Are you getting your home ready for summer get togethers? Maybe a graduation party, a birthday, a home wedding celebration, or a family cookout. Then I’m here to help you get your home ready with these more than 20 budget summer decorating ideas that will have your home party-ready all summer long.
A few weeks ago we had a combination graduation / wedding celebration / going away party at the house for my daughter and her new husband. They had a small private ceremony on the beach a few months ago so this was really one big family party to celebrate their accomplishments and the start of their new life together.
They both wanted a very casual backyard barbecue.
Nothing fancy. Nothing weddingy. Just home, family, friends, and food.
But the one thing I did not want my husband and I to have to do that day was to be in the kitchen or by the grill cooking. Instead, we wanted to relax, enjoy the day, talk to our guests, and spend time with our daughter & her husband.
So we compromised and ordered the food. Lots of food. Maybe a little too much food.
Steak tips, marinated chicken, roasted potatoes, salads, fruit trays, and desserts. Lots of desserts.
We worked hard on the outside getting the lawn mowed, planting flowers, and setting out lawn chairs.
We set the food in the corner of the dining room by the window, which I emptied out the week before. And the desserts would go on the dining room table.
I apologize for not getting a photo of the tables all set up with the dinner food and desserts.
We had round cakes on pedestals surrounded by some greenery on the dining room table. It was just the perfect amount of pretty (without being flowery).
The white pottery vase was from Kohls. HERE’s a similar one on Amazon.
The green leafy stems are from Target. They were only $5.00 each. I have 3 stems in the vase.
I also really love THIS set of 4 stems on Amazon for a few dollars less.
My favorite solution was this long magnolia garland I used as a table runner from Joann Fabrics. It was the perfect amount of greenery weaving through the dessert platters and cakes on glass pedestals.
See a similar Magnolia Garland on Amazon HERE.
If you’d like a few white flowers on the garland, I love THIS one.
Leaf Stems / Vase / Magnolia Garland
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Leaf Stems / Foaming Soap Dispensers / Pure Castile Soap / Silver Tray
Next, I turned my attention to the 1st floor half bathroom. Aside from the kitchen & dining room, the other room in the house I alway make sure is neat and clean is the bathroom.
Frankly, between you and me, there’s nothing worse than walking into someone’s bathroom that’s not clean.
So a few weeks earlier we gave the bathroom a fresh coat of paint. Then I changed out the greenery, soap dispensers, and silver soap tray. Links for these are all above.
Again the stems are from Target but I linked similar ones on Amazon.
The silver soap tray is from HomeGoods, but I also linked a similar one above. Most of the trays I found in the bathroom section of HomeGoods were stone or wood. I found this hammered silver tray in the dining section and just love how it sparkles!
I originally thought about putting flowers EVERYWHERE. But I really had to tailor it back because that would have been way too much wedding and not enough casual for these two.
The wreath on the front door was only around $22 on Amazon it was perfect! You can see it o Amazon HERE.
Other than having a clean house, free of clutter, and full of food, I really turned most of my attention to the outside of the house, because after all it was supposed to be a backyard barbecue.
Blue Sectional Cushions / Rope Swing / Large Planter / Metal Side Table / Large American Flag / Small American Flags / Hanging Metal Lantern / Outdoor Rug
The covered porch is just off the kitchen and where guests gather most so I purchased a few new things to make it feel even more welcoming this year. Under each photo, I’ve provided links to many of the items shown in the photos or Amazon links to similar items.
I’ve had the outdoor rug for a few years. It’s held up really well and if it does get dirty I just wash it with a little dish soap & the hose. I couldn’t find the exact one, but found THIS similar gray outdoor rug. I also love THIS similar gray outdoor rug.
The hanging flowers pictured above are real flowers from Home Depot. But I think next year I may purchase faux flowers. I really like THESE faux hanging baskets on Amazon.
The large planter is from Walmart, but I don’t see it online anymore. I’ve linked a similar planter above. I also really like THIS fluted planter.
Sectional Cushions / Citronella Candles / Large Floor Lantern / Battery Operated Candle / Rolling Cooler on Wheels
The hanging lantern was actually a wired light, that I found several years ago on clearance at Lowes for about $5.00. Then I removed the wiring and hung it as a lantern. It’s similar to THIS one.
The large floor lantern was from AtHome, but I don’t see it online anymore. A similar one on Amazon is linked HERE.
The rolling beverage cooler was actually free. My brother was getting rid of it, so I rescued, cleaned, and spray painted it.
The cooler is plastic and the base is metal. THIS Krylon Fusion spray paint adhered perfectly and brought back the nice shine on all of the black.
The two small lanterns were from HomeGoods.
Large Floor Lantern / Battery Operated Candle / Large Round Planter
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Small Lanterns
These smaller battery operated lanterns were from HomeGoods.
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Citronella Candles (pack of 4) / Metal Folding Table
I absolutely love this metal side table from Kohls. It’s powder-coated and folds up slim for easy storage.
I also love THIS set of 3 metal side tables on Amazon.
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After shopping around at a few different home improvement stores, I found the best value for string lights was on Amazon.
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Tall Planters / Real Hydrangeas
The tall planters are actually from BJs Wholesale Club. I found them on sale for only $17.99.
And the hydrangeas a real. After shopping around, I found these for the best price at our local grocery store (Market Basket).
Next year, I plan to fill these planters with some faux greenery like THESE faux boxwoods
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Adirondack Chairs
We bought 8 more Adirondak chairs at Lowes for around $20 each so that we could have a total of 12 of them set out in the backyard. We wanted the stackable plastic ones so we could easily store them in the winter, but if you can leave them out year-round, Amazon has a ton of options HERE.
I hope you enjoyed getting your home summer-party-ready with me.
You can find even more outdoor decorating ideas on my Amazon shop page HERE.
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Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links to products I use myself or similar products I love. I hope you find them helpful as you shop.
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