London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 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
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×