With summer now upon us, we are all getting excited to think about all of the fun evenings we are going to have with friends and family. The BBQ is going to get used again. The Rattan furniture is coming out ready. The lawn is being mowed. But have you got everything covered to be able to start entertaining properly? We have a small list of things to plan before you start opening your outside space up for parties!

If you are planning your summer parties then the last thing you want to do is finish the party just because the sun has gone down. To ensure your party continues into the night you will need to consider lighting. There are multiple ways that you can achieve this and not all include bulbs!

The first and most basic option is outdoor electric lighting. There are many different outdoor lights and many amazing styles that these can be purchased in. But what if you haven’t got electricity outdoors? Well, continue reading…

The next option is good old battery-powered lights or torches. Again these are not as boring as they sound. There are some great designs for outdoor battery lights now and most use modern MED lighting meaning you get a brighter light with less battery drain. All in all a good solution. Some of the battery-powered lights can be discretely hidden away as well. You can opt for some LED lights under your parasol or even some strategically placed stones around the garden which contain lights.

This is my favorite option – Fire! Now that may sound dangerous and it can be unless you are sensible and careful. There are many many furniture options now that comes with a fire pit in the table itself. These are normally gas-powered but if you shop around you will be able to find tables that use bioethanol fuel as well which gives a real flame but without the smoke and soot residue. These are definitely by far my preferred choice. It offers a warm, intimate feeling to your party and also gives that WOW factors that sometimes you need. Have a good look around our store and see what offers we have on rattan firepit tables.

We have written so many articles about trying to help you find the right furniture and it really can be a difficult decision to make. For every garden ideally, you need somewhere to sit down and relax with friends and family. Should you choose a rattan dining set? How about a rattan corner sofa? Maybe just some laid-back loungers for everyone if you have space? No matter what your choice, everyone will need to be able to sit down and take the weight off their feet for a bit while relaxing and enjoying some cool summer drinks.

If you regularly entertain with food as well then a good rattan dining set would probably be the best option for you. This allows intimacy but also means that you can enjoy your food formally and without problems.

If you regularly entertain with just social drinks and snacks then a sofa set is probably the best option for this. Being able to sit down and really relax while enjoying the company of friends and family is important.

No part would be a party without some kind of special drink options? Are you into cocktails? Punches maybe? Either way, if you have space, a dedicated drinks area is always a real hit for everyone. We have a great selection of rattan bars and casual seating that will really help separate out the formal dining to the casual fun drinking areas. Check out some of our casual seating options and maybe opt for a couple of these in the back area of your garden.

Probably the most important part of any outdoor evening is the food that is served. No party is enjoyable without some amazing food to help make the cold drinks glide down better.

However, you layout your outdoor kitchen area, be mindful of the options that you could have. Do you need an outdoor fridge area for drinks and snacks? How about somewhere to store the burgers before being grilled on the BBQ? Having this outdoor kitchen space is a great bonus. As the host, the last thing you want to do is keep disappearing inside to get something or to check how the food is cooking. If you are having an outdoor party, then try to keep everything outdoors.

This is something that quite often gets overlooked. Everybody welcomes the sun and being true Brits we all crave to be outside but we are just not built for being in the sun all the time. Think about having somewhere that people can go to be able to escape the sun for a while. This could be under a large parasol or just an area sheltered by the hedge. It’s always good to identify the sheltered areas of your garden and look to have furniture available in these areas. Somewhere where anyone can go to cool off and escape the heat for a while but still be outside with everyone else. The last thing you want is for everyone to start going back inside just to cool off!

Well, we hope that we have given you a few ideas about things and that we have provided a few options for you to explore. We are always available should you need any help or inspiration so feel free to contact us. Also, check out the other articles that we have available as there are some amazing ideas that we have shared with everyone.

Enjoy your parties!