Make a space come alive with colorful paper lanterns, table linens and fresh flowers in bright shades. Design by Brian Patrick Flynn

If you're short on surfaces for serving, try this trick: Lay a hollow-core door or thick piece of plywood over evenly spaced sawhorses and cover with fabric. Design by Brian Patrick Flynn

Thank guests for coming by stocking a fabric-covered outdoor table with an assortment of small gifts like candles or bath fizzes and sweets. Design by Manvi Drona Hidalgo

Illuminate your party area with strings of lights encircling an umbrella, wound around tree trunks or run along cables suspended above partygoers' heads. Candle-filled or solar lanterns, placed on tables and at patio edges, are great alternatives if your home doesn't have outdoor electrical outlets.