Entertaining in the Backyard
You all know how much I love entertaining. This special evening of outdoor dining was for our family and I absolutely loved how it came out.
A while ago, I hosted a dinner for our family in our backyard. The dinner was for my husband’s family and was in honor of my father-in-law. I wanted to make this outdoor dining experience really special and I was happy to be able to share my love for entertaining.
The setting was perfect and the lighting really made for a very special evening. Even Sport was enjoying the evening.
The Secret to Creating an Outdoor Dining Experience
It’s simple. I honestly believe the secret to entertaining is to create a magical experience. I love to create an outdoor dining room with my vintage posts. I wanted to try some new lighting so I made these lights. I love them so much!
I love to create a nice experience for my dinner guests. I set up an “outdoor dining room” in a unique place and do everything I can to make it magical.
Setting the Backyard
A year ago (or maybe even longer) I made some wood table toppers that sit snugly on top of regular folding tables. I shared the DIY to make the wood table tops here.
We use these table toppers all of the time and they are just so amazing!
I love to create an “outdoor dining room” because it makes the evening seem so intimate. I found these old porch posts at a vintage sale. The posts have a hollow center. So I figured out that if I put a metal stake in the ground and pound it in then the posts could slide over the metal stakes and stand up securely.
I added a wood frame on top of the posts to keep the post secure. I used 1″ x 3″ wood boards that were 12′ long and they worked perfectly.
I also added a board through the middle to use to hang my lights and greens.
Making the Place Cards
Next, I decided to make new place cards. I made them on my Cricut Machine and they came out so great!
I love to make different placecards for my dinner parties. They are just so much fun and I love being creative! They are perfect for holidays, dinner parties, and family gatherings. I reuse these all of the time too.
Don’t these place cards look amazing? I love the border.
I made these stenciled napkins (with a stencil I made with my glue gun!). You can find the DIY here.
I can’t wait to use these place cards again.
Making and Hanging the Lights for Outdoor Dining
If you have seen some of my previous parties then you know that I have used hanging cafe lights almost every time. I really wanted to do something different and I love how these turned out.
I bought these hanging lights and these wire lanterns.
Of course, I couldn’t leave them black.
So I painted them with Metallic Rose Gold/Copper Paint.
I added the lights to the lanterns to the hanging lights. I used some copper wire to secure the lanterns (you can see the wire in the photo).
Of course, you don’t have to paint the lanterns. You could also paint them gold or silver or any color.
Next, I hung some faux greenery. I have used fresh greens in the past but it’s been so hot that I was afraid they might wilt.
I added sunflower centerpieces and used my favorite inexpensive copper candlesticks.
This table setting is one of my favorite outdoor dining evenings!
For dinner. I served the most delicious taco bar.
This was the coziest and most intimate setting ever. It was so magical.
Links to Items Seen in this Outdoor Dining Post
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I love everything you do! I live in Los Angeles, so I feel like we are neighbors. Sooo please tell me how you keep your grass green and what kind of grass is it? Thank you in advance.
Anita
Granada Hills
Thank you Anita! We have St. Augustine grass!
Hi Leslie,
I always enjoy your blog and the deviled egg recipe you shared is fabulous! Can you post on how you manage insects during your outdoor entertaining? I am sure you have a great solution to share with your readers!
I do get a lot of questions about that!
Well…I think I pinned every single pict in this post. You really spoke to my heart in planning for an outside dinner party. But then, you are always full of so many great ideas. THANK you for sharing your gift of creativity ! blessings & hugs,
Alda
Thank YOU, Alda! You are so kind, I am glad you enjoyed everything!
You are so amazing. I love your “plantation”. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thank you for the support!
hi lesli, could you please direct me to the post on “how to make those table toppers” or give me the how-tos…here?
thanks, nina
Thank you for sharing each step of your fabulous outdoor dining area! People don’t realize how much creativity, work, and ingenuity go into the final photo they see on Instagram!😄
Do you have access to or a source for the dining room chairs? Thanks for all you do!!
Thank you so much, you just made my day! They are from Arhaus!
Oh yes, I remember seeing them outside the store here. Thank you! They are so good looking- especially in your lovely setting!! Have a wonderful summer!
I love your blog and your ideas. I live in northwest Florida in a beautiful rural area where flying insects and mosquitos make outdoor entertaining a challenge. I saw where you responded that you get a lot of questions about how you handle the insect issue but didn’t see any solutions. Can you elaborate?
Hi Cindy! I do get a lot of questions, unfortunately I don’t have many solutions! We don’t get many bugs here in Southern California. Typically, a couple of citronella candles will do the trick for us! Sorry about that.