When it comes to summer parties there's a variety of plans and themes to accommodate a crowd. But what about those celebrations that are party-worthy but just fall on a cooler or chillier time of the year?
Last year our oldest daughter celebrated her eighteenth birthday and we wanted to make it special! She hadn't had a birthday party this large in years and it was well overdue. Since her birthday is in the fall we decided to go with an outdoor bon fire theme to fit the season. Little did I know that this season was going to be a little colder than expected. That one month of crisp autumn air was falling behind us as we headed into November to celebrate. This particular night was a frigid one with temperatures dropping low enough to freeze your toes. We didn't want to cancel the party and having a huge crowd in the house at this time of night was not an option. To accommodate these temperatures there were a few factors that played a huge role in keeping everyone comfortable.
So how did we go about hosting a backyard party in mid November?
There were a few must haves to make this party rock?
1. FIREPIT
What's a backyard fall party without a firepit?
Lucky for us, we live out in the country where firepit and bonfire parties are the norm. We started off by centering our small firepit in a location that was not too close to the house and had plenty of room to set up our seating arrangement. We used two of our wooden benches and four bales of hay for seating around the pit. If you've ever used hay or straw bales in this type of setting before then you know that it can be very uncomfortable to sit on. For a softer surface you could always use blankets, but we decided to go with towels since blankets would be needed to keep warm. We also informed Kalera to tell her friends to bring some lawn chairs since she invited so many people. Not only did they bring lawn chairs, they brought blankets as well.
My brother and my husband Rob started the firepit off with some old wood he had been wanting to use up and some old papers we had been wanting to shred but never had a chance to. This gave the fire plenty of time to warm up before the party.
2. BLANKETS
We placed several baskets with small blankets in them around the tables and chairs just in case it was a little too cold. And it was.
3. PRESENTING THE GRUB
With a backyard party and no patio or porch, we had to create some sort of set up for the food. We borrowed my brothers beach canopy and decided to set tables up under it for all the goodies. We decorated the top of the canopy with outdoor lights around the top to give it a special glow and threw in some fall decorations for an added campfire feel. This looked so much better at night under the lights.
This is the table as we were setting up. I got so wrapped up in the party I forgot to take an after set up picture.
4. MENU
For this theme, we went with the simple stuff, but you can always get a little more creative and fancier if you want. Below I have linked some creative ideas from Pinterest if you're interested.
For the sweet treats, my sister in law bought us some cookies from insomniacookies.com. If you've never tried these cookies you're totally missing out. They're incredible, come in many different flavors and they're just absolutely delicious. When you buy them fresh, they are warm and melt in your mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. However, for this particular party she had them individually wrapped.
And since this is a Bonfire party, what's a fire without SMORES?
Of course we couldn't go without them. Instead of the traditional setup with everything layed out next to each other, we went with smore packets and set up some wooden sticks in a can for roasting the marshmallows. The can was a DIY that I had leftover from our 10 year Anniversary party using an old can, white chalk paint and burlap.
As for the hot food, we made it simple. Hotdogs and chips. If you wanted to make the dinner a little fancier, you could always make shredded BBQ with coleslaw, potato salad or just plain potatoes to roast. We went with hotdogs because we figured the kids could just roast their hotdogs over the fire. We set up an outdoor trash can near the cabana with a cooler nearby for drinks. We also sat a kettle with hot water outside for hot chocolate. This cute kettle was an Aldi find for $5. The only thing missing from the menu was good ole fashioned potatoes. Kalera's friend Tucker decided that this would be a fantastic addition to the night and brought a bag over, along with a few condiments. The idea went well with the themed and added an extra item to the menu. So thank you Tucker!!! If you're wanting other options for food ideas, I have listed a few below.
You could also go with:
If you decide to go with chips like I did, give this idea a try. This really adds that extra Fall feel to your backyard campfire theme and it's Super cute!!
5. ACTIVITIES
To be quite honest with you, teens around this age really don't need a ton of activities. Give them a speaker and some music and they're perfectly content. They did more talking and goofing around. If you play guitar, ukulele or harmonica, this would also be a great time to show off your skills. We did have corn hole boards out but no-one played with them because it was dark and too cold. If you need some ideas on activities, I've added some great ideas below. Keep in mind, this party took place in the evening from 6pm-10pm so there wasn't too many options available. However, I did come across these fun ideas for any backyard fall party.
6. DECOR AND PHOTO AREAS
In today's world, people really love taking pictures, especially teenage girls. To make this party really shine, have a few areas decorated and set up for pictures. During special celebrations, most of us love to take snapshots and snippets with friends and family. Even if you're not a person who likes to take pictures, try to create an atmosphere for those who love to take pictures. Set up areas for decorations and emphasize on beautiful areas of your yard. This party started around 6pm and ended at 10pm. It was fairly dark but my daughter created a little area with some lights from her room for picture taking. I think it turned out rather nice considering how dark it was.
You will have to adjust or decide how you want to set up your decorations depending on the time of your party. Below are some cute fall themed decorations I found on Pinterest.
Hopefully this post has helped you come up with some ideas for your Fall themed party. If so, comment below and if you have any great party ideas for this time of year, please share. Thanks, have a blessed day and a fun-filled holiday season!
