Fall is quickly approaching and college football is right around the corner? Well, at least for SEC. We are blessed to live right by Texas A&M and in the fall the air crackles. The college students are back, and their excitement fills the air. Sadly, Kyle Field (the Aggie football field) has strict regulations for COVID, but that does not mean Aggies cannot still have fun watching the games. Today we are giving you easy tips on celebrating football tailgates. We were blessed to collaborate with several Bryan/ College Station businesses to create two different parties that give that "Wow" factor we all strive for!
Five Tips to Create a Festive Tailgate at Home
1. Plan the Space
When having a tailgate at home, be mindful of how many people you will be inviting. If you are having a large number of guests, we suggested having it in your yard. Especially during COVID, this allows you to have tables spread out and gives a lot of space for friends to walk around, visit, play tailgating games, and watch the game.
Amber asked for Christmas several years ago, tables, and chairs from Sam’s Club. We know this seems like an “interesting” Christmas gift, but they have been so handy! We are up to twelve tables and fifty chairs. We have used them from everything to weddings, showers, birthday parties, and even tailgates. We highly recommend having a few around. These were the tables and chairs we used for our tailgate.
Click on the picture for the link.
If you are wanting a more intimate party, then just have it on the back porch. Put a few comfy chairs around the TV, and set a small table. Your back porch provides a festive feel and allows you to be close to the kitchen if you need anything.
Whether it’s on the porch or in the yard (or pasture for us Texans)…having enough seating and space for your guests will make for a great party.
2. Table Cloths Make a BIG Impact
Okay, want a tip to make a BIG impact on a small budget…rent table cloths! Texas A&M is maroon and white so we rented maroon table cloths with maroon and white gingham overlays. Y’all, by just adding these table cloths, it took our tailgate from good to great! No matter what your event is, having festive tablecloths takes your event to the next level and is worth every penny, we promise!
If you live in College Station, Party Time Rental has an excellent selection of table cloths, tables, chairs, overlays, and pretty much anything you need for a get-together. Walking around their showroom is one of our favorite things to do! Their prices are very reasonable, they are super helpful, and we would recommend them to our best of friends.
Click on the picture for the link.
3. You Can NEVER Go Wrong with Balloons
To make an event exceptional, add a few balloons. Not just traditional balloons, but elegant balloons! We recently came across a balloon company in College Station called Bubblelloon Giant Balloons. We met Monica (one of the owners) the other day, and y’all they are the real deal. They are sweet moms that started a small business that brings joy to their clients' hearts using balloons. You cannot get much better than that! Bubblelloon makes the cutest balloon garlands and giant balloons from everything to A&M events, birthdays, baby showers, and even our tailgate. They made this maroon and white balloon garland for our tailgate that brought a peppy and fun environment and gave that extra wow factor too!
The garland helped frame out the TV for the yard tailgate and added a like pizazz to the TV on the back porch. Oh, and you can put it over the door if you want to make a celebratory entrance for your guests. The ways to use balloon garlands are endless, and it is an exciting addition to any event.
Click on the picture for the link.
4. Make the Food Easy
When you are doing an outdoor event (especially in Texas in early fall), you are going to be hot and tired from just setting up; therefore, do not put pressure on yourself to feel like you have to go all out with catering too. Your event is a tailgate, not a dinner party; therefore, make it easy on yourself! We decided to just grill hamburgers and buy the rest of the food. We provided chips, popcorn, peanuts, and created two small cheese boards for our menu. You can always ask guests to bring their favorite dip, appetizers, or dessert as well. We are sure they would be more than happy to help with the fun!
Also, we wanted a beautiful, festive dessert but could not tackle (pun intended) it all; therefore, we called our favorite bakery in Bryan, The Cake Junkie to help out. Angie is the most amazing baker! She made Amber's 40th birthday cake, and we kid you not, it was the most delicious cake we have ever eaten! The Cake Junkie has baked everything from wedding cakes, shower cakes, birthday cakes, cupcakes, and cake balls for us. They are the best of the best in Bryan / College Station, and we cannot speak more highly of their bakery. We absolutely love Angie....can you tell? :)
Click on the picture for the link.
5. It’s All About the Details
To make any event extra special think out the details! We added a few small touches to create a well thoughtout event. A few ways we added elements were these placemats using football scrapbook paper along with themed napkins. We went with paper goods for easy cleanup. We also bought these themed cups from The Royal Standard to support our Aggies.
We created football utensil holders that we made from treat bags and football stickers from Hobby Lobby.
We also made football fans using cardstock and ribbon to help guests stay cool in the Texas heat while watching the game.
Finally, we provided football and A&M koozie for guests to use while holding their drinks.
The final touch were these super, cute cheese and cutting boards with A&M and football sayings. This company will be launching soon, and we will let you know when they do. We have had the opportunity to see a few of their designs, and we love them. We cannot wait to share more soon!
We hope these five tips have inspired you to have your tailgate at home. We promise by following these easy guidelines, you will have a beautiful event that will be easy to throw together and enjoy time with friends cheering on your favorite teams.
Please share with us your pictures on Instagram @theoldrivernest. We would love to see our friends have a wonderful time tailgating!
All Our Love and Gig ‘Em Aggies,
Amber & Brooke :)