Guest contributor: Jessie De Lowe, Co-Founder of HOW YOU GLOW
There is nothing better than getting everyone together at the beach—it is guaranteed fun for parents and kids!
We recently hosted a potluck family gathering here in Santa Barbara that was a huge success. We used an amazing company called Bliss Beach to set everything up for us which made it beyond easy, exceptionally comfortable and super special. Taking notes from our experience with them, here are a few ideas on how you can create this magical vibe yourself.
1. SHADE SHADE SHADE. The longevity of your beach hang will depend on the shade factor. Make sure to set yourself up with some umbrellas or tent your area. One style I’d recommend is this cute Boho Beach Umbrella (it comes with fringe trim and a UPF 50+ rating).
2. Make the beach your living room! Bliss Beach not only brought chairs, but they also brought a beautiful rug that turned the beach into a living room. If you have an extra rug laying around, I would strongly encourage you to bring it to the beach for a really cozy experience. They also had really cozy floor pillows that all the kids lounged on and were happy as could be.
My recommendations:
This Striped Woven Cotton Area Rug
This Chenille Square Floor Cushion
3. Elevate your food! If you have any foldable wooden tables, bring them to lay out food so that you avoid any sand getting into your plates.
My recommendations:
Portable Snack & Wine Glass Holder Table
4. Bring plenty of games. Pack sand toys, bubbles and even cornhole if you have room.
5. Opt for a potluck! I love making our beach gatherings a potluck so that it is much more manageable to carry the food and you get to try tons of delicious variety! This time around the assortment was perfection. It included lots of fruits and veggies with delicious dips, cheese and crackers, large salads, bruschetta, tacos, simple brown rice pasta for the kiddos, and brown butter Rice Krispies, chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate chip cookies for something sweet! An ice-filled cooler kept the drinks chilled, and of course, packing a few plant-based trash bags ahead of time made cleaning everything up at the end a cinch.
I really love the tradition of gathering our families together outside at the beach—our goal is to do this every Friday with an open invitation to all our friends. It is the best way to wind down from the week and enter the weekend surrounded by your community—and the best part is the kids are so tired by the end that they fall right to sleep when you get home!
Plan a beach party of your own using the same Evite invitation as Jessie! Plus, get more beach party supply ideas from her in our Amazon shop!
