Karyn Millet and Jeffrey Marks entertain guests at their alfresco dinner; Los Angeles, Calif.

Dining Alfresco (102)
Karyn and Jeffrey are best friends and talented, creative professionals who know how to set the stage for a great party. It's the food that provokes anxiety... Event designers Alexandra and Eliot Angle create a menu so simple the fear of cooking disappears, and Karyn and Jeffrey bring the dinner outdoors for an Italian-inspired evening complete with fruit-infused wine.

• If the guests know each other well, then dinner parties work well, but it's also good to mix it up.
  
• If you've invited more than eight guests, use place cards and make floral arrangements low enough for them to see over for conversation.
  
• When buying fish, calculate half a pound per person.
  
• When buying sliced meats, allow 3-4 pieces per person.
  
• Cymbidium orchids will last for weeks if placed in water rather than floral foam.