Summer Party Hostess Gift Ideas

With summer looking quite different this year, many of us won’t be traveling the way we usually do. During the summer, Edwin and I usually fly around visiting friends and family in California, Jackson Hole, Nantucket, Sag Harbor, and some times New York City and Colorado. This summer, we are still traveling a tiny bit to see family but not at all like we usually do. The nature of travel is looking a lot different too with people taking a lot more road trips instead flights and a lot more people traveling regionally and domestically instead of internationally.

To avoid exposure and the spread of COVID-19, I know a lot of us are seeking out travel destinations with lots of space where it is easy to social distance or are staying with family and friends. If you’re taking a trip this summer and staying under a friend or family member’s roof, then it’s best to be prepared with hostess gifts in hand! Whether you’re attending a casual backyard bbq at a friend’s house instead of a big party out at a bar or whether you’re staying with loved ones while traveling instead of at a hotel, hostess gifts are necessary and so very appreciated! I’ve created this guide for the best summer party hostess gifts that I know your hosts will love and cherish or use right away this summer!

P.S. Slightly unrelated but if you do happen to be looking to travel to a hotel instead of being hosted by friends or family and need some guidance thanks to the state of the world with COVID, then tap my sister. She’s a travel advisor and beyond knowledgeable, talented, and creative! More on her & how she can help here.

Summer Party Hostess Gift Ideas

Summer to Summer: Houses by the Sea Coffee Table Book

This beautiful new coffee table book from Jennifer Ash Rudick, Summer to Summer: Houses by the Sea, was just released earlier this month so I can almost guarantee the hostess you are shopping for doesn’t already own this book. This coffee table book is a dream because it is oozing with gorgeous photographs of some of America’s most sun kissed summer homes. If this description doesn’t sell you, then I don’t know what will… “Whether ultramodern or hundreds of years old, every one of these summer houses is brimming with idiosyncratic style.” Swoon.

Sugar Paper Guest Book

I adore a guest book! It’s special little treasures like guest books that give homes so much character and history. I think any chance to mark an occasion is a must, even if it’s just by jotting down a simple memory and date in a guest book! This Sugar Paper Guest Book is simply the best hostess gift because your hostess can make use of it this summer to mark backyard parties or visits from beloved houseguests.

LouLou Baker Family Cookbook

I love this Family Cookbook from illustrator LouLou Baker so much! Edwin’s grandmother had a treasured cookbook full of handwritten family recipes and her personal illustrations and doodles to go along with. One of Edwin’s aunts scanned it and made copies for the whole family and it is a staple in our kitchen. One of my aunts has put in the leg work of assembling my grandmother’s southern home cooked recipes into word documents for my family as well.

Edwin and I cherish all of these recipes, which is perhaps why I’m so taken with this Family Cookbook as a summer hostess gift. This book has a fun, colorful hard cover and 100 blank pages so you can handwrite in or print out and save all of your favorite recipes and reference them for years to come. You can scoop it up in the Over the Moon shop. Your hostess will love this! Bon appétit!

Williams Sonoma Marble Cookbook Holder

We picked up this marble cookbook holder this spring and are obsessed with it. It looks so pretty displayed on a kitchen countertop and is actually incredible helpful. When we’re cooking a recipe at home out of a cookbook, we simply prop it open in the holder and easily reference it all evening while cooking. In my opinion, there isn’t a hostess out there who wouldn’t love this cookbook holder from Williams Sonoma.

Brightland Alive Olive Oil

It’s never a bad idea to walk into someone’s home with a bottle of wine in hand but I also love the idea of mixing it up and gifting a bottle of beautiful olive oil. In my opinion, olive oil falls under the category of fantastic hostess gift ideas because it is something everyone needs and uses but something people might not want to spend a little extra on. Brightland olive oils have a cult following for a reason! Made with hand-picked heirloom Coratina olives and harvested early by a master miller onsite, this olive oil from Brightland is smooth, bright, sharp, and full of polyphenols and antioxidants for an overall well-being boost. I don’t know about you, but I’d be thrilled to see a guest walk into my home with this olive oil in tow. You can pick this olive oil up at my favorite, Terrain.

Winc Wine Subscription

Another inspired way to mix up the old bring a bottle of wine as a hostess gift tactic, is to gift your summer hostess a Winc wine subscription. You can gift a 1, 2, or 3 month subscription and your hostess will be able to choose his/her preferred wines from a list of highly curated wines masterfully selected by Winc. Their wine will then magically appear on their doorstep! What fun! P.S. If you decide to go the tried and true, old school route and just bring a bottle of wine instead, I can promise you that you’ll never go out of favor, ha!

Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit Blueberry Biscuits

Oh boy there are few things as satisfying as walking into a kitchen drenched with morning light and infused with the smell of freshly baked Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits. These blueberry biscuits have my name all over them. I can’t get enough of summer berries! Send these ahead to a hostess you are visiting and enjoy them while on your trip or bring them along to a summer gathering this summer. Your hostess will 100% text you later when he/she is baking them to thank you!

Southern Baked Pie Mixed Berry Pie

I can personally attest to how delicious Southern Baked Pies are and how sweet the owner of the company is (she’s as sweet as her pies!). The Southern Baked Pie Mixed Berry Pie is a summer staple in our house. I’m telling you, it’s all about the summer berries! If you order this pie now, it will still arrive by the Fourth of July… just saying!

Jenni Kayne Maple Wood Bowls

These Jenni Kayne Maple Wood Bowls are simply gorgeous! They come in three different sizes: small, medium, and large. The beautiful maple wood and simple, understated design of them allows them to blend perfectly into any hostesses kitchen. They are the most beautiful salad bowls I’ve seen in a long time. If you’re thinking about gifting one of these bowls to a hostess this summer, make the gift a little more personal by jotting down your favorite salad or salad dressing recipe on a notepad paper and slipping the recipe into the bowl. An A+ hostess gift!

Estelle Colored Glass Wine Glasses

Estelle Colored Glass makes the most divine glassware around. You’ve heard me mention their products before on here because I’m just obsessed! I actually just gifted their cake stands to some wonderful women in my life who showered me and our baby-on-the way. All of their glassware makes for the most perfect gifts. I just love their stemless and stemware wine glasses.

Emma Bridgewater Blue Star Mugs

I recently discovered Emma Bridgewater through my girlfriend Nan (who has the most impeccable eye) and fell in love with her designs, particularly her mugs. These blue star mugs just scream out summertime to me as they make me excited for July 4th and make me dream of long lingering summer nights spent outside under the stars. I also think these ladybug mugs and these buttercup mugs are pretty perfect.

Lace, Grace, and Peonies Marble Coasters

How precious are these blue floral marble coasters from Lace, Grace, and Peonies? I’m a massive proponent of coasters because I hate investing in nice or antique furniture only to find rings on it later. So, when I saw these sweet blue floral coasters, I knew I had to have them! I also adore these nautical whale coasters and these sailboat coasters. All the marble coasters from Lace, Grace, and Peonies make for the perfect little hostess gift.

Cailini Coastal Finger Coral

It’s always nice to add a new touch to a coffee table or a bookshelf. Hostess gifts can be the perfect excuse to help someone do that. Cailini Coastal has a few nautically inspired items that I think make for the perfect gifts for hostesses by the sea including this gorgeous finger coral, this chambered nautilus shell, and this nautical knot door stopper (we have a similar one in our guest room and love it!). Coral and large shells can be shockingly expensive so I love the affordable price points of these! P.S. I just learned about Cailini Coastal from my friend Mackenzie! Cailini Coastal is a new online storefront that is donating 100% of the proceeds from their first six months in business to Family Promise, a national non-profit that helps low-income families and families experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.

Chappywrap Coral Reef Blanket

I am a longtime fan of Chappywrap blankets, which frequent readers probably already know as I mention them a lot and use their blankets throughout our house. You might also remember this post that tells more of the adorable mother daughter story behind the brand! Anywho, when I saw their new summer collection launch this week, my heart skipped a beat! I think these blankets are the best crowd-pleasing hostess or house warming gifts around. This new coral reef print blanket is adorable!

Sarah Bray Bermuda Seashell Place Card Holders

I included these Seashell Place Card Holders in my Mother’s Day Gift Guide but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include them in this summer party hostess gift ideas guide because they might just be the cutest item on the internet right now! I think these seashell place card holders are the epitome of a dreamy seaside soiree or dinner party. They are perfect for the hostess who loves to set the table and loves the tradition of place cards.

Amanda Lindroth Batik Block Print Placemats

These Amanda Lindroth batik block print placemats are done in the most beautiful shade of blue. When I look at these, I can’t help but dream up all kinds of different tablescapes I could set with them. If you are gifting a hostess this summer who loves to set the table, then these are for her.

The Avenue Cheery Blossom Napkins

I adore the ladylike beauty of these cherry blossom napkins from The Avenue. They’re fitting for the Fourth of July for a departure from stars and stripes, but they also lend themselves beautifully to a blue and white scene sure to make for a stunning summer suppertime.

Business and Pleasure Co. Beach Umbrella

Is it just me or is it shocking how much beach umbrellas can cost? That’s part of the reason I love the Business and Pleasure Co. beach umbrellas so much. They come is the cutest prints and are a few hundred dollars less than other cute and comparable ones I’ve seen around the internet. This blue and white India block print beach umbrella is what memorable summer beach days are made of.

Business and Pleasure Co. Cooler Bag

We honestly use our cooler bag so much in the summer months. A cooler bag is kind of one of those things you never want to spend money on but then when you do, you can’t remember how you managed before without one. We take ours to the beach, on boat days, to friend’s backyards, and use it in our own yard. Edwin also takes it with him when he fishes for an hour or two here and there in the evenings. Cooler bags are so useful so they make for wonderful hostess gifts. They can be cute too as with this navy stripe color bag.

Business and Pleasure Co. Sling Chair

Summer is the season of sling chairs! This ‘Le Basque’ print sling chair is TOO cute for beach days, lake days, or your own backyard. Gift one or two of these to a hostess you’re staying with this summer and I promise they will get non-stop use!

Weezie Towels Beach Towels

My love for Weezie Towels is no secret (as seen recently here and here). In addition to their bath towels and robes, I simply die over their beach towels. Why do I love them? For starters, they are BIG. I love big beach towels. They are also super absorbent, come in the prettiest colors, and they can be personalized. I have last summer’s style as seen on Martha’s Vineyard here but I love this summer’s colors just as much!

KNC Beauty Eye Masks

KNC Beauty is a pretty new-to-me brand discovery. I learned about the brand within the last month and immediately became hooked when I tired their eye masks. They are so incredible and receive such rave reviews because they are all natural retinol infused eye masks. Nothing will rejuvenate your under eyes more. If you’re gifting a beauty loving hostess this summer, then this little gift is for her!

Society Social Green Tea Bath Salts

Made of mineral rich salts from Australia’s natural rivers, these bath salts are sure to sooth sore muscles and dry skin while relaxing the body. After hosting out of town guests or hosting a party, there is nothing better than indulging in a warm bath. Gift your favorite hostess these green tea bath salts to help her relax after her hosting duties are wrapped up.

Mi Golondrina Embroidered Headband

Mi Golondrina is a brand I simply can’t get enough of! Remember the dress I wore on my birthday? This embroidered headband makes for the perfect hostess gift for the hostess who wants to keep dressing up this summer, even if she’s spending time at home.

Beau & Ro Face Masks

Beau & Ro is one of my favorite brands (as seen in this springtime post!) so I was thrilled when the owner/designer, Sara, released her own face masks this summer! Sara is a dear friend so I’d love these face masks no matter what but I really do just adore all the fun prints she’s designed her masks in. Beau & Ro is making wearing a mask not so bad. Add one of these to a summer hostess gift for a surefire hit!

Sara Fitz Notepads

Sara Fitz products and designs make me daydream away about Nantucket in the summertime. For your Nantucket loving hostess or the hostess who starts every day with a to-do list or a grocery list, gift one of Sara Fitz whimsical notepads.

Felix Doolittle Anemone Blossoms Stationery

Felix Doolittle is a paper company that my mom turned me onto. They make the most beautiful personalized and non-personalized stationery sets. A great hostess is someone who inherently loves a good thank you note. So, why not gift your summertime hostesses some beautiful stationery like this anemone blossoms set.

Grace Rose Farm Bouquet

Grace Rose Farms grows the most stunning roses ever. They constantly have a range of stunning in-season roses to choose from and always have seasonal bouquets available too. Nothing brightens a home like fresh flowers so a beautiful bouquet from Grace Rose Farm is the perfect hostess gift idea!

While summer 2020 isn’t what we all expected, I hope you’re enjoying the season and looking forward to what the season holds ahead! Cheers to safe summer gatherings and travels and to having the most inspired summer party hostess gift ideas of the season!