Who doesn't like garden parties? The Florida Keys are of course perfect. The lush tropical plants here provide a wonderful background for good times. It takes time or money, or some combination of the two, but with proper planning, it will become perfect.

First of all, although it seems that any month is a good time to host a garden party in the beautiful Florida Keys, it is not the case; especially at noon parties. Choose your month wisely. Any time between November and March is a safe bet-it's not that hot, and it may not rain.  

Ah, it's raining, it will ruin everything. Rent a tent. When you play with nature, hedge your bets. (There is a certain type of Murphy’s law that says if you don’t have a tent, it will rain, and if you have a tent, it won’t rain.) In this case, two 10×10 and a few ordinary The parasol did a trick. Mixing and matching chairs can be tricky, so you can also rent them. 

Borrow everything-especially the table. In addition to tables where guests can sit and eat, consider that you might also need a gift table, a beverage table, and a food table or two. Seriously, you can't have enough tables. Once you cover them with a tablecloth, the mismatch is irrelevant.

When it comes to setting the table, remember these three words, in order: borrow, frugal, and buy. 

Remember the table you borrowed? You can also ask your friends about plates, forks and real napkins. I bet something is loose on them. Add more than a dozen plates from friend A, match your sister and your own plates, and voila, the service of 36 people!

Please do not use paper plates (even fancy disposable plastic plates) and plastic tableware. You are better than that. There are two ways to provide real plates and cutlery and water glasses without breaking the bank. One, hit a thrift store. At the party in the picture, dozens of cups with different patterns are placed on the wine table, which looks very beautiful. Remember that ordinary glassware in a dollar store costs one dollar; therefore, to be truly frugal, look for glasses that are 50 cents each and that suit your look. 

It would be great if you can save on tablecloths, but it may be difficult to find the right number of matching or at least coordinated linens. The cost of renting a tablecloth is roughly the same as the cost of buying some beautiful tablecloths online, and the theme colors will tie the whole look together. Just buy it. Mix borrowed napkins with your own napkins, or buy new napkins.

Decorations separate women from girls, so think about it. The party depicted on these pages is a simple and casual event with matching decorations. Inexpensive paper dot garlands are paired with about a dozen floating "bees" tied to trees with transparent fishing lines. The bee design was found online and cut from thick paper using a Cricut machine. Colorful flags are added to the eaves of the tent made of grocery store paper bags and scrapbook paper, and the colors are coordinated. The bunting is completed with a seal bee. 

By avoiding the central decorations of the flower shop and purchasing plants from the nursery, then transplant them to the garden, thereby reducing, reusing and recycling. The ones in the picture are from Home Depot and are in bright purple plastic cans. They were wiped clean, centered on the label side of the ordinary dinner plate, piled with bright yellow papyrus. 

Especially when guests come with gifts, it is good to give out personalized swag. The tiny hexagonal jars and honey spoons were ordered online, the honey was purchased locally, and the labels were homemade. The display is achieved by setting a stacked 2×4 "bleacher". The gift can be very simple, such as a beautiful paper fan or a small potted succulent.

One last thing: brave. Show off a little style through some unexpected choices, such as bringing a living room chair to a distinguished guest, or dressing yourself up in a certain type of hostess outfit, which is just a small outrageous. We never regret the parties we organized, only parties we did not organize. So have fun, laugh, bath your guests with love and make it look easy.   

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Britt Myers / Publisher [Email protection] Office: 305.453.6928 Fax: 305.509.7347 5450 MacDonald Avenue, No. 5 Key West, FL 33040

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