Jennifer Nutt

Fall is the perfect time of year to host an outdoor gathering. Whether you are cheering on your favorite sports team, enjoying an outdoor movie night, hosting a pumpkin carving party, or simply gathering around a firepit, you can create a cozy and inviting setting! These simple steps will wow your guests and leave them feeling all the fall feels!

The first thing I like to do when planning a gathering is choose a theme. This will set the tone for everything you do! I think about what guests will be doing, how many people will attend, and how I want the space to look and feel overall. You can also begin to think about what types of food and beverages you want to serve. Think of this step as a general outline for your gathering. Once this is set, you can start to work on the details!

After you have a theme in place, now comes the fun part – brainstorming how to decorate! Start with the big picture of how you want your gathering to look and feel and then work down to the details to achieve the look. Things to consider include, what colors will be used, what food will be served, are there seasonal elements you can use, and what props and accessories are needed. For this gathering, I wanted to incorporate all the fun seasonal elements into the décor – pumpkins, mums, corn stalks, and hay bales. I chose a colorful fall pallet with oranges, yellows, and burgundy along with wood tones. My overall goal was to create a feeling of coziness for this gathering since fall is all about the cozy factor.

Many of the same principles used for decorating an indoor space also apply to decorating an outdoor party space. For example, I wanted to be sure my guests felt cozy in a beautiful fall setting. Using lots of textures and layers helps achieve this cozy feeling. I brought in elements like a wooden table, wooden stools for layering, baskets, and a rug to anchor the space. I used a blanket draped across the table to add visual interest and create a feeling of warmth. I also used a basket of blankets to not only create warmth visually, but functionally too! Fall evenings can get chilly, so having a basket of blankets nearby is a great way to help your guests feel comfortable and welcome.

I kept the food and beverage very simple for this gathering. While enjoying the warmth of a fire, guests could snack on a s’mores themed treat board. I used a pumpkin board and added seasonal candies, marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. The small cast iron skillet with toasted marshmallows adds an element of fun for this board. I chose to use apple cider for a tasty seasonal beverage.

The next time you host an outdoor gathering, keep these simple steps in mind. Start with the end goal of how you want everything to look and then work towards the details. Choose your theme, include seasonal décor to keep things festive, create coziness through textures and layers, and don’t forget the details that add a personal touch and help guests feel special. There’s no better time than fall to enjoy being outside!

Happy Fall,

Jenn