyard party. Get Kelly's complete party guide—from first arrival to last-man standing. By Katy Kiick Condon Katy Kiick Condon Instagram Katy Kiick Condon is a home and lifestyle editor for Better Homes & Gardens focused on interior design, cleaning, DIY projects and crafts, and all-things holiday and entertaining. Katy has hundreds of hours invested in testing cleaning equipment and products (just ask, and she'll introduce you to your perfect robot-vac match). She has hands-on DIY experience, including wood working, outdoor gardening and building projects, crafts, and painting. Katy has edited publications detailing high-end interior design including "Country Home," "Décor," "Elegant Homes," "Country French," and "Tuscan Style." She has contributed works to The Magazine ANTIQUES, MODERN Magazine, Art in America, and the book "Utopian Images and Narratives in Advertising: Dreams For Sale."Katy Kiick Condon started her career as a historian, earning her M.A. in the history of design from New York's Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and The New School. She's never lost touch with her background as an intense researcher and is the self-proclaimed Better Homes & Gardens historian. Between stories on interior design trends and holiday crafts, she can be found flipping through her favorite archival issues: The WWII-era magazines when BH&G exhaustively covered ways to do more with less (wash your garden tools, people!), and attending numerous trade shows and houseware launch events to stay up to date on what's new and next. Katy holds a B.F.A. in the history of art from Syracuse University, along with a minor in English and Textual Studies. She earned her M.A. in the history of design and curatorial studies from Parsons School of Design and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, writing her thesis on "'The good life' in post-war America." Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 6, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Kelly Revels is a co-owner of The Vine garden market on St. Simons Island in Georgia and an event planner by trade. She orchestrates elaborate gatherings for a living, so when she entertains at home, she aims for a minimum of fuss. Her 5-step party planning guide will help you plan the ultimate backyard gathering—without the stress! 1. Ambience "Music makes everyone feel at ease and creates an instant vibe," Kelly says. "For Sunday BBQs, we love My Girl Radio on Pandora. For Saturday nights, we may kick it up a little." Pair the casual playlist with simple decorations to set the vibe of your gathering. Kelly pairs simple touches (like a blanket over the back of a chair to combat a cool after-dinner breeze) with more elaborate place settings to create a gorgeous party set-up that doesn’t take hours to create. Throw an Outdoor Party on the Deck Paul Costello 2. Drinks Prepare a DIY drink station with everything guests need to make a drink. “I premake one big batch of a specific cocktail and make sure all the garnishes, ice, and glasses are ready to go,” Kelly says. “It’s a nice way to get guests involved and busy.” Instead of planning for several different drinks, pick a signature cocktail for the party and set up a tray of mix-ins to go with it. Things like sliced fruit or tasty herbs will allow guests to customize their drinks all night long, without adding anything to your pre-party to-do list. Kelly Revels I feel like I’ve hosted a successful dinner when everyone is still sitting at the table an hour after the meal. — Kelly Revels 3. Starters Identify pain points, and outsource them. Kelly saves time and money by ordering a premade meat and cheese board from her favorite restaurant and styling it with clippings from her herb garden. If you do decide to make your own starters, simple is key! Make-ahead recipes will save you time and energy on the day of the gathering; look for recipes you can make the day before and pull out of the fridge 5 minutes before guests arrive. 4. Dinner Menu Kelly steers clear of complicated recipes. “I feel like my guests are here to visit and not to watch me stress.” To pull it off: Make sure the grill is on before guests arrive, and go for meats and veggies that cook at the same temperature. Choose sides that don’t need constant attention and a salad that can be assembled early. Even if you’re still grilling when guests arrive, you’ll be perfectly placed to mingle while the food cooks, instead of stuck inside next to the stove. Host an Outdoor Grilled Summer Brunch 5. For the Kids “As I do for grown-ups, I have a little bar of snacks the kids can access themselves,” Kelly says. For dinner, keep it simple and serve kids first so they can get back to playing. Explain any house rules. These are Kelly’s: Outside toys are for outside; in the playroom, anything you can see is fair game. Make things easy on yourself and “put up what you don’t want to clean up!” Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit