Awesome Ideas For An Outdoor Summer Party
Summer 2020... Will it go ahead?
Of course it will! I mean, it might not be exactly how we had originally planned, but we are certainly going to do our best to make it one to remember.
The plight of the pandemic
As the days and weeks of 2020 have ebbed away; being dominated by the pandemic and the new rules we have had to adjust to, most of us have lived in hope that by the time our much longed for summer months of July and August arrive, that this nasty virus will be a distant memory. Annoyingly, whilst Mother Nature has treated us to a very early and glorious summer, Coronavirus has hung around for a lot longer than we might have hoped, but thankfully there is now a glimmer of hope. We are definitely not alone in our avid focus on the daily figures and our obsessive watching of that little graph line gradually falling. There is hope that we are winning!
Hope
So, your summer trip to far flung or other European destinations may have been given the red card, but the Great British Summer Party is looking good to go! Okay, okay, we might be getting a little carried away, but we will take a reduced guest list over nothing and we will find a way to see as many of our friends and loved ones as we can! In fact, even as we write, Boris has just announced the re-opening of pubs and restaurants in the UK from the 4th of July, along with a reduction of the 2 meter social distancing rule down to 1 meter. This is welcomed news and along with confirmation that two family groups of any size can now gather in any setting, our garden party dreams feel almost tangible! We never imagined that the phrase “social bubbles expanded” would A. mean anything to us, or B. get us so excited!
Preparation, preparation, preparation
Hopefully you’ve spent the past 3 months pruning, weeding and rejuvenating your garden and it’s looking the best it has for a very long time! Apparently sales in garden furniture are through the roof! We are huge fans of outdoor decor, whether it’s colourful pots and parasols or sophisticated rugs and throws for that seating area around the fire pit, there is so much you can do to bring the inside out and create a really welcoming and comfortable environment for your guests to sit and while away the summer evenings.
Sustenance
We have been busy collecting delicious recipes that we can impress our guests with when the time comes. It seems like so much more has been available online to support the less confident cooks amongst us, since we’ve been literally tied to our kitchens (for work, home-schooling and cooking!). It’s very inspiring and educational learning about what is in season and making the most of summer ingredients, as well as supporting our British farmers and local producers. A few good Instagram pages that we have gained inspiration from are @jamieoliver, @sundaybrunchfood, @sundaytimesfood, @waitroseandpartners and for those who like a kilo of butter or two, @saturdayjamesmartin! All have some great recipes, for all diets and preferences.
Don’t forget the wine!
This week is also English Wine Week, so we have of course been doing our research on local vineyards and winemakers in the South East. It would be rude not to! So whether you’re a New Zealand Sauvignon fan (did you know that due to the British climate being very similar to that of New Zealand, many of the grapes grown and used in the making of English wine have similar qualities to those used in NZ wines?), or you prefer a crisp summer Rosé, it’s easy to find local winemakers and suppliers, most of whom are delivering at the moment. Step out of your comfort zone, give them a go!
Elevate your party!
Let’s recap: You’ve selected your guests, your garden is in tip top condition and you’ve got your seating areas organised so that you can maintain that 1 meter distance. You’ve planned your menu and ordered your wine. Want to take it to the next level? What more could you possibly need you might be thinking! Well a beautiful Balloonista display of course! Shameless plugging, we admit, but we simply couldn’t talk fun, socialising and celebrating without talking balloons right?! We have so many options available to you now that we think we have everyone covered. If your party is in celebration of a birthday or anniversary, we can send a simple bouquet of personalised balloons. If you fancy getting creative we offer DIY kits which you can design yourself with whatever colours will match your existing scheme. If you’d still prefer us to do the hard work, we can provide our complete design and installation service as normal, so whatever suits, we can get it covered.
Hope is on the horizon and we are very, very excited! Bring on the summer of 2020 and let’s make it one we will never forget!
Sending love and hope to all of our clients, past, present and future.
Thank you for reading.
Best wishes,
Aurelija x
Chief Balloonista
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