How to Host a Favorite Things Party: Summer Edition with Food, Gifts & DIY Fun

A Night of Charm, Cheeseburgers & My Favorite Girls

There’s nothing I love more than gathering friends for a night filled with thoughtful details, good food, and plenty of laughs and this summer’s favorite things party was just that.

We set up on the beach, and even though the wind had other plans, the sunset was beautiful and the company made it worth every shiver. With a fire going and drinks in hand, we made it work!  

Each guest was asked to bring three of their favorite item to share,  something they genuinely love. As guests arrived, they added their items to a layered display of cake stands, trays, and baskets. I love doing this in rounds to keep the excitement going:

-Round One: After everyone arrived, each person shared what they brought and why it’s their favorite. Then it was “1-2-3, GO!” and each guest grabbed one item from the table.

-Round Two: I drew names one by one, and if your name was called, you got to choose your next favorite thing.

-Round Three: We ended with a game of musical chairs, walking in a circle around the table to Taylor Swift until the music stopped, then grabbing your final item. Silly, chaotic, and SO fun.

Party details & treats:

Bites: Hudson (our unofficial server) passed around mini Caesar salads, coconut prawns, and steak skewers from Anthony’s, which were a huge hit.

Dessert Table: Ally baked her famous chocolate chip cookies, I made sugar cookies rolled in cinnamon sugar to look like sand, and we added in mini pies, brownies, Lady Yum macarons (the salted caramel ones are my favorite), and the most beautiful cake.

Take Home: Each guest went home with a box of Lady Yum macs and a personalized woven basket with their name, these doubled as “nametags” and helped guests get to know one another, and a few of my favorite SuperGoop and Vacation brand products.  

Activities: We had a bag charm bar set up with beachy trinkets and supplies so everyone could make a custom charm for their basket. Want to know how we made the beachy bandana bag charms? I’ll link the post here. The spritz bar was open all night with Dan behind it as bartender, we had a lineup of drinks including Aperol spritzes, berry spritz, limoncello, sparkling lemonade, and spa water.

Late Night: A couple hours in, we surprised everyone with Dick’s Drive-In burgers, an iconic Seattle favorite, and they were gone in minutes.

Decor & special touches:

I arranged flowers from Pretty Flower Farm all around the party space.  I believe fresh flowers make such a statement and add a touch of life to a party.  

The Disco Edit provided two charming carts that we used for the spritz bar and charm bar, plus a custom welcome sign that greeted guests as they arrived.

The personalized baskets were from a small Etsy shop (I’ll link them here!) and were one of my favorite details, useful, personal, and a sweet way to say “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Cold wind and all, it was one of those summer nights I’ll remember, a mix of charm, chaos, and everything I love about hosting.

I always get asked “what did everyone bring” or “can you link to what everyone’s favorite things were?”.  If that’s you, here’s a compiled list!  

Are you hosting a summer party? Let me know if you host your own summertime favorite things party!

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