TOWN CENTER: Outdoor Entertaining Ideas
Top: Anthropologie | Shorts: J.Crew | Earrings: Anthropologie | Sandals: J.Crew | Necklace: Standard | Belt: LOFT
Top: Anthropologie | Shorts: J.Crew | Earrings: Anthropologie | Sandals: J.Crew | Necklace: Standard | Belt: LOFT
Runner: Anthropologie | Candles: Anthropologie | Plates: Z Gallerie | Bud Vases: Crate & Barrel | Utensil Holder: Crate & Barrel | Napkins: Crate and Barrel | Drink Dispenser: Crate & Barrel | Pitcher: Crate & Barrel | Tray: Crate & Barrel | Cups: Crate & Barrel | Platters: Crate & Barrel | Salad Bowl: Crate & Barrel | Salad Tongs: Crate & Barrel | Planter/Bar Cart: Crate & Barrel
Kev and I love to entertain and have friends over! I love to get the house in order, plan out the menu, figure out decor, and just get everyone over to hang! But, we never really move the party outside. Until this Father's Day! Kev wanted to host our friends and their kids for dinner, so we did just that! He knew he wanted to smoke a brisket (does your dude love to smoke and grill food?), and then came up with the cutest idea, to make our own Z-mans! It was a big hit!
But, let's back up a bit and talk about the decor. We have a 8 person table and 8 chairs but that's it. So, for this party I knew I wanted to find some special pieces that would just make this party everything and more! I started hunting for unbreakable plates, cups, and pretty much everything else we would need for outdoor entertaining! I knew I wanted the plates to be a classic style so that we will use them year after year! So, when I found these gray and white marble printed plates from Z Gallerie I knew they'd be perfect! They're also a really good size, which is awesome, because they allow us to hold all the food! I then spotted this bright floral runner from Anthropologie to add a pop of color! While I was there I spotted these citronella candles! Yes, Anthropologie has citronella candles, but not just that. These citronella candles are scented and smell so good too!! I was blown away!
Then I headed to Crate & Barrel to pick out the rest of the goods for this party! When you walk in, they have all their outdoor serving ware in the room just to the left. So, I was pretty pumped because they have so many styles that are real cute and practical too! I fell for these unbreakable cups because of the cute dots on them, and they're stackable too! Then loved this unbreakable dispenser because it comes already raised up. which means not only you can fit a cup under the little dispenser (win) but you can put cute things like lemons in the bottom portion (win, win)! This classic pitcher is so perfect for tea, I feel like we will use this a bunch too! Kev is an avid tea drinker! And can we just talk about this planter turned into beverage cart!? I saw it at the store and the sales associates and I both just knew this would be perfect for all the cool drinks! Had to grab this unbreakable salad bowl and these gorgeous tongs for the party, I love this salad from Trader Joe's. It's one of those salads that has all the fixings in it, so you literally just throw it all in the bowl and mix it up! Easy peasy! Plus, it's a fan favorite too, everyone loved it! I also thought this unbreakable black tray would be super useful to house the cups on the table, but also to bring food outside to grill too! These unbreakable white platters are so chic and are great for serving food, like cookies, sandwiches, and rolls. I found this gray utensil holder and knew it would be perfect for housing the printed napkins and all the utensils we would need! Oh, and just for fun, I thought these mercury glass vases would be just right resting in between the citronella candles on the table, especially with pink roses that you can usually find that Trader Joes! They really do always have great flowers!!
Shop my favorite items for outdoor entertaining from Town Center here:
Kev made his own Zmans by smoking a brisket all day long! It was super impressive! He absolutely loves to smoke and grill meats, most men do, right!? But, if you're not into the idea or don't have a smoker on hand, you can pick up smoked brisket from Omaha Steaks and make you own that way! We then caramelized onions, toasted the buns, and broiled the cheese once everything was together. And bam! The Homemade Zmans were made! They were super easy to put together, and were a big hit! We will most definitely be making those again!
Now here are a few events that are on the horizon! Sunset Music Fest is still going on! This Thursday, Fastball is performing and if you're unsure about what to wear, check out this post! Athleta is also hosting a Summer Solstive Yoga Celebration on Thursday morning at 8:30am! There will be free yoga, DJ, Big Johns Breakfast food truck along with prize drawings and giveaways too! And be sure to pop into the store to shop their new arrivals! Both of these events sound like an awesome time!
*This post was sponsored by Town Center Plaza and Town Center Crossing, all opinions thoughts are my own.
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