An Americana-Inspired Theme

The first step in putting together a themed party is creating a Pinterest mood board to organize your thoughts and ideas. For this Fourth of July BBQ, we're putting together a casual, yet elevated mood board inspired by vintage and Americana themes. We don't want overly tacky decor, so we're sticking with red, white, and blue touches to round out the rustic base of the look.

Set a Stunning Fourth of July Table with These 5 Pro-Approved Ideas

Quentin Bacon

Vintage Touches

As you're shopping for decor elements to bring your vision together, look for plaid or checkered designs to lay over a timeworn wood table. Keep each element of the decor simple, so it's not an overwhelming amount of red, white, and blue.

For the centerpieces, consider using muted blue or red glass vases and filling them with white flowers surrounded by green fillers to offset the colors on the table. Simple white plates will do for the place settings, but white plates with red or blue edges would be a great subtle addition to the theme.

If you're hosting a large backyard party with all of your extended family or lots of friends, put silverware in festive cups at the beginning of the buffet line. However, if you're hosting a smaller, more intimate dinner, find some subtly festive napkins to lay out at each guest's spot.

Carson Downing

An Elevated BBQ Menu

Make sure to have some big batch drinks ready as your guests arrive. For adults, make our Red, White, and Blue Spritz, a fresh and festive drink perfect for a hot summer day. The spritz includes prosecco and St. Germain, but the star of the show is the homemade blueberry-infused vodka. Don't forget to have some non-alcoholic drinks as well, especially if kids are attending. Consider making a pitcher or two of creamy lemonade, or make a big bowl of punch that will last all afternoon.

Every summer BBQ needs enough food to serve each hungry guest in attendance (which is usually a lot). If you're throwing a big family get-together, consider making the BBQ a potluck. Ask your guests to bring a pasta salad, fruit, or other side dishes. If you're keeping the party smaller, you might make each dish yourself.

Start with sides and smaller dishes, like a smash burger salad, a honey fruit salad, and a pasta salad of your choice. Then move on to the main course: corn on the cob and hot dogs. Since we're elevating this meal above a classic grilling dinner, make puff pastry hot dogs. They're sweet, savory, and delicious, basically big pigs in a blanket.

End the meal with a berry-topped American flag cake. This sweet dessert is pretty, festive, and delicious. Make any cake flavor (we recommend classic vanilla) and top it with cream cheese frosting, blueberries, and a red fruit (like raspberries, strawberries, or cherries) in the design of the American flag.

Slow Cooker Corn on the Cob

Provide Outdoor Games and a Movie

A classic outdoor summer get-together requires classic outdoor summer activities. Set up some yard games—they'll keep the adults entertained and get the kids to play until their energy is spent—and make a fire as the sun sets. When it's dark enough, play a movie on an outdoor screen and make s'mores over the fire as a pre-movie sweet treat. Use this time to soak up as much of the summer weather as you can.