Essential summer party planner

Step 3: Accents & good-to-remembers
Decorating for an outdoor party is fairly easy. Much of the value-added ambiance comes from the great outdoors: the moonlit night, gentle breeze and summer garden. In addition to your food and drink, candlelight and music, you'll find that basic things like fresh flowers are all you need to set the mood.

Here's a checklist of final planning musts:
• Flowers: If you have a verdant garden, clip some blooms and arrange them indoors by your buffet, in the washrooms and on tabletops in conversation areas. Stick with small arrangement so they don't crowd out glasses and plates.
• Extra candles: Don't run out!
• Scented indoor votives: Essential for the bathroom.
• Plates and glasses: Basic white side plates are available everywhere (including the dollar store and party-rental centres) and match any theme.
You can dress plates up (only if desired!) by placing a large leaf in the centre. Make sure the leaf is edible and chemical-free. Nasturtiums are a common garden plant that fits the bill, or you can find frozen banana leaves at Asian or Central American grocers.

Basic wine glasses from IKEA are inexpensive, suitable for wine as well as water, and can be reused at all your parties (unlike disposables). Keep the cardboard boxes they come in and stack them under the table and between parties.
• Designated helpers: Enlist buddies to help take care of basic tasks (keeping ice buckets topped up, relighting candles, moving dirty plates a couple times a night) so you don't go nuts.
• Child's play: Kids welcome? If so, say so on the invite or e-vite. TIP Consider hiring a couple of responsible teens to supervise the kids upstairs so the parents don't have to hover.

If you want a grown-ups only event, don't beat around the bush: A simple "We love kids, too... But for safety's sake, this cocktail party is adults-only" sends the message politely.
• Invitation list: Always invite more people rather than less if you want a busy, humming party!

Read more in Food & Entertaining and Party Planner