How to Host a Beach-Themed Backyard Dinner Party

From the lanterns atop the coastal-casual pergola to the cool colors and textural sea-life accents, this beach-inspired backyard dinner party was created to be as appealing to men as it is to women. Coastal and nautical styles are an excellent inspiration for creating something relaxed and gender-neutral.

When creating the menu for your beach-inspired dinner party, stick with light fare. Consider quick and easy menu items evocative of coastal entertaining, such as boiled shrimp or shrimp cocktail, vegetables or fruits on skewers, bite-sized sliders and light salads.

Ship-in-a-bottle accessories are a great way to bring a playful touch to your nautical centerpiece. These can be found online through major e-commerce sites or you can create your own.

Dress up your dining area with a candelabra made from a grouping of disparate lanterns. Gather an odd number of lanterns in assorted shapes, sizes and finishes. Suspend them at different lengths from an old wooden ladder using 1"-thick nautical sisal rope, ensuring balanced positioning. Secure tops of lantern ropes to ladder rungs using bundling wire.