Well, I’m officially 27, and I had one heck of a two-week birthday celebration. The festivities started with a trip to Charleston, SC for SBSCon, continued with an abundance of fun on the 4th, and officially closed with an epic 27th rendition of my annual summer pool party. Not only do I have wonderful friends who make me fancy caprese bites and buy me miniature watermelon cakes, I have an innate desire to plan/host/enjoy parties, especially when pool floats, flamingo candles, pink foil balloons, classic cocktails, and plastic pineapple party cups are involved. Keep reading for some of my favorite summer pool party ideas that have proven to be huge party pleasers!

Since I live in Florida, the party gradually migrated from covered, partially air conditioned patio mingling to outdoor barbecuing to immediate pool floating in an attempt to avoid melting in the summer heat, a process which began literally the second we left the breezy range covered by ceiling fans. Even though I’m pretty sure the temperature exceeded 100 degrees on this particular Sunday Funday, we really couldn’t have asked for better weather. Because hydration was of the essence, I made sure to have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage stations. I decided to get crafty and make a colorful party photo backdrop with hot pink, lime green, and white streamers, and it turned out pretty darn well. If you’re in a time crunch and/or don’t have the energy– or domestic prowess– to create carved and/or lacquered, Etsy-worthy photo props, I highly suggested giving this tape-streamers-to-a-large-foam-board tactic a try!

For the patio table decor, I wanted to keep the bright summer vibe consistent and went with white tablecloths, gorgeous yellow lilies sent from S in DC, playful accessories from Swoozies, and a tropical Lilly Pulitzer-esque setting. My bff Ashley Brooke actually gave me these precious Lilly for Target glasses for my birthday, and they obviously fit in effortlessly with my vibrant tablescape vision.

Every party needs a good signature cocktail, especially when you’ve got adorable Lilly for Target cocktail glasses to fill, so this year I opted for deliciously fruity Frozen Peach Old Fashioneds using American Honey Bourbon and a mixture of fresh and frozen peaches. This recipe (here) will put of all your stereotypical frozen drinks to shame– sorry not sorry, margaritas. Also, I made sure I had super manly shot glasses out and available for all the boys who refused to drink out of anything designed by Lilly for Target– and also for anyone who wanted to enjoy a fresh taste of American Honey Bourbon straight up.

So what would prompt us to willingly leave air conditioning? Food, duh. After the majority of the guests arrived, we moved the party outdoors for a poolside barbecue, complete with pink foil number balloons and luxury paper decor from Etsy.

 In addition to traditional barbecue cuisine provided by chef master Mike, Ashley prepared amazing caprese bites (full recipe here) and chicken salad croissants, Rianna brought the most adorable spread of watermelon and watermelon-themed sweets (be prepared for the world’s most adorable cake below), and Rachel made the most amazing pink frosted confetti cupcakes I’ve ever tasted.

How do you make a miniature watermelon cake even more adorable? Add a flamingo birthday candle. Who’s this random tall glass of water trying to steal half of my cake? My birthday buddy, physics fanatic, and longtime friend, Seanykins! Happy (also) 27th Birthday, Sean!

Since I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone breaking my new wine glasses by the pool, we transferred our Frozen Peach Old Fashioneds into these precious {and plastic} pineapple sippy cups. Again, since Florida is just plain hot– and fainting is the number one crasher of any summer pool party, we threw a plethora of water, San Pellegrino, and frozen American Honey deliciousness in a cooler to stay hydrated while we barbecued in the unrelenting summer heat.

And then there are my girlfriends– who, simply put, are the best of the best. And take the most adorable candid party shots.

I’m honestly not sure when/where/how my obsession with flamingos came about, but I’ve embraced the addiction with open arms– and over-sized pool floats. Y’all can find my awesome flamingo float, who was immediately nicknamed Fred, here. Side note: The phrase over-sized may imply 8+ boys are necessary to fully inflate. Solid team effort, guys!

And of course, no pool party would be complete without a refreshing party in the pool.

Words can’t describe how thankful I am– a sunny Florida summer, 27 years of life experience, and the best friends known to man. Already looking forward to my 28th annual summer pool party– not so much the inching closer to 30 part, but definitely everything else. For more fabulous summer pool party ideas (some of which I haven’t even tried yet), click here. Cheers to another great year!

_{This post is sponsored by Wild Turkey American Honey®.}