DIY Friday! Fun Outdoor Party Themes: Hosting a "Drive-in" movie night in your yard!

DIY OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT

Beautiful weather requires beautifully themed outdoor parties that friends and family will absolutely love! One of my favorite party themes has to be movie night in the back yard! This theme creates excitement for all ages and is pretty simple to put together. Important pieces you need for your movie night are a DVD project/Outdoor TV, movie(s), speakers, a screen, comfortable seating, great friends that you share the movie with and a fun and creative finger food menu. My suggestion is to rent equipment for your outdoor movie night, unless you really want an outdoor theater in which I would highly suggest shopping around for steals and deals, as outdoor movie equipment can be quite expensive. Fees for renting the projectors usually start at about $40 a day. You can rent a screen as well or simply use a light-colored wall or sheet as your movie screen. Depending on the number of guests simply use existing outdoor furniture, as lounging chairs, outdoor pillows, blankets, chairs and face it towards your screen. If you need additional seating once again rent some extra for your special event. To make it a true outdoor movie party you should serve up fun and easy finger foods that you would find in a movie theater. I like to add a unique twist on foods, I feel if your event is special and is a true "event" then the food experience needs to be on par! Having said that, my suggested movie night menu would be warm popcorn (feel free to use the microwave popcorn bags) shaken in cinnamon and brown sugar, grilled or steamed hot dogs served on pretzel buns, mini turkey burgers (on size equivalent buns) topped with warm Brie cheese, arugula and caramelized onions and finally homemade strawberry-lemonade as well as other beverages of choice. Follow these tips and I guarantee a magnificent experience both you and your guest will not forget! PS: Please be mindful of your neighbors and include them or tell them in advance of your plans, so that they don't feel left out or inconvenienced in any way. Enjoy!~Tony Vincente