Throwing an outdoor, end-of-summer party

Labor Day is almost here, and that means summer -- and outdoor dining -- are quickly coming to an end. But don't pack up the patio umbrellas and put away the grill just yet. There's still time to throw a Sept. 3 party that will make fall feel like it's far away.

Here, some of the area's top party planners, caterers and culinary consultants offer tips on how to put together a last-minute soiree.

There are ideas for those whose tastes run to the extravagant, those who are looking for something more affordable and those who want an eco-friendly edge.

AFFORDABLE FUN

Not all parties have to be lavish. For Polly Talbott, owner and director of A La Carte Culinary Services, which runs recreational cooking classes both in her Lynbrook facility and online, sticking to a budget was part of the fun when it came to creating this tabletop.

"My principle the whole time was, you usually have everything you need, and you just have to think and relax," she says. "I wanted a red, white and blue theme, and I knew I had red and white things because of Christmas. So then you have to give yourself a budget. It's easy to go overboard when you don't set any limits."

She used a red tablecloth she already had in her closet, and blue and white scarves twisted together that she streamed across the table. Then she got crafty. She wanted to make the party American-themed, so she decided to make stars. "I used star cookie cutters, which you could probably find in any housewares place, as a guide and made my own stars," she says.

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As far as flowers were concerned, Talbott found herself in a bit of a bind. "I just moved into this new house, so I didn't have any flowers in my backyard," she says. "I found these silk red, white and blue roses on sale at Michaels, and I just put them in a pitcher."

She also had star candle holders and candles left over from Christmas, and bought blue marbles from Michaels to fill them. She made a fan out of blue construction paper and a handle out of red, white and blue curly ribbon. "Then I pulled out the good dishes ... and I put napkins on top," she says.

Talbott didn't have to do a lot of shopping, but the few things she did buy were low-cost, such as American flags she purchased at Miller's Housewares and Hardware in Lynbrook.

In total, she spent about $25 for materials.

TIP Use good silverware and plates. "It upgrades everything, and it doesn't cost you anything," she says.

GOING FOR THE GREEN

Taking care of the planet and creating a lush, gorgeous party don't have to be mutually exclusive, says Cheryl Stair, who owns East End catering and event management company Art of Eating. Many of the natural, found and repurposed items on her tabletop are as beautiful as they are earth-friendly. "It all just started with a piece of driftwood," she says. "I took the truck down to the beach, and I found some large pieces. One of them seemed like it would work as a runner on the table."

Stair built around the driftwood. She bought the bamboo plates from an online source; the bamboo forks and knives are from a Long Island-based company called Bambu. "It's about proportion," she says. "The plate is an oversized rectangular plate, so I put something round on it. You have to just play."

The rest of the table is replete with nature's bounty. "There's some Queen Anne's Lace that's just flowing and moving, and it's living," she says. "The succulents are still alive, too, and they're inside conch shells I found on the beach. ... I even used old bottles that came from my home."

Stair says finding the things she uses is a process that often involves scouring antique stores, thrift shops and flea markets. She goes to White Flower Farmhouse in Peconic and Marika's Eclectic Boutique on Shelter Island.

Finding secondhand objects and outdoor materials aren't the only ways she reuses and repurposes. The tablecloth is a piece of burlap fabric, and she made the runner from fabric she found. "But you could use a sheet," she says. "It could even be a rug."

Most of the other items came from her own home. She spent about $30 for paperware.

TIP "You need light so people can see the food," she says. If it is too windy for candles, try house lights, light discs that can be put under things, torches and ground votives, or lights strung on trees.

EXTRAVAGANTLY ELEGANT

For Marc Miller, director of special events at East Hampton caterer Food & Co., extravagant doesn't have to be flashy. "With this party, we used the minimalist decor of the house, and set a steel gray table," he says, adding, "Just because a party is outdoors doesn't mean it can't be elegant."

Using high-end materials is also important when it comes to creating a spectacular table setting. "The quality of the materials we use matters," he says. He used white Irish linen for the tablecloth. "Use linen over cotton, use crystal over glass. Even for an outdoor party."

Giving your outdoor party an extravagant twist also involves a certain amount of showmanship. "It's about how everything is presented," says Miller. "You want the guests to say, 'Wow.' So, for silverware, we used actual silver. Then I used square black plates to offset the white linen tablecloth, and then steel gray napkins, and then a free-form silver napkin ring that, in this case, added a little whimsy and a little shine to an otherwise square table. Then I used stemless glasses, because I thought the height of regular stemware wouldn't have worked."

Also, make the centerpiece a real standout.

"My flower designer and I did a minimalist interpretation of a centerpiece that added a little bit of color to this otherwise neutral palette," he says. "We used pink roses and white daisies with a yellow center floating in water inside thin glass cubes. They were low, only 6 to 8 inches tall, so they came just above the top of the wineglasses. If your centerpiece is too high, you can't see the person on the other side of the table."

To re-create a table like this in your backyard, Miller suggests going to the same place the professionals go. "Anybody can go to a party rental place," he says. He uses Party Rental Ltd. in Bridgehampton the most. He also recommends stores such as Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma. "For elegant parties, I like Riedel wineglasses, and if you're shopping, I'd splurge on plates," he says.

Miller estimates the table setting for four would cost around $460 to re-create.

TIP "Always set your grill downwind of your guests," he says.