Forget You’re in a Tent. Decorate Elegantly for Outdoor Events

Summertime means outdoor parties, barbecues, and bonfires. If you’re planning a summer wedding or a more elegant graduation party, maybe even an outdoor prom, you’re challenged with decorating in a tent. With the right decorations and the proper planning, you can make it so your guests completely forget that they’re in a tent! With a few tips and tricks, your decorations can be elegant enough to make your venue seem like an outdoor wonderland, not a party under a tent.

Table Settings Make a Difference Outdoors

If you have tables under your tent for your summer event, you’ll want to use them as a decorating tool. By covering your tables with a white cloth and a shimmery strip of gossamer as a table runner, you’ll create a light, airy feeling for your summer event. A centerpiece for your tables will play a huge role in creating an elegant event, also. Depending on your theme, you could choose a centerpiece that will fit with the theme. You could also simply choose an elegant centerpiece that will go with any theme, such as a candelabra. When the sun begins to set, switching to candlelight versus bright LED lights or no lights will make your event that much more elegant. Also, the candlelight reflecting off a shimmery gossamer fabric will create an interesting effect.

Don’t forget about the chairs that will go with your tables. Seeing just a simple folding chair doesn’t say elegance. You can use folding chairs for your event, but look into chair covers. You could just use a ribbon or you could use a complete chair cover and a ribbon.

Hide the Tent

As you’re preparing your decorations, try to find a way to disguise the tent you’re decorating. Try wrapping the tent poles with shimmery silver iridescent chiffon. If you decide to use candles when the sun sets, the candlelight will reflect off the chiffon. You could also station a bunch of balloons at each of the four corners of the tent, as a way to disguise the corner tent poles.

If you want to disguise the poles running along the top of the tent, try twining garlands and flowers around them. Or you could do a combination of chiffon, garlands, and flowers. Another good option is hanging decorations from those poles, such as an ivory floral topiary.

Remember, summer outings don’t have to be all fun and no elegance. Even if you’re using a tent for your event, the decorations and the table settings can help you create an elegant sure-to-be-remembered event. Centerpieces and chair covers are a way to help guests forget about the tent, but if you want to disguise the tent, shimmery, flowing fabrics are the way to go. As you plan your elegant summer event, choose fabrics and other decorations that will set your colors off perfectly—create an event that your guests will remember for a long time!

Sparkling Red, White and Blue Event Ideas

Ten Trivia Questions and Answers to Ask At Your Memorial Day Party

Everyone gets together for Memorial Day – It’s what we do! We grill out, we set up the barbeque, we roll out cold drinks, we often go to the lake if we can… It’s a fun holiday where we get time off work, and there is usually a parade and a commemoration service to honor our veterans.  This Memorial Day, before or after prom this weekend, quiz your friends on how much they know about the Memorial Day holiday:

1. What do bumblebees and the Air Force have in common?

Answer: The Air Force used aerodynamics discovered during research on bumblebees on their F-117 fighter.

2. Just because you “remember the Alamo,” doesn’t mean you know what the word means in Spanish. What does Alamo mean in Spanish?

Answer: cottonwood

3. Where was the first “official” observance of Memorial Day?

Answer: Waterloo, NY

4. While the first official Memorial Day celebrations began sometime in the 1860s, when was Memorial Day an “official” U.S. holiday?

Answer: 1971 – yep, it’s fairly recent!

5. Which U.S. State is closest to Bermuda?

Answer: North Carolina

6. Of all the “Founding Fathers” who signed the Declaration of Independence, how many of them went on to become U.S. Presidents? (Bonus if you can name them!)

Answer: Two – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

7. We know the famous line, but what was the actual first word spoken on the moon?

Answer: Houston.

“Houston. Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has Landed.” – Neil Armstrong’s first words back to base when his shuttle landed on the moon.

8. On Memorial Day, is the flag raised to the top of the pole or kept at half staff?

Answer: This is a trick question! The U.S. flag is supposed to be at half mast until  noon, and then raised to the top of the pole. Whoever gets this one right definitely deserves a prize.

9. What time is the “National Moment of Remembrance” on Memorial Day?

Answer: 3pm

and…

10. What state boasts the longest running Memorial Day Parade? And bonus points if you can name the town, too!

Answer: Ironton, Ohio – it has been holding a Memorial Day parade every year since 1869.

Now, when you start throwing out trivia questions left and right, it would be fun to sweeten the pot by offering an incentive to winning at trivia. However you decide to celebrate this Memorial Day, be sure to keep it fun while remembering the reasons behind the holiday.