Planning a Yard Work Party!

One color or mark to indicate removal.
Have sunscreen on hand.
You can get some bandanas to hand out as party favors - they are great sweat rags and if people wet them before tying on their heads they can help keep them cool.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/western-bandanna-assortmen...

http://www.orientaltrading.com/neon-bandannas-a2-15_17-12...

Have a dumpster to collect debris.
People will need a way to wash up from working before lunch or dinner.
The nice thing about pizza is you can have it delivered so you don't have to do the cooking and clean up is easy.
Other picnic foods or KFC or Boston Market works well, too.

stick with just your family volunteers.

We do a Work Day for my Mom for Mother's Day each year. She makes a master list & we work from it. By the end of the day, all of her chores are completed....the new bedding flowers/mulch is in....& her yard is instantly beautiful!

Couple of thoughts: as others have mentioned....stick with just labeling what you want removed. Plan for disposal of all debris. & be sure to supply plenty of soap, towels...sunscreen....& have a 1st aid kit handy! Lots of lawn chairs would also be great! & a canopy if you don't have any shade.

Well before the Yard Party, identify each plant/shrub/etc. Make sure you don't have any poison ivy/oak/etc present! Also check online or with your local nursery as to the best/optimal time of the year to prune what's in your yard....the ones you want to keep. Honestly, I'm thinking fall would be a better time to do all of this work!

& as for food: we always stick with light, protein-filled meals for our work days. Sub sandwiches are handy. Vegie/fruit trays, chips, & lots of drinks make a difference. Cookies are always popular, too! Good Luck!

I would not go with different colored tape for keep and get rid of. Just tape what you want to get rid of. Otherwise they will forget which color is which and take out something you wanted to keep. Keep it simple, you see a color it must go!

Definitely have lots of snacks, various types of beverages, sunscreen, hand wipes/sanitizers, bug spray, and a big first aid kit. If possible, have some music, too. It's ok to invite close friend too, if you are willing to return the favor for them if/when they move or need yard help.

Finally, definitely plan an "enjoy our new yard" picnic or barbecue social event within about a month of the yard-work party for your family and friends to come over to enjoy your new backyard.

Maybe an E-vite if indeed a lot of people say that they want to come help.

Red ribbon for plants you DONT want, Green ribbon for plants you DO want. EDIT - I changed my mind. I think marking just the stuff you want GONE is good. I read answers below and that seems to make sense.

Plenty of BEER and ICE and TEA and WATER and SODAS and GATORADE. When my dad and/or husband have been working outisde, the first thing they want is an ice cold beer.

Lunch could be sandwiches and chips, maybe pasta salad that you could make ahead of time. Dinner should be something more hearty on the grill maybe - sausages, burgers? Or pulled pork sandwiches (that could be cooking in your crock pot all day while you are working).

Other things to consider having on-hand or asking people to bring:
sunscreen, hats, work/gardening gloves, bug spray

I think having trashcans ready / labeled "trash" "recyclables" "compost" would be helpful as well.

PS - I love the bandana idea. We have a Hobby Lobby here that sells a variety of colors/styles. But I've also seen them at Walmart.

Also make a list of suggested tools you will all need. saws, clippers, tree trimmers, ladders, ropes, Wheel Barrels. shovels.etc..

Make sure you have lawn bags etc..

Keep some Popsicles in the freezer and every few hours offer them.. This is a good kids thing to do with a wagon with a cooler filled with cold things to eat or drink..

Sounds doable for your family.. If you ask or invite friends, be prepared togo and work in their yards soon.. If it were me, I would put it on my FB page and say.. We are having a big yard work day.. If you would like to join us, we will provide lunch and reward you with a big BBQ dinner that night.

Lunch Sandwiches with chips and fruit salad.

I suggest a BBQ Dinner, but we are in Texas and it is not a big deal here to have a brisket smoking, and then throw some chicken parts on there at the end..

You can make a pot of beans while you are all working.. and make potato salad the night before. Dessert/ Ice cream..

I would also suggest you go ahead and hire a person to haul stuff away that late afternoon.. or decide on the spot you are going to burn all of it at some point.. That way everything will be completed and cleaned up on the same day.

I think it is great that you have family who offered to help. I would keep it at that because I wouldn't dream of asking my friends to come work in my yard.

Family is one thing, plus they offered.. friends are another. I would not send out invitations to friends unless you are ready to spend time helping them with some project at their home, whatever it is.... you'll be obligated.

I know you want to save money and I appreciate that but can you afford to hire some teens who are looking for work to help out? I agree that you should have someone ready to take everything away at the end of the day so the job is complete and no eyesore is sitting waiting on the city pickup.

As for food, I would have something relatively light such as a platter of sandwiches from Costco, or Chick Filet platters,KFC, and lots of fruit. If you want to prepare the meal, make sure you do it ahead of time because the people working on your yard will expect you to be out there working with them.

Cool idea but I'd stick with family or hire teens.

So nice you have willing and able family members!! I like your idea of a cute party invite, do an evite, I would giggle if I got it! I also like B's suggestion of "party favor" bandannas, too cute!! Hobby Lobby also sells bandannas for like $0.95 each and have like 10 colors.

As far as food, I agree to have it delivered or at least order some big party trays from Costco or something. They have good sandwiches and amazing cakes for only $17.

You could make a list of all the chores needed to be done so that if someone is done with something they can refer back to the list. You could also go so far as to assign people jobs, which may not be a terrible idea if you have a lot of heavy labor that can be done by some of the heftier people and some of the trimming and weed pulling, mowing, etc done by the others.

Get a big board you can write all the things to be accomplished so you and hubby don't waste all your time trying to direct people.People could even sign up for an activity when they get there so they can see who they are working with. Sub sandwiches and cold water/beer are perfect for dinner. No one will want hot food after sweating all day - at least I wouldn't!

With all the 'parties' I've been invited to, where upon arrival I'm expected to spend $100 on a cooking dish or laundry tote, I can't think that inviting friends would be any tackier. At least this 'party' will only cost them sweat. That said, I would probably only invite very very close family friends who you know for certain won't take offense to it.