Country Living has a great section on their site for summer party ideas . . . and with the Independence holiday weekend quickly approaching, I knew I had to share with you some of the great photos and ideas. I thought they'd be perfect for a festive 4th party that might also be an engagement party or rehearsal dinner. The ideas could also be used for a backyard bridal shower or even a wedding.
1. Wrap sparkling water, lemonade, food jars, and soda bottles in pattern paper that is secured with double-sided tape. You can either make use of leftover pieces of gift wrap or wallpaper that match your color scheme.

2. I absolutely LOVE this idea. Anchor your tablecloths with pails of wildflowers - simply fill tiny tin buckets with flowers and about an 1/2 inch of water. Using a clip and string or narrow ribbon, tie and knot one end around the bucket's handle and the other end to the clip.
3. Using hibiscus syrup, which comes with the edible flowers - you can make 2 different drinks from the one ingredient. For one drink, the syrup adds a floral note and a red tinge to iced tea. For a second drink, you can add one of the hibiscus flowers to a flute of champagne.
4. A great way to keep bugs out of the side dishes is to serve them in single-serving lidded glass jars and then each guest receives their own individual portion.

5. Serve up a fun and unexpected dessert for guests with a simplified Sundae Bar. Pre-dip the cones in melted white or milk chocolate, then roll in goodies, such as tiny mashmallows, coconut, nuts, etc. Serve the cones with a selection of ice cream flavors that are chilled in a tub of ice. Guests then help themselves.

Click here to see all of Country Living's Summer Party Ideas