How to Host a Glamorous BBQ Pool Party

This shop on How to Host a Glamorous BBQ Pool Party has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #IceColdSummerMoments #CollectiveBias

It feels like only a few days ago that Tom and I took a chance on another opportunity. Florida has been so beautiful. I’ve met a few really lovely people and the weather has been in the 30°c/90°F, making it perfect for hosting fun BBQ parties by the pool.

When we’re in town, we love to see our friends, but more importantly share fun experiences and laughs with them. I often say, “Live each moment as though it were your last.“ People won’t always remember every little thing you say or do, but they always remember how you make them feel, and making our guests feel relaxed and special is a exactly what want to strive for when we have guests over. This week, we decided to host a simple, yet glamorous pool-side barbeque. If you love to take in the beautiful weather and want to throw an easy, glam party as we do, you’ll love what I have in store for you below!

With a busy schedule, I love going to one place to get absolutely everything I need for a stylish affair, and what better place to do it all than Target! They have so many beautiful, yet affordable decorations. While you’re there, you can get everything you need for your home, in beauty, food and fashion. While shopping for my BBQ pool party, I fell in love with faux peonies. I chose to center my plates, candles, and wall decoration around these beautiful flowers. I picked up items I would double for use at home and for the party, including plates and gold cutlery, but Target also has an entire section dedicated to really chic disposable gold plates, cutlery and party decorations to help create a dreamy space! With all that they have to offer, you can create multiple theme parties and never run out of ideas!

Before finishing my shopping trip, I needed something truly special – personalized details! While in Target, I walked over to the Coca-Cola™ display near the checkout aisle. On the display were many Coca-Cola bottles with names printed on them. How exciting is that?!

Share a Coke is back with 1,000 new Share A Coke names featuring First and Last names this year! More meaningful than just a name tag or a beverage on the table, is getting to Share an Ice Cold Coke with your your friends! Click here for your cartwheel offer and get 20% off your own 20oz bottle of Share a Coke with a name on it!

In total, this is what I bought for decorations:
6 x Coca-Cola & Cherry Coca-Cola
2 x large scented candles
3 x faux peonies as the centerpiece
4 x small plates
8 x gold knives, forks and spoons
2 x decorative Items
1 x box of  inflatable drink floats
4 x white napkins
4 x sheer drapes for chair decor
1 x roll of ribbon for the chairs
1 x box of gold napkin rings

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A GLAMOROUS TABLESCAPE
For any party that requires decor, I always try to stick with a color scheme or theme and then work entirely around that. Color or theme is the easiest way to start your tablescape. After that, think of your decoration in layers. Whether you use porcelain, ceramic or disposable pieces, I always recommend re-creating something that looks formal, like tablescapes at a nice restaurant or wedding.

3 Things to Keep in Mind:
1) Each guest has a table setting that includes 1 large plate, glass, cutlery. If you serve sides/salad, add a small plate and place it on top of the large plate. These plates don’t have to match. You can go with a pattern and complementary color, or use 2 solid colors as I have here in these photos. If the seats can use some extra love, you can drape fabric and tie it back with a ribbon as seen here. It takes less than a minute! Always add something that’s special and personal to each individual guest, and go beyond placing just a name tag on the table.

2) Napkins can be folded or placed in various ways. Usually I like to place mine on top of the plates with napkin cuff. If you use disposable napkins, placing it on top of the plates or even below popping out towards the seat is a nice touch.

3) A beautiful centerpiece brings the entire table together. Keep the size of the table and the height of your guests in mind. One that is low in height but large enough to appreciate. In my case, I spread out the centerpiece to give it a feeling as though it were larger in volume.

We had such an amazing time with our friends. They really loved the decor and couldn’t get over the personalized Coca-Cola and Cherry Coke bottles. After eating, we sat in the pool and Shared and Ice Cold Coke. The day ended being filled with a ton of selfies, jokes and uncontrollable laughter.

We’re so happy with the way the BBQ turned out, we can’t wait to throw another one for Memorial Day Weekend!

To get a discount off your own 20 oz. bottle of Share a Coke, click here. For more summer inspiration, click here.

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Bonus: Recipe for Proscuitto Wrapped Asaparagus

As an added bonus, I’ve included a recipe for proscuitto wrapped asparagus.  It’s incredibly simple and when cooked, it brings out a very nutty flavor. I’ve included the directions for you below.Ingredients:
1 large stalk of asparagus
1 package of proscuitto
salt (we use pink himalayan salt, but you can use table or rock salt)
fresh pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Wash your asparagus and cut the ends. (If you do not know where to cut, a good way to find out is to hold the bottom half of the asparagus, then bend it to snap. That snapping point with separate the woody part of the asparagus from the edible part. From this point, you can cut the bottom off approximately at the same point.)

Place the asparagus along a plate. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil across the asparagus. Sprinkle salt and pepper across it. Then toss them together. Let sit for 15 minutes or more to absorb the oil and seasoning before adding proscuitto.

Cut the proscuitto in half. Wrap proscuitto around the asparagus until you finish wrapping all of your asparagus.

On a BBQ, fat encourages flames and will sear your proscuitto and you don’t want that, so place the proscuitto asparagus on indirect heat: either the side of the grill that is not turned on, or on the top shelf of the grill where you might usually toast your buns. The proscuitto will get crispy in about 15 minutes with medium heat and the BBQ top closed down. Remove when crispy, and ready to serve.

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I hope you enjoyed this post. Are you thinking of hosting a party or a BBQ? How do you like the personalized details? If you have your own tips or enjoyed this post, I’d love to hear in the comments below!

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Xo,

Miki