London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

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

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.

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.



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.



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.



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!”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×