Diary of a Party Planner: Movie Night
by Ashley Gibbs
If you are thinking of hosting a fun get-together to celebrate the end of school, or are planning a summer birthday party, an old-fashioned backyard movie night is just the right way to “reel” in the hot season. Kids can run and play freely, adults will be entertained, and the more friends, the better. Set the scene with a few strands of twinkle lights or paper lanterns. Then all you need is a white sheet, a projector and a few crowd pleasers. Enjoy the show!
Save Me a Seat
Roll up sheets, towels or blankets and secure with a ribbon or twine. Your guests will be able to grab their own spread and get comfortable on the lawn. Hay bales also provide great backyard seats and can be covered with the towels and blankets as well. Throw out a few durable pillows or cushions to warm up the setting. If you are looking to go all out, shop around at second hand and thrift stores for an old couch or chairs to truly create a comfortable outdoor space.
Cinema Cupcakes
Popcorn styled cupcakes are the perfect sweet to include, especially if there is a birthday being celebrated. Or, if you feel (as I do!) that no party is complete without cupcakes you can attempt this yourself. Bake a cupcake with white icing and then topping it with mini marshmallows. Finish with a cupcake wrapper printable. We recommend the Etsy shop Typewink. If you are not up to the challenge, take a picture of the design to your local bakery.
Popcorn Bar
Set up a table with buckets, bowls or baskets full of popped popcorn. Offer several different popcorn seasonings which can be ordered from www.kernelseasons.com and include a few bowls of chocolate candies, peanut butter candies, and roasted peanuts to add to the mix. Brown paper bags will do the trick to hold the popcorn, and you can dress them up with your own label from Etsy. If you want to up the ante with the scent of fresh popping corn, rent a popcorn machine from Dot’s Rentals & Sales.
Concession Stand
Candy and popcorn are a must when watching a movie. An easy and visually pleasing way to display and serve candy and other snacks is to load up a classic red wagon with all the goodies. In addition to movie style candy boxes, also consider including individually packaged bags of dried fruit chips or carrot sticks to offer guests a few healthy options as well.
Thanks for Popping By
Send friends and family home with a little something for their next movie night. A mason jar filled with popcorn kernels and popping instructions, accompanied with some extra popcorn seasonings is a simple but thoughtful treat. Place the combo in a small basket adorned with a cute ribbon for a finished look.
