Once a summer, my friend, Marina, has us over to her family's house in the Adirondacks. I always look forward to this visit as they are the ultimate hosts. It's an old fashioned house party, the kind you usually find in Merchant Ivory movies, filled with interesting guests and creaky mattresses. After a day spent waterskiing with her Uncle Jim or simply reading the paper on the deck overlooking Lake George, I feel the world melt away. Saturday night is always dress up night, with the guests dressed in a range from full fledged flowy gowns found in the local flea market to jeans and an old seersucker jacket pulled out from the back of a closet. They play Fred Astaire on the phonograph (okay, really the ipod) and serve dinner under the stars at a long buffet table dotted with mason jars filled with wild flowers. Sometimes, Marina whips up a gourmet meal and other times she picks up some buckets of KFC's finest. What I always remember from these weekends is the feel of summer at it's fullest. A place to truly kick back, relax and let my hair down.

And because, I only make it there once a summer, I have started to copy these parties just about anywhere. Be it in a city apartment or a backyard, the essentials of this party are a free spirit and casual elegance. Enjoy.

Tags: Lake House, Theme Party, Summer Party Supplies

Picture: herzogbr