A wonderful way to entertain family and friends in an outdoor 
setting is with a backyard barbeque party. With proper planning 
and the right environment people will be talking about your party 
all summer. Important factors to think about when entertaining 
are things like the barbeque grill, seating, lighting, and of 
course the menu planning.

Today’s barbecue choices have never been greater. The designs 
and options are wonderful, there really is a barbecue that fits 
your individual barbecuing needs. Barbecues come in both natural 
gas and propane grills. Barbecues are available in portable fire 
pit models excellent for a patio or backyard, giving the feeling 
of being around an actual fire pit. Other barbecue designs 
include charcoal-wood grills, portable grills and outdoor 
stoves. Weber makes some of the most durable and reliable 
quality grills, using stainless steel burners to provide long- 
wearing even heat and burners with spider and insect screens to 
keep the burners pest free. The stainless steel hoods and bodies 
are long lasting and great looking. Several of the designs also 
include built in thermometers.

Another great addition to your backyard cooking options might 
be a bbq smoker. These bbq smokers are perfect for seafood 
delicacies and traditional barbecue meals like beef brisket, 
ribs or pork. They are also excellent for chicken, seafood or 
anything needing direct high temperatures. Briquettes are 
available that burn for up to eight hours giving a wonderful 
smoked flavor.

A beautiful patio leaves you with the feeling that your at a 
cottage or a wonderful outdoor retreat, the nice thing is it’s 
a much more affordable alternative to owning a cottage. With 
the great selection of patio furniture and accessories on the 
market you can design your patio to be your own personal 
vacation in your backyard. The patio is not only a convenient 
getaway, but also a natural extension of your home’s design and 
décor. Black is a popular color for furniture as is antiqued 
greens with a distressed look. Wooden furniture is again 
popular, teak being a favorite as it ages so beautifully. 
Patio furniture is available with armrests, high back chairs 
and swivel rockers with matching ottomans, all for ultimate 
comfort. Most of the outdoor furniture sold today is made with 
all weather fabrics; it’s also wise to select furniture that 
will be durable and low maintenance.

When throwing and planning a barbecue patio party you’ll want 
to be prepared and know approximately how many people will be 
coming. You want to be sure there is enough available seating 
so everyone is comfortable. You’ll also want to be prepared for 
unexpected weather. Awnings are an excellent option, allowing 
you to take control of the weather on your deck or patio in a 
moment; there are also outdoor tents that you can set up with 
a table inside to shelter yourself from the rain. It’s important 
to have at least one outdoor umbrella to provide protection and 
shade for your guests from the hot sun, not to mention they also 
look nice. There is no shortage of excellent patio furniture 
and comfortable outdoor sitting options. Patio heaters are also 
welcome for cooler evenings after the sun goes down.

It’s important to have a proper serving or buffet surface for 
your party, a place where you can have all the food, beverages, 
plates and utensils. Portable carts or side tables can also work 
well. You may even have a built-in countertop.

The lighting for your outdoor party will only matter if the 
barbecue carries on into the evening; regardless the lighting 
is something that is nice to think about as it adds so many 
ambiences to your backyard setting. There are outdoor 
solar-powered lights available and other lighting options in 
several designs. Luminaries, candles, miniature white lights 
strung between trees or along your patio, or some lovely white 
paper lanterns hanging from your trees can make your patio 
extraordinary.

Bug control is a must at your outdoor party. Burn citronella 
candles to help keep a variety of bugs away. If yellow jackets 
are a nuisance in your yard, traps are available from your 
garden center or nursery. Remember to cover food, especially 
the meat and sweet drinks on the table to protect from bugs.

A few other nice additions to your party might be; gift bags for 
any children attending the party, you can fill the bags with fun 
ideas found at the dollar store like glow sticks, crayons and 
little notepads etc., it’s a nice idea to keep the children 
occupied; patio heaters are excellent if it starts to cool down 
in the evening, or for unexpected cooler days; flowers in 
planters or hanging baskets will further add to the appeal of 
your yard; lastly a nice variety of music sets the mood and 
adds a nice overall feeling to your party.

Planning the meal is probably the biggest challenge to your 
party. You’ll want to know in advance if any of your guests 
have any special eating preferences, allergies, dislikes. You 
can always go with the standard burgers, veggie burgers (f there 
will be any vegetarians attending), steaks and salads knowing 
that everyone will be satisfied and full. On the other hand, 
you might want to surprise your guests with a wonderful honey 
barbeque broiled steak; a simple marinade can be made with 
garlic, marjoram, salt, pepper, dry mustard, honey, and balsamic 
vinegar. The selected steak or chicken can then be kept in the 
marinade for a couple of hours in the fridge, next step is onto 
the barbecue. Excellent side dishes might be some potato salad, 
a green salad and corn on the cob.

In the summertime cold drinks are a must. You might make some 
cold lemonade, and have some carbonated beverages on hand. A 
nice addition to any buffet table is a lovely punch (alcohol or 
non alcohol) with some lemon slices and fresh fruit additions. 
Always have lots of ice available to keep the drinks cold. For 
dessert some cut fruit such as strawberries, melon and watermelon 
slices prove refreshing or a fruit salad can be nice, and of 
course a nice cake or some cookies is always sinful but popular. 
Later on, a bowl of corn tortilla chips served with salsa is 
well liked.

Of course your budget will determine how much you can and 
can’t do as far as decorating at your party. But don’t let that 
discourage you, it takes time to get your patio looking exactly 
the way you want it, in the meantime keep your eyes open and 
look for ideas. A simple picnic table and some plastic outdoor 
chairs work well too; a barbecue really is all about the food 
and atmosphere created.

With some planning and the right atmosphere your outdoor barbeque
party will be a success. Whether your party is big or small, a 
barbeque is a wonderful way to get together with your closest 
friends and family members to enjoy the summertime and some 
great food.