Host a Spectacular 4th of July Rehearsal Dinner Party

July 4th themed wedding party ideas

Greet summer with a bang with a wedding rehearsal dinner that honors the 4th of July! The weather at this time is perfect for celebrating al fresco. So we envision a fabulous outdoor venue such as a poolside deck, a country club lawn, a grouping of tables on the edge of a golf course, or the veranda of a beach-front house. Or to go really American, perhaps even a tent on an actual baseball field!

The ambiance would be that of an elegant buffet-style barbecue party that’s casual yet stylish. The scene would be decked out in the old red, white, and blue with starry accents and touches of glitter and sparkle. The key is to not go overboard, but rather to keep the decor well-chosen and tasteful!

Set Up a Party Tablescape With a Bang

July 4th theme party table setting
Bead-encrusted votive holders are a great way to bring party-time sparkle to your tables. Then, add some stylized starburst accents to mimic 4th of July fireworks!

Set the elegant mood of the rehearsal dinner with a mostly-white tablescape. Provide touches of red and blue, highlighted with candles and glittery accents. Here are several easy decorating ideas:

  1. Add a red or blue-colored runner down the center of the table. Tip: Many party supply stores also carry 4th of July party runners or place mats with a patriotic theme.
  2. Embellish the drinking glasses with festive charms made of red crystals and blue ribbon.
  3. For charming centerpieces, prepare tall glass vases each with a band of red, white, and blue ribbons tied around them and simple white flowers inside like carnations or daisies.
  4. Bring in candlelight through simple tealights in glass votives decorated with red and blue glass beads.
  5. Scatter all-silver confetti stars throughout the table top for a glittery look.
  6. And for a final festive touch, use red and blue paper pinwheels as chair adornments or to line the walkway leading to the party venue.

Add Crafty Details that Make a Statement

4th of July theme table decorations
Craft your own patriotic napkin rings by cutting stars out of red felt board, and trimming them with matching red sequins!

These festive red star-shaped napkin rings with sparkly sequins add that perfect sparkle to your table decorations. Lay them out together with your place settings on a crisp white table cloth with white napkins and navy blue dinner plates. You can then tell guests that these creations are theirs to keep as the take-home favors!

Serve an All-American Buffet

Now that you’ve set the “classy barbecue party” look on your tables, the buffet spread is where you can offer up everyone’s 4th of July favorites! Plan a mouth-watering menu, like this one recommended by the team of chefs at Food Network (all recipes provided here):

  • – seared steak with chard salad
  • – turkey burgers
  • – crab cakes
  • – nacho dogs
  • – tangy potato salad
  • – red cabbage slaw
  • – butterscotch sundaes
  • – lemonade

For desserts, tempt everyone with chilled treats like cherry-flavored gelatin topped with whipped cream or yoghurt; or simple strawberry ice cream cones garnished with blueberries. Or you could wow guests with more fancy choices like these (recipes provided here):

  • – fruit tart flag
  • – red, white, and blue trifle
  • – cream cheese and pecan-stuffed strawberries

And for party beverages, serve summery options like:

  • – refreshing fruit coolers
  • – red-tinted sodas
  • – watermelon-lime freeze pops
  • – sparkling soda water infused with grenadine
  • red, white, and blue cocktails (served with blue Pop Rocks on the glass rim!)

Surprise Guests with Fun Take-home Gifts for Guests

It isn’t a must to give guest favors at a rehearsal dinner, but it would be a nice gesture! Prepare something fun and festive, like boxes of sparklers, bottles of red, white, and blue soda pop, lollipop swirls, or bags of saltwater taffy. Or give boxes of red, white, and blue iced cookies marked with the couple’s initials or the date of the wedding.

4th of July Party Decor Ideas from Some Creative Blogs!

In case you’d like to try other looks for your rehearsal dinner, we couldn’t resist sharing these two great party set-ups with such heartwarming 4th of July styling!

4th of July picnic table ideas

How can you not get all patriotic with this delightful picnic-style set-up designed by The Style Sisters? Aren’t those denim jeans utensil holders, tin cups with star cutouts, and red-white-and-blue berry rings just adorable?

July 4th bbq party ideas

Check out, too, this inviting 4th of July BBQ party styled by Kara’s Party Ideas. An actual fresh watermelon is filled with juice and fitted with a spigot! Then, a tiered stand displays cupcakes with fun patriotic toppers, while a starry tin bucket holds utensil-and-napkin sets. So clever and cute!

More blog finds with great 4th of July party ideas

  1. A patriotic patio party from Thoughtfully Simple
  2. A 4th of July tablescape from Simply Creative Insanity
  3. Red-white-blue venue set-up from The White Petal

21 comments

  1. this is so patriotic and festive. i love the stars + stripes! xo, chrissy.

  2. Thanks, Chrissy! So many great ideas to share. 🙂

  3. Yes! I’m bookmarking this for sure!! thanks again! xo, chrissy.

  4. Great Tips!!! It’s a huge wedding weekend and these ideas will really help so many brides, thanks for sharing!!!

  5. So glad you like our ideas, Elaine. If couples find them helpful for their July wedding socials, we’re happy!!!

  6. Love the denim ideas. The wildflowers bring some rustic to the Americana, which goes really well together. I’ve been liking patriotic more lately! I think people are doing it right and choosing more carefully like you say to do.

    I am in LOVE with those votive holders! They look dipped in sprinkles! SO MANY APPLICATIONS POSSIBLE!!!

  7. Hi, HiLLjO — We love those denim touches by Style Sisters, too! Would work great for a cowboy, farm, or teen party theme as well, don’t you think?

    Yup, those bead-encrusted votives can be made to suit any theme–just choose the right colors! 🙂

  8. Such a great collection of patriotic ideas! Thank you so much for linking up to my Red, White, Blue & You Link Party! I’m honored to have you party with me!

  9. Thanks so much for stopping by, Michelle! We’re actually quite new to the whole link party thing, so we’re always thrilled to get feedback from the party hosts or from others who’ve linked up, too. Cheers!

  10. Thank you for highlighting my fun 4th of July ideas on your blog! It is so fun to see my pihotos so nicely displayed on your blog. I have a couple of new Ideas on my blog right now for the 4th of July so come on by.

    Thanks again!
    Karin

  11. Those denim napkin holders are so unique! Cute!! Thanks for linking up!

  12. Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

    Great ideas! Thanks so much for sharing at All my Bloggy Friends – I can’t wait to see what you share this week!

  13. Love this! Would love to have you share your post at our Ladies Only Blog Share link party. Our theme this week is summer! Visiting from What’s Shakin’ hop!

    http://mommifried.com/ladies-only-blog-share-link-party-funtastical-summer/

  14. Hi Karin! We’ve actually loved your 4th of July tables ever since we stumbled upon one you did a couple of years back. Your charming “berry” napkin rings were the clincher for us. They’re so pretty!

  15. Thanks so much for stopping by, @Honey We’re Home! 🙂

  16. Thanks so much for your kind comment, Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes! We’re new to “link party-ing” and finding it lots of fun!

  17. So nice of you to stop by, Crystal! And we will definitely find a project to link up to your Funtastical Summer party. 🙂

  18. Love all the 4th of July ideas!

    Thanks for sharing on the BeBetsy BRAG ABOUT IT. We’d love it if you link back to BeBetsy. -xo

    Sharon and Denise
    Fashion | Food | Beauty | Out & About | Morning Coffee

    Follow us:
    Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Bloglovin ~ Pinterest

  19. Love these ideas!! Thanks so much for linking up with us at our LOBS party! Pinning this now!!

  20. Thanks so much for hosting, BeBetsy! We’re quite new to the whole link party thing…so we’re just finding how fun it is. 🙂

  21. Hi Michelle! We’ll be linking up more of our projects, now that we’ve found your fun party. Thanks 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.