July 4th Party Planning Guide: What The Internets Suggest

July 4th weekend looms right around the corner, and for those who are hosting their own parties, it could be a seriously stressful situation. How many guests? How much food? How many bottles of white? The list goes on and on. Don't worry, we're here to help. Many sites preach methods of how to make your weekend less insane and more enjoyable with easy, do-it-yourself ways to grill, drink, decorate, etc. But who wants to surf the web and gather all that information?  We do.  You can than us later.

Hors D'ouevres

More tricky than actually spelling Hors D'ouevres is knowing exactly what they should consist of. They are the opening act and really set the tone for the evening. If they're amazing, no one will have room for dinner, but if they fall short, no one will want to take a chance on the main course. Celebrations.com gives some of the most unique yet approachable ideas for Hors D'ouevres preparation and presentation, which when combined, make for an unbeatably satisfying result!

Grilling

Check out the NYT article on grilling for the holiday. It covers everything from how to grill fruit, veggies, fish,  and meat, and also how to prepare shellfish, salads, and the rest of your meal! Now we all knew it's not really July 4th unless someone is manning the grill, but we never realized how versatile the grill was until reading this article. You'll never plan another July 4th weekend (or dinner for that matter!) without giving this list a glance!

Cocktails

Hamptons.com covers the most patriotic of palette pleasing cocktails for your party. Easy to make and lovely to present. We can't wait to get our hands on one of these! But we all know that making drinks requires the art of improvisation. If these drinks seem to complicate for you, we urge that you stick with the basic. Some bubbly tonic and a summery garnish works wonders with the gins and vodkas of the world, but always rememer to have some juices in reserve (orange, grapefuit, cranberry, and pineapple for the complete juice bar) to take care of the rum and tequila folk. And remember, no good bottle of wine will ever go unnoticed.

Summer Desserts

Newsday impresses with its ideas for fantastic fruit desserts that are both patriotic and summer. Your party deserves more than a few cookies, so spice it up with fresh berries and homeade whipped cream. For those with barely the time to prepare dinner let alone think about dessert, a delicious pie from Briermere Farm and a few pints of vanilla ice cream will still be an incredible crowd pleaser.  Or, if you ask nicely, we may even share our secret Funfetti Cake recipe (shh!  don't tell anyone it's from a box!)

For your July 4th party, you can count on the fact that Guest of a Guest has brought you the Best of the Best from what we found floating around the interweb. Hopefully your independence day bash will live up to all of your (and your guests'!) expectations. If you have any other good tips to share, feel free to comment below - you can never be too prepared to party.

[Photo 2 via Celebrations.com, Photo 3 via NYT]