Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue, a patio dinner, or just a casual get-together, these outdoor entertaining ideas will help you make the most of the season. From creative decorating touches to simple hosting tricks, you’ll find plenty of easy ways to create an elegant space for family and friends to enjoy all summer long.
Summer is one of my favorite times to entertain because it gives me an excuse to spend more evenings outdoors.
There’s just something magical about sitting under the stars with candles flickering, fresh flowers on the table, and good friends gathered around.
Of course, outdoor entertaining comes with its own set of challenges.
Like how to keep bugs out of drinks or stop wine from warming up too quickly.
Over the years, I’ve picked up some simple tricks and decorating touches that make summer gatherings beautiful, stress-free, and easy for everyone to enjoy all season long.
1 | Float Candles
If you have a birdbath in your garden, add some floating candles* to it for a really easy summer party decoration that also looks really pretty.
If you don’t have floating candles, the tealights that come in the clear plastic containers* work just as well.
2 | Float Flowers
You can do the same thing with single flowers, such as roses.
It’s an inexpensive way to use real flowers for your summer outdoor decor. Especially if you’re lucky enough to have some growing in your garden.
Just cut the stems really short and plop them in some water.
With more upright flowers, like roses, floating them in a glass or narrow vase works best since the sides will help to keep the flower standing upright.
But if you have daisies or other flat flowers, they could float in your birdbath along with the candles.
3 | Create a Faux Flower Centerpiece
Sometimes, it’s just easier to use artificial flowers.
You can put them out ahead of time and don’t have to worry about them wilting, fading or running out of water.
For this table I used some faux hydrangeas* in blue and white.
(Of course, you can use any type of flower and color that goes with your decor).
And paired them with a few candles in mercury glass candle holders*.
The result is a stunning centerpiece that also prevents the umbrella pole from being the center of attraction (always a bonus!)
4 | Keep The Bugs Out
Upside down cupcake liners are a great way to keep the bugs out of your drinks.
They come in many colors and patterns that look pretty as well as being functional.
I find that the metallic liners* work the best because they keep their shape. And the gold happens to go really well with these gold highball glasses*.
How to make the glass toppers
You will need to make sure you have cake liners that are a little bigger than the top of the glass.
Start by flattening the cupcake liner out.
Then fold over one side far enough that a hole punch can reach into the center of the cupcake liner.
But not too far, or you’ll end up punching a hole in the folded part, too (like I did below).
Then fit the cupcake liner over the top of the glass, and push the sides down so that it stays on.
Add the straw, and your drinks will be bug-free for the rest of the evening.
5 | Use a wine chilling carafe
One of the problems with hosting a party outside is how fast the wine gets warm.
Which is why this wine chilling carafe* is one of my favorite outdoor entertaining accessories.
Just add ice to the center tube and it keeps your wine cold without watering it down.
So there’s no running back and forth to the fridge!
It takes up a less space than an ice bucket.
And looks so much prettier on the table than a wine bottle.
6 | Provide Shade With Multiple Umbrellas
I have to admit that I wasn’t much of a fan of outdoor umbrellas.
Until I had lunch on an outdoor patio in New Orleans a couple of years ago.
And the restaurant had their whole courtyard covered with green and white umbrellas. It was so pretty!
When I got home, I decided to try the idea on my own patio and I love it there, too!
Not only do the umbrellas provide shade, but you can change out the umbrella covers to match your color scheme.
Like I did for the Alice in Wonderland party above and my 4th of July party below.
It’s a functional solution that also adds to the decor.
And I always gets tons of compliments on them.
7 | Match The Tablecloth With The Umbrella
Speaking of umbrellas, another easy summer party idea is to match your table cloth color with the umbrella color.
If you don’t want to think too much about the table settings, this is a no-brainer 🙂
Or use accessories such as napkins and glasses in the same color.
It automatically pulls the whole table together and makes it feel like a special occasion.
8 | Hang Flame-less Candles From Bushes
Hanging flame-less candles* in these terrarium candle holders* from the bushes and tree branches is one of my favorite ways to decorate outside.
They look so magical when it starts to get dark.
I like to use the candles with timers so I don’t have to remember to turn them on. They come on at the same time every day and turn off automatically 6 hours later so you can set them the day before and forget them.
This is not a good place to use real candles. They can fall out or tip over with a big gust of wind and cause a fire.
9 | Use Blue And White Ginger Jars for Vases
If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I have a lot of these blue and white ginger jars. I love them!
Although most of the time, they are decor on my shelves, I really like to use them for vases whenever I have fresh flowers.
Especially for outdoor table settings because they are heavier and less fragile than most glass vases. So they can withstand a little wind without falling and breaking.
Plus they look good with pretty much any type of flower arrangement from a simple one with only 3 stems of hydrangeas.
To pink roses with baby’s breath.
To the red, white and blue arrangement from my 4th of July table.
10 | Bring the indoors out
To keep my outdoor entertaining elegant, I usually bring out a few of my favorite indoor entertaining accessories.
Like using real dishes and glasses instead of plastic ones.
And making use of my favorite bar cart.
You can use it as a buffet, for storing dishes or a convenient place to store a wine cooler.
And it also comes in handy for moving the dishes back and forth to the house.
Those are my top outdoor entertaining ideas that are so easy to do even the lazy entertainer (like me!) will be able to pull them off. Hopefully, you’ve found some inspiration for your next summer get-together.
Other summer entertaining ideas
Do you have your own easy summer outdoor entertaining ideas? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on July 31, 2017 but was updated with new content on August 27, 2025.