Planning and Hosting a Summer Soiree
The invitation and supporting graphics for my Summer Soiree stemmed from this design.
I love to line up an opportunity to host at least once a quarter, more frequently if you consider impromptu dinner dates or friend hangouts as hosting. But my ideal rhythm is to have a slightly over-the-top or "extra” themed event once a quarter, so that I can really enjoy the planning, dote on close friends or family, and savor that season and whatever we’re celebrating at that time. Around the Christmas holiday I’ve hosted my women’s bible study group for a movie night. During the fall I always host an open-house on Halloween night so that our neighbors and local pals have a place to grab food or rest throughout their evening of trick-or-treating. My son’s birthday is in February and I love hosting a superbowl + birthday gathering for him…or a last-hurrah-for-summer + birthday gathering for my daughter in late summer. All this to say, if I don’t have some sort of special event planned to host I feel like something is missing in my life! That’s how much I love the process of planning and hosting an event.
Why host a special event when you can go out?
Who doesn’t enjoy a restaurant outing? You know I do as much as the next gal, but there is something special about opening your home to the people you love or are building friendships and doing life with. I think it has become culturally acceptable to avoid home visits because they can seem invasive, or place a stress on the host, or because people are just so busy these days. But the truth is, when you prioritize the getting together, the opening of your home, the not-caring-about-perfection, it frees you to show up as you are for your people. In turn they get to learn more about you, see you in your natural environment, and it encourages them to do the same. Normalize lived-in homes and imperfect gatherings! It’s also relaxing to fully enjoy a meal and treats and drinks without rushing to leave a restaurant. One of my favorite parts of a hosted gathering is the last hour when we all end up around a campfire or just chilling at the dining table. That’s when the stories just flow and there’s a sense of connectedness; for me it sparks an excitement for the next time we get to be together, and it’s also the time we start planning our next visit.
Start with a core concept!
With any gathering I host, I like to start with the end in mind: how do I want my guests to feel when they leave?
Even for something as simple as dinner at home, the answer shapes everything. Are we celebrating and looking for a festive, joyful evening? Catching up with someone we haven't seen in years and hoping to relive old memories? Bringing together a group that doesn't often gather and creating space for connection? The purpose of the gathering helps guide every decision that follows.
For my Summer Soirée, I was inviting my women's Bible study group into my home. I wanted them to enjoy a night off from cooking, relax, catch up with one another, and simply be cared for. My hope was that they would leave feeling refreshed, happy, well-fed, and already looking forward to the next time we gathered.
From there, I started collecting inspiration. I created a Pinterest board filled with bright summer tablescapes, fresh flowers, and outdoor entertaining ideas. I wasn't looking for a theme, but I was paying attention to what kept drawing me in, and which of those ideas or images kept coming to mind. After a few hours (sometimes it takes a few days), a pattern emerged. I couldn't stop thinking about overflowing flowers and greenery. I kept picturing an end-of-the-evening campfire with an elevated s'mores bar. Together, those ideas captured exactly how I wanted the night to feel for my guests: elegant summer simplicity. A celebration of the season designed for overloaded moms who spend so much of their time taking care of everyone else. I loved the idea of doting on them with nostalgic staples we always reserve for our kids…fancy-ing up and serving a sophisticated campfire s’mores experience. I also loved the idea of keeping the menu bountiful but easy so that I could focus less on cooking and more on hanging out with my friends.
These images all became the foundation for the gathering. Fresh flowers, natural greenery, soft pops of pink, dining outdoors on the patio, simple grilled chicken paired with crisp fruits and fresh sides. I wanted everything to feel easy, welcoming, and effortless. Chic without being overly polished. The goal was for every detail to support the same feeling from the moment guests arrived until the night ended around the fire.
The core concept is important because even if you need to switch up logistics or execute the event differently than planned, the driving force and its alignment to your end-goal is still intact.
My Summer Soireecore concept started with ideas of fresh flowers, natural greens and fresh pops of pink. Images in my head of eating outside on the patio, simple menu accompanied by crisp fruits and fresh sides. I wanted everything to feel natural, effortless, easy. I wanted my guests to walk into spaces that were inviting and comfortable, chic but not overly polished.
Plan around the essentials
With my core concept in mind, I could start building a plan that included the invitation, atmosphere or ambience, music, menu, and overall flow and logistics for the event. I used Canva to search for digital invitation graphics that reflected my core concept, and landed on this beautiful olive and pink doodly design:
Summer Soiree invitation design
Isn’t it a delight? I liked the coquettish bows, the colors, the style of elegant yet rustic. So I was excited when I found these at Home Goods later that same week…
Pink and green party plates
More similar style party plates…super cute green toille moment…
Green toille party plates
From the invitation and plates I started to flesh out the menu. I knew I wanted to create a grazing experience to encourage my gals to sit and chat with snacks before I served dinner from the grill. I found some inspiration from Pinterest menu pairings and here’s where I landed:
Screenshot of the Summer Soiree menu
Next up: Party time!
I shared the menu with my guests ahead of time, since many of them asked if they could bring dishes to pass. I like to host so that my guests feel taken care of, but I also like to incorporate their favorite things into the gathering when I can. And since I’m still getting to know these lovely ladies, I welcomed them to bring whatever they wanted to drink or have served up alongside of the menu.
I’m planning to prep as much as I can ahead of time, though I’ll be out of town the weekend right before the soiree. So my prep needs to include things like deep cleaning each room we’ll be gathering in, tidying the patio seating cushions, getting my surrounding garden looking snappy, finding the right festival lights to string across our patio, pulling out the right servingware and platters for everything…as well as figuring out a summery chill-party playlist as well as a fun classic-rock campfire playlist for later in the day.
Stay tuned for my next post, which will include photos of the soiree :)