MAIN Home Life Entertaining Garden Party

As the warms in late spring and summer, there's nothing quite like an outdoor garden party to celebrate Mother's Day, a graduation, or to just give family and friends their day in the sun.

Make it special by sprucing up an otherwise casual backyard garden with real silverware, elegant tableclothes and, of course, oversized flower centerpieces and fruit bowls for splashes of bright, vivid color.

Like any good party planner you should expect it to rain, and have an alternative space inside where guests can party indoors. After all, there's nothing like being prepared for the worst to ensure it won't happen!

Send out invitations using downloadable clipart or garden photos, then set up any outdoor space decorated with fresh flowers (silk or paper flowers will do if a green thumb isn't one of your strong points,) terra cotta pot utensil holders, or a bright carved watermelon basket you can make yourself.

You don't need an enormous lawn with space for furniture. A small patio, city backyard - or any outdoor space with room for chairs and a group of people - can be a perfect garden party setting.

Send guests home happy with a keepsake favor flower seed packets, a fresh flower bouquet, or a satchel of home-grown vegetables from your garden.

Here are some ideas for themes, food and menus for hosting an open air graduation, tea party, spring Easter party, or bridal shower for friends or family, and more expert garden party planning ideas from around the Web - whether you're holding a simple buffet or a 7-course banquet ...

Oprah's Garden Party - There she is, holding court in a jazzy garden party hat with additional images in a photo gallery - and including a complete menu, recipes, tips and advice for party decorating, making the invitations, planning the menu and setting the table. You can check out her other ideas for summer parties, too.

Evite's Garden Party Tips - Evite provides more than just the email invitations and an easy way to manage the guest list. You'll find ideas for themes and activities as well as menu suggestions complete with recipes. Mint julep, anyone?

Outdoor & Garden Parties - Great ideas from Kraft with kid's birthday party advice, pool party ideas and more, with decorating and activity suggestions, printable invitations, tips for party favors and related recipes

Sunkist Home Garden Party - A printable checklist for planning, preparing, cooking, decorating and setting up your garden party with a link to related Spring Recipes.

Activities for Kids - Garden Party - Neat, one-stop browsing for fun do-it-yourself decorations, advice on party themes, recipes for food, drinks and dessert, craft and activity instructions, along with printable downloads and e-invitations to send.

Garden Party Bridal Shower Recipes - Ingredients and instructions for dandelion salad, dandelion fritters, cucumber gazpacho, with more on garden party bridal shower games and activities, and places to purchase related party favors online.

Perfect Patio / Garden Party - A short list of good tips on how to decorate your garden party using flowers as the focus, from aboutflowers.com.

"Seeds of Kindness" - A Christian Ladies Ministry has plenty of great ideas for a garden banquet themed party. The Christian motif runs through the ideas, but even if that's not your thing, the party ideas and links are first rate.

Must for Mums Garden Theme Party - Geared to 4-8 years olds, the ideas for foods, games, gifts and decorations will make planning an outdoor birthday or celebration a breeze for busy moms.