5 Easy Outdoor Party-Planning Tips This Event Planner Swears By

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!

"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.

Prepare a 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.

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.

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.

“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!”