Summer Entertaining: 4 Ideal Summer Parties and Advice on Making Them Your Own

Impromptu Get-Together

On summer weekends, Jen Denney loves to be outside with her kids. As the day's activities wind down, neighboring parents and kids sometimes gather on her front lawn. Denney, a caterer and director of sales for Ridgewells catering company in Bethesda, says her ideal gathering is when she and her husband, Colin, invite the neighbors in for hamburgers on the grill and cold lemonade.

"Entertaining is all about keeping relationships alive," Denney says. "So I love it when people decide to have a party just to spend time with one another."

The setup: Keep things as comfortable as possible. Move throw pillows outside onto lounge furniture. Roll out a weatherproof rug, and light an outdoor fireplace. "It's not just a temporary eating space, but it's about letting your back yard become more of a conversation area," Denney says.

On the table: Atop a white tablecloth, set mix-and-match flatware and decorative plates.

Quality tip: Stay away from anything disposable. "When you have disposable, it conveys a certain less-planned feeling to your guests. You want the people there to feel special because they were invited to your home," Denney says.

Casual vibe: For additional seating, spread blankets on the lawn for kids to eat and play on. Plan some "old-fashioned fun, like a game of croquet," Denney suggests.

Buffet With Many Friends

Tara Riceberg pictures her musician friends playing their instruments in her back yard. Amid the tunes, the chatter of old friends mingles with the tones of those meeting for the first time.

"A buffet with a ton of friends" would be at the heart of her ideal outdoor party, says Riceberg, a designer and stylist who owns the L.A.- and D.C.-based company Tweak. "I think people are just more carefree and relaxed when they are outside," she adds. "My philosophy is the more, the merrier, and that includes children."

Budget tip: Use bedsheets on the tables and champagne buckets as planters. "I just can't stress [enough] the beauty of bedding as tablecloths," Riceberg says. "You don't have to send them to the dry cleaners; you just throw them in the washer. And you can get creative because some run for less than $20." On her buffet table, she would use a king sheet as a base with a decorative twin sheet on top.

Serving pieces: Do everything in silver. If you don't have enough silver platters, wrap an extra tray in aluminum foil to create the same look. Set out classic-style cafeteria trays for guests to make the buffet line run more smoothly.