Either in the height of summer or on a cool fall evening, getting together with your nearest and dearest is always more exciting and eventful when you host your own pool party!
Being outside in the fresh air is a positive contributor to your health and your happiness, not to mention a great way of getting physical exercise, especially when you are in and out of the pool throughout the day.
With this in mind, here is how to plan and host the ultimate swimming pool party you and your family will remember for many summers to come.
Invest in an Array of Solar Lights
The availability and affordability of solar lights for the garden are such that you would, frankly, be a fool not to decorate the perimeter of your backyard with fun and summery lighting arrangements.
You could choose to stick to warm white string lighting along the fence or combine fairy lights with solar lights on stakes and place them in between the planters and flower beds. Why not try to highlight some of the features in your garden, trees or ornaments, to make a grand statement? Uplighting can be wonderfully effective.
Should you have a larger garden, solar lights flanking the walkway to and from the pool would serve you well in the context of health and safety, too, and will help to convey a magical yet relaxing ambiance when the sun sets. Making sure your pool is beautifully lit can keep your party going into the evening.
Have Your Pool Professionally Cleaned
Your pool is, of course, the star of the party, and as such, you must ensure you either spend time cleaning it yourself or else hire a professional pool cleaning company to do it for you.
There are numerous benefits to choosing the latter, including the following:
- Ensuring the correct balance of chemicals in the water
- An inordinate saving of time
- Confidence that the pool is safe for all to use
- Inspection of equipment as part of the price
It may be a good idea to have these professionals come over every couple of months to maintain your pool and associated equipment too, ensuring it is safe for use and always clean and sanitized.
Snacks & Drinks!
Unless you have explicitly stated otherwise on the invitations, your guests are unlikely to expect a full three-course meal at the party, which makes catering significantly easier for you.
A good selection of sandwiches and chips, dips, and cocktail sausages make for a simple and effortless buffet that children and adults will all enjoy. When it comes to the drinks, ask your adult guests to bring their own alcohol and provide soft drink alternatives, such as a range of different sodas, bottled water, and juices.
Remember Swimwear & Poolside Accessories
Encourage your guests to bring multiple swimwear choices or outfits and highlight areas in your home where they can change easily. Additionally, as the host of the pool party of the year, make sure you treat yourself to a couple of stylish and comfortable swimsuits for the occasion.
Remind people to bring coverups and hats to protect against the sun, and perhaps dig out some spares for anyone who might have forgotten. Make sure you have plenty of shade options around, though.
You could also provide additional bottles of sunscreen and any spare towels you might have, just in case someone forgets theirs or it gets wet from splashing games in the pool. You may want to remind people to bring flip-flops or water shoes if your pool area gets particularly hot in the sunshine.
Lay Down Oversized Outdoor Rugs
Even if you have always taken great care to ensure your patio slabs are even and solid and regularly clean the stones with a pressure washer, you will still want to minimize the risk of your guests treading mud and dirt back into the house.
A great (and inexpensive) solution is to head to your local hardware store and invest in a couple of outdoor rugs made from either natural materials or hard-wearing polyester. This way, the water and dirt should stay outside, and the overall aesthetic of your garden and backyard will benefit from a splash of color.
Spruce the Yard
You’re not going to enjoy your party (and neither will your guests) if you’re fighting past weeds and tall grass all the time. Trim back bushes, mow the lawn if you have one, and remove the more obvious or in-the-way weeds.
If it’s not the right time of year to prune plants back and you’re worried about damaging them, then simply tie them out of the way for the party. You could also get plant supports to slip into your flower beds to provide structure to flowers that might have gone a bit floppy.
You might want to add some new planters or rearrange the ones you have to really make your pool area shine. It might not be the best place in the long term, but stunning plants can really jazz up your pool area for the party.