Your brother barbecues like Bobby Flay on Memorial Day. Gal pals, couples and mommy friends have invited your family to countless backyard soirées. Yep, it’s definitely your turn to entertain. Do. Not. Panic. There’s no need to spend weeks planning and prepping, hire a caterer out of desperation—or even light the grill. We’ve got an outdoor-party plan that’s low on fuss, high on fun and easy on the budget. Best of all, after you go grocery shopping, this party can be pulled together in less than two hours, start to finish—invites included.

You’re invited
Set the tone for this get-together with a juicy theme: citrus. Lemons, limes, oranges—zesty summer fruits that keep things cool on balmy summer days. To get this party started, log on to evites.com, select the lemon-lime design, fill out the info, and import your contacts. Invite anyone who has entertained you recently, then add to the mix: a few work friends, childhood buddies, a couple you’ve met recently, a few of your kids’ friends and their parents.

Setting up
Seating a table well can make the difference between a really fun afternoon and one that falls flat. Because the mood of this shindig is definitely casual, arranged seating will be a fun surprise that encourages guests to make new friends and engage in interesting conversation with people they might not talk with otherwise. Set up picnic tables in the center of the yard and top with white paper runners. Arrange bunches of yellow and orange gerber daises in old jelly jars. use disposable bamboo utensils and plates to set the table—they’re a step up from paper dishes and easy on the environment ($35 for a pack of 25 [11-inch] plates, plumparty.com). Place yellow, green and orange bandanas for napkins on top of the plates. write the name of each guest on a lemon, lime or orange and place on top of the bandana napkin. For the kids, spread picnic blankets out on the lawn and let them mingle and make a mess—sans a lot of adult supervision.

Food and Drink Stations
An optimal setup is one that encourages guests to mingle and roam. So arrange stations—one for drinks, another for salads, finger foods and dessert—to make the most of your backyard space and get people up and moving. Spreading out the spread also helps avoid bottlenecks and gives off a help-yourself vibe that puts people at ease. To help guests find you, give the kids orange, yellow and green colored chalk and send them to the driveway or the front sidewalk to draw a large colorful arrow and the word “party.” Other doodles will add to the chill decor.

Click here for station set up ideas and recipes