The Ultimate July 4th Party Planning Guide

I'm going to guess that my plans for the weekend sound pretty similar to yours: fire up the grill, invite over some friends, and start pouring margaritas. (Sorry, just not a beer girl!)

But the best part of any party may be the fun that comes in planning it. What sides are you going to serve, or better yet, what are you going to serve them in? What kind of Yankee Doodle decor are you coming to use to decorate?

To streamline your party planning, we've put together the ultimate July 4th entertaining guide.

Check out our photo gallery that pulls together all of your party planning essentials, from the hammock where you'll take your food coma snooze to patriotic serving dishes, perfect for any tabletop.

To help you decorate, Laura picked out her four favorite easy DIY tabletop crafts. The first one -- star-shaped placemats -- are super simple and very festive.

Erin is in the mood for a margarita-themed Fourth. She serves up some of her favorite accessories -- including a Target margarita set that's less than $25 -- and shares her favorite margarita recipe.

Another great idea: Instead of the usual red, white and blue decor, why not try decorating in only one of those colors? Here is a guide to decorating in all-white, all-red or all-blue.

For dessert? I fell for these July 4th-themed cupcakes over at The Frosted Cake 'n Cookie. They're simply adorable.

Happy 4th everyone!