It’s that time of the year: the Puppy Bowl! All joking aside, Super Bowl Sunday is a perfect excuse to throw a good party. As if we needed one, right?!
Here are five easy tips to throw together a casual Super Bowl party at your home. Oh – and you may want to pick up a pair of these fabulous Stubbs loafers that are currently 20% off until midnight tonight.
Anchor your decorations with neutrals. As you guys know, I stay away from any licensed product when it comes to sporting events. Decorating with the team colors instead of the logos is such a nice way to create a beautiful spread – not to mention it’s fun and original. Decorating with a few neutral base colors helps everything else pop. I love using a bright gold as a neutral, which is what I’ve used here with these gold straws and napkins (to make these striped napkins even better, they are $1.00 at Target). I always keep gold straws on-hand. They’re terrific basics.
Think “tailgate” when it comes to your menu. Keep your menu fan-friendly by serving dishes you would at a tailgate. Skim through our appetizers tab for some inspiration. Chances are good that your guests will want the classics, so feel free to put a little culinary spin on them, but don’t stray too far.
Make your dishes mobile. I don’t know about y’all, but I get so restless if I’m sitting for several hours at once. I’d be willing to bet most people feel the same way. Use appetizer plates or cocktail napkins as your vehicle for food items so that your guests are free to move around. Toothpicks are absolutely your friends in this case. Make sure that everything you serve is easy to eat in one bite or portable. And, if you can fit it, place a few dishes on the coffee table in the room(s) where your guests are enjoying the game. Set out a bowl or two of nuts or bar mix on an end table or two for your guests to snack on in during the commercials.
Here are two of my favorite Super Bowl appetizers: my secret-ingredient guacamole + a delicious spin on traditional chicken nachos.
Add a little silver. You all know I have no fear when it comes to using the silver. For our Super Bowl party, I plan to use one of our silver bar trays to anchor a bourbon station (as in this post) so that guests may help themselves to their brown liquor of choice and any garnishes or mixers they’d like. When done right, silver can blend into nearly any theme or party. Try working in a few clever pieces here and there. You’ll be surprised at how that little something extra can elevate a get-together.
Make sure your seating is covered and you have drink perches. Nothing is worse than having to search for a place to rest your drink, and, so often, that’s the first thing guests look for when they sit down. Make sure you arrange seating areas around cocktail tables, nesting tables, your coffee table, or an end table.
If you’re working with a smaller space or are super picky like me and haven’t secured enough tables yet, place a coaster next to a seat as a place holder so that your guests automatically know that’s a drink-friendly spot. For example, I have two seats next to our bookshelves and rest a coaster next to them on the glass bookshelf. It sounds odd, but it works perfectly until I find cocktail tables I adore.
This post contains affiliate links, but all are tried and true Magnolia Stripes favorites.
