Decor for an Early Fall Party

Early fall is an ideal time for an outdoor party. The temperatures are milder, and everyone is getting geared for the upcoming holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. The kids are back to school, but still have the weekends free. Having a weekend outdoor party in early autumn will give the kids a break from the rigors of school during the week. You'll also get a chance to relax with friends.

In the fall, you have many options for ways to decorate your outdoor area for the early fall party. Think of autumn themes. This article will explore how to decorate your outdoor area for an early fall party.

The table is the first area you can decorate for the autumn party. The weather has cooled some, so you won't need the umbrella on your outdoor patio table. This will give you more room in the center of the table to decorate. Additionally, you won't have to poke a hole through any table covering you use.

Instead of using a regular table cloth, I like to go to the fabric store and find some interesting type of fabric in a fall color to place on the table. You can use a piece of material made of cotton, or one that looks like velvet, or something that is even somewhat shiny. You either need to pick a piece of fabric that doesn't fray on the ends or you will need to sew the ends to keep it from fraying.

Once you decide on a table cloth, you can decorate it. If you have a solid colored table cloth, you can put colored leaves from your yard on the table to give a fall theme. Or, you can actually draw colored leaves on the table cloth with a fabric marker in fall colors. Alternatively, you could make leaf patterns on construction paper and cut them out to place on the table.

In the center of the table, try a basket of fall fruits and vegetables. These would include apples, pears, grapes, squash, gourds and small pumpkins. Try a cornucopia, or horn of plenty. This is a horn shaped container that you put the fruits and vegetables in. You would need a larger table to fit the cornucopia and still have room for the guests to eat their food. If you are going to have more than one table, such as one for dining and one for display/ serving the food, you can put most of your decorations on the display table.

Aside from the table, you can decorate the outdoor area in a fall theme. Get some fall corn husks, the kind where part of the husk is peeled back so you can see the corn in shades of red and yellow. Tie three or four husks together and tie them with string up in your yard. You could tie them at intervals on an outdoor fence, for example, or on a pole.

Get some pumpkins and set them around the yard. You may wish to also use gourds and squash. If it's close to Halloween, make the pumpkins into jackolanterns. If you want to go all out, get a scarecrow and hang him up in the yard.

For lighting, try something creative. Instead of your electrical lighting, use candles. Find candles in autumn colors and scents. Try scents like apple spice or pumpkin spice. Or, use lanterns. Just make sure you don't place the candles or lanterns on grass or something that could catch fire.

If your outdoor party is near Halloween, your decorations can get spooky. Make a white ghost out of a sheet, and draw big eyes with black permanent marker. Then, stuff the ghost with straw and hang it on a pole. Get fake cobwebs and put them all around the yard.

There are endless ideas for decorating for your early fall outdoor party. Just think of fall themes and colors. Anything you can find that reminds you of autumn can be placed around the yard. Don't go overboard with your decorations, but try and place a few items here and there to give a fall feel. Have fun at your party!