FREE Summer Banner + TOP 5 Luau Planning Tips

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Summa summa summa-time! Time to sit back and unwind! Am I right? We are celebrating the arrival of summer around my house and I wanted to share with you one of our favorite things to do in the summer. We always like to have themed small gatherings but with a twist, especially luaus. One year we did an Americana Luau that was all red, white and blue which ended up being one of my all-time faves. Another time we did a graduation luau and had flamingos as the main focus but today we are focusing on a SUMMER LUAU!

Luaus can be as big or as small as you want them to be. They can be held indoors or outdoors. Lots of food or just a few items. To help with this, I will be sharing my TOP 5 Tips when planning a LUAU!

1. the DECOR

The decor has to be festive but it doesn't have to be expensive. Pick up a few decor items from your local Dollar Store and then use food for the rest. Try to have a focal point, in this case I used a printed background behind my table (from the Dollar store) to set the tone for this gathering. I also picked up this fun blue hula tableskirt and taped it to my table. Then add pops of color to your table by using placemats you already have. When planning a colorful table, I suggest using white platters and plates to put food on so the colors pop. The other decor item I used for this, was the FREE mini Summer banner that you can download, cut out and use bakers twine to string between two pineapples like I did here. Decorating doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't have to be a typical "decor item". For example, I used colorful drinking straws under the mini cupcakes for added interest on my table. I also sliced limes up and used them underneath my Fruttare fruit bars that I served.

2. the FOOD

The food can be simple. Pick a few things and then call it done. Sometimes we can go overboard on food and then we have all of these leftovers and we wonder WHY we made so much. I however, would not know anything about that though. ;)

In this particular case, I chose to have my "food" be just fruit and mini cupcakes. Fruit is the perfect food for a luau so mix it up and have a variety for your guests to enjoy. Always make sure you have at least ONE coconut though, I mean c'mon . . . luau + coconuts just go together like peanut butter and jelly, ya know! 

I added small slices of limes to these store bought mini vanilla cupcakes and by the time we enjoyed them, the frosting tasted like lime frosting! Yum!

3. the DRINKS

The drinks. The drinks may be the thing I look forward to the most when planning luaus as there are so many tasty tropical drinks out there to choose from, which is awesome! For this mini party, we mixed up some coconut rum, lime, pineapple juice, Sprite and a little strawberry mix. Oh my yum!

Always plan on a mocktail version of your party drink as well in case you have children at the luau or people who wish to not drink, so they can have a yummy drink as well. Also a nice tall pitcher of ice water or seltzer water with some sliced fresh fruit in it would be a nice addition to your drink menu too.

The most important thing to NOT forget when hosting a luau is the drink umbrellas for your drinks. These are a MUST for luaus and I always have them on hand as they are so inexpensive and make for fun little decor touches on the table as well.

4. the MUSIC

Personally, I can NOT live without my music. You can easily transform your guests and the party with music. Pick a variety that everyone will enjoy and have it playing in the background. Turn it up if you decide to partake in some fun games like limbo though. We need to keep the guests pumped!

I can also help you out with some FREE music today as well. That's right, for this party, when I shopped at my local Kroger and picked up my food items, I found out that Fruttare fruit bars will have a special promotion going on from July 1 until July 31. If you buy just one Fruttare item, you can redeem a Music Reward which will let you take advantage of some FREE music. Make sure to get your $4 Music Award here starting July 1, as it's only good while supplies last, during this promotion. How sweet is that? ;)

 

5. the DESSERT

The dessert table needs to be simple. People are cutting back these days and watching what they are eating plus they want to stay healthy, even with their desserts. For this table as you have seen, I had mini cupcakes and fresh fruit but always want a FROZEN treat for the dessert as well. 

I picked a couple flavors of Fruttare fruit bars for the perfect frozen treat for this luau. They are bursting with real fruit taste, creamy milk or refreshing juice. To be honest, I bought the ONLY two flavors they had in stock: mango and the strawberry and milk. I really liked the strawberry and milk as you could really taste the fruit but the mango wasn't my favorite just because I don't care for them. I was hoping for one of my faves, the pineapple or the lime but I will keep watching for it. There are ten different flavors to choose from and they all sound delish: strawberry and milk, peach and milk, banana and milk, black cherry, pineapple. lime and more! These bars make the ultimate refresher for your luau!

I would recommend picking up some of these bars and also getting your FREE Music Reward, starting on July 1. Then if you decide to plan a small luau or have a summer party, you come back here and download your own FREE mini SUMMER BANNER to use at your next event!

So who's ready to LUAU and enjoy SUMMER?! . . .  me! ;)

So have you tried these Fruttare fruit bars yet? Which flavor would you like to try? Planning a summer party? Let me know if you will use any of my tips . . .

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