‘I’m an Event Planner & These Easy, Affordable DIY Decor Ideas Will Level up Your Next Pool Party’
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Summer is just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already starting to mark off every weekend on your June through August calendar with events, concerts (anyone seeing Adele in concert?!), travel plans, and of course, pool parties. I can’t help it! With so much going on, so many friends coming in and out of town, and a passionate desire to take advantage of warm-weather days, my social calendar fills up faster than you can say, “I’ll take a strawberry daiquiri, please!”
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Since it’s gearing up to be a busy season, you probably don’t have time to meticulously plan out each event the way you want to. That’s where we come in! To make your next pool party as seamless as possible, we’re rounding up the best pool party decor ideas that’ll make your soiree memorable, fun, and of course, Instagrammable.
The Best Pool Party Decor Ideas — From a Professional Party Planner
According to Chereese Jervis-Hill, president of Events To Remember, “A fun way to add a ‘splash’ to your pool party is the fill the space in and around the pool with color.” Any bright color will match the turquoise blue of the pool, so it can be fun to play off of the water as part of your color story.
“A couple of things I love and are easy for DIY is to create a grass wall with a fun neon sign attached to it with wire ties, it’s really easy to do and creates a fun welcome for guests,” says Jervis-Hill. “Balloons or flowers can be added to bring in the color. If the budget is tight, foil fringe curtains can replace the grass wall for a quarter of the price, and it still brings in that fun element.”
If you don’t want to go heavy on the photo wall decor, you can use large inflatable items as decor. “I like big inflatable pool games, like ring toss,” says Jervis-Hill. “They add that fun element, and the bright colors really fill the space in the pool as guests arrive and make them want to get in the water.”
Adding inflatable floating food and drink trays is an easy way to make your pool party feel like a vacation getaway. “Bring that vacation mode feel with inflatable floating food and drink trays. “Guests love this, as it adds color and goodies so they don’t need to leave the pool,” Jervis-Hill adds. “Fun elements such as parasol straws and cabana stripe pool towels matching your theme can also add some fun to your decor.”
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Etsy Custom Neon Sign
On Sale 70% off
As Jervis-Hill suggested, adding a custom neon sign to your party is more affordable than you think, and a great focal point for any wall. You can even move it inside of your home once the party is over. Add a neon sign to your fence or on the wall of the side of your house and you can easily create a photo wall around it. Right now it’s even on sale for 70% off, so it’s definitely going to look like you spent way more to your party goers than you actually did.
Mikease LED Floating Light Swimming Pool Lights
Easy pool decorations for under $30. We love to see it. These floats are the perfect showcase for when your guests arrive and at night, when everyone makes there way out of the pool and near the fire or patio for late-night cocktails and s’mores, they work as gorgeous centerpieces for the backyard. They’ll also provide additional lighting that you can control with 16 different lamp colors and four color-changing modes. Keep them for years to match the theme and color story of any party you throw. Sign up for Walmart Plus to get free shipping.
Floating Cabana Bar
I mean, the photo sort of speaks for itself. How chic is this snack and drink holder? It even comes with its own umbrella shade so your goodies don’t get totally cooked in the sun. The striped design will make any backyard pool look like a 5-star tropical resort. This float features four drink holders and two large sections on either side that can hold ice and snacks.
NETAP Grass Wall Panels
We sourced some of those easy-to-install grass panels for a photo wall opp that Jervis-Hill recommends for an instant photo wall. You can even place the aforementioned neon sign on top of this for an instant focal point for photos. These squares are 10 inches by 10 inches and can be purchased in packs of eight all the way up to 24.
NINU 100 Umbrella Straws
Adding umbrella straws is a fun and easy way to get your pool party vibes flowing. You can pick up this pack of 100 for under $10. They’ll upgrade the look of even the cheapest plastic cups without having to empty your wallet.
Silver or Pink Party Decorative Background Curtain
On Sale 20% off
Nothing glitters in the poolside sunlight quite like a reflective disco ball background. Add this to any wall, fence, or even just temporarily on a gate if you live in an apartment. This is a great alternative if you don’t want to assemble a complicated photo wall, but still want all of the photo opps. This one measures 78.7 inches by 39.4 inches.
Sun Squad Striped Beach Towel
One of the best money-saving tips inspired by Jervis-Hill has to be adding cabana-style striped pool towels. These from Target are just $5 each. Instead of upgrading your outdoor furniture to expensive matching pool loungers, just decorate what you currently have with these chic-looking towels. Everything will instantly feel more uniformed.
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Chereese Jervis-Hill: President of Events To Remember
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