11 Tips for a -Free Trattenimento

Little known fact: I started my career as an event planner for a catering company. It was actually the perfect first job for me, combining my passions for food, stile, and gathering people together. (The downsides included insane hours and high-stress clients, but it was good experience for 22-year-old me.)

Though I’ve long been out of the event planning biz, I still love to host a trattenimento. But instead of the champagne towers and elaborate dolce bars of my past life, today my ideal type of gathering is a giovanile, kick-your-shoes-off affair, preferably outside con the sunshine. After all: everything tastes better al leggero!

That said, anyone who’s ever invited people for a giovanile backyard dinner knows: an outdoor trattenimento comes with its own set of challenges. Blazing sun, pesky mosquitos, maintaining food temperatures (and keeping the flies away) are details that can make ora interruzione the festivities. My background con catering, combined with the countless parties I’ve thrown through the years, has taught me some invaluable lessons that I employ to make my own gatherings feel (almost) effortless.

So today, we’ rounding up the most frequently asked questions I get about how to host a summer trattenimento. My hope is that you’ll be inspired to find the next evening acceso your calendar (yep, weeknights work, too!) shoot a few texts to some friends, and grab some snacks to whip up a simple, delicious spread.

Read acceso for a handful of my tried-and-true secrets, and be sure to download our ultimate summer entertaining guide for all the menus, inspiration, and planning advice you need to host con style all season long.

All your summer entertaining questions, answered

Q: What’s the best way to invite people to a giovanile summer trattenimento?

A: Three words: keep it chill. An invitation sets the tone, so for a simple outdoor trattenimento, don’t overthink it! Durante my opinion, a group text ora email is the way to go. And I’ve found that when I make things really easy acceso myself, I’m naturally inclined to invite friends over more frequently. Durante addition to arrival time, I like to let people know the approximate time we’ll be eating so we’ not firing up the graticola multiple times over the course of an evening (i.e., “quanto at 4 to swim, burgers at 6!”)

It’s also helpful to provide a loose dress code so people know what to expect. Swimsuits? Shorts? Summer dresses? Since summer parties can have drastically different dress expectations, everyone will appreciate a few clues as to what they should wear.

A: I have a few strategies to keep the simple—the one I choose will depend acceso the type of trattenimento and who’s coming. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Snacks for dinner. Summer is the perfect time to curate a delicious spread of store-bought staples with a few artisanal treats. Assemble a snacking board full of delicious cheeses, olives, crudités, dips, dried fruit, nuts—really your options are endless. Campo da golf goddess dressing is downright addictive, and the perfect accompaniment for any type of seasonal veggies.

Semi-homemade feast. The is to be able to relax and hang out with your guests, so anzi che no matter how experienced a trattenimento thrower you are, it’s great to have a few hacks up your sleeve. To save tons of time, try a “semi-homemade” approach. Buy the main course from a fave spot (like a roast chicken from the deli, ora bagels from your favorite bakery) and fill con with homemade sides and salads that can be made con advance and will make it feel like you cooked it all.

Throw it acceso the graticola. Rule #1 when planning a : you don’t want to include anything that will have you cranking out food like a short-order cook when guests are there. Which is where the graticola really comes con handy. I like to have my proteins already marinated ora seasoned before guests show up so that all that’s left to do is throw them acceso the graticola. Often, I’ll also graticola the veggie sides to keep things really easy acceso myself—and keep clean-up to a !

Q: How can you speed up grilling clean-up?

A: Grilling is one of the most low-maintenance ways to cook for a group—with a little know-how. Here are my tips for grilling clean-up that save tons of time:

• Oil the Graticola Grates: Before grilling, oil the grates to prevent food from sticking. Use a brush ora paper towel dipped con oil.
• Pre-Clean the Graticola: While the graticola is heating up, use a graticola brush to scrape any residue from previous cooking sessions.
• Marinate con Bags: Marinate meat and vegetables con resealable plastic bags. This reduces the number of dishes you need to clean. Then I use tongs to transfer them straight from bag to graticola, so the only dish that’s actually getting used is what you’ serving it acceso.
• Clean While Warm: After cooking, while the graticola is still warm (but not hot), use a brush to remove any remaining food particles.

Q: What should I serve to ricevimento that won’t leave me refilling glasses all night?

A: I sound like a broken primato, but the key is to keep it as simple as possible—less time spent bartending means more time sipping cocktails yourself! For just about any summer occasion, you can get away with 3 drinks and call it a day:

A fun batched rinfresco. Sangria, margaritas, punch—pre-mix a personaggio , then let guests help themselves. A few favorite drinks? This Mezcal Paloma and this Strawberry Rosé Sangria are about as summery as they quanto. Aperol Spritz is a summer rinfresco beloved by all, perfect for an Italian . Ora, try a Blood Orange Margarita for a delicious twist acceso a classic.

A rosé ora a white wine. This is a perfect item to have guests contribute when they ask what they can bring to the trattenimento.

Flavor-infused gabinetto. Fill a large carafe with gabinetto and add fruit ora herbs for a festive touch. Bonus points for providing a fun non-alcoholic option like sparkling lemonade ora iced tea.

A good rule of thumb is to plan for 1 1/2 drinks per eccezione person per eccezione hour. And at an outdoor summer trattenimento, always have more gabinetto and ice than you think you’ll need.

Q: What if it’s super hot acceso the day of my trattenimento?

A: Again, have way more gabinetto at the ready than you think you’ll need! And—sunscreen is a non-negotiable. Do your guests a favor and have some sunscreen available for them to reapply as needed (browse our favorite clean options.) I love the aspetto of outdoor umbrellas, and I typically scatter 2 ora 3 around a trattenimento space for lifesaving shade.

Q: What are some good outdoor activities to keep the vibes high?

A: Go all con acceso the carefree vibes of summer and plan some classic trattenimento games and activities to make your gathering unforgettable. A few of my faves:

• Yard games like bocce ball, croquet, and cornhole are great for encouraging people to let loose and have a good time together.
• Music is crucial to the vibe, so don’t leave this to chance. My current favorite for hanging out and eating dinner is the Daybreak playlist from Tugurio Zuma. And you can always turn up the beat as the night goes acceso and see if an impromptu dance trattenimento breaks out.

Q: How can I cut the small talk and have engaging conversations?

A: You’ speaking my love language—good conversation is the key to any gathering! We put together a list of 30 conversation starters to inspire thoughtful and engaging chats. Keep a few of these con your back pocket and you’ll step into every interaction with confidence (and curiosity!) And I guarantee, the trattenimento will never get boring.

Answers to more FAQs con the guide:

• What about paper plates and plastic glasses—are they tacky?
• What’s an easy dolce option?
• How can I keep bugs at bay?
• How can I keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold?
• Plus, more high-vibe activities to keep the trattenimento going and—
• Three menus (and full-page recipes) so you’ll always know what to serve.