Less is more with outdoor party planning

June 04, 2009

An emerging trend in party planning is to use simple decorations as a way to focus more attention on the guests.

Jennifer Sypeck, national product and trend developer for Smith & Hawken, told Cleveland.com that providing guests with a comfortable and simple atmosphere can be all a party planner has to do to ensure a memorable event.

"The simpler [the party] is, the more time you'll have with your guests, which is the whole point of having a party," Sypeck said, "A little goes a long way."

One way to accomplish this is purchasing comfortable outdoor furniture for your guests. Look for items with a good amount of padding because you don't want people to continually get up to stretch.

Also, look for mosquito-repelling candles as a way to add a calming ambience and keeping the pesky insects away.

Finally, setting up an iPod with your computer speakers near the party is a great way to put everyone at ease. Put the right song in your playlist and you may even start an impromptu sing-along.