Some super cute ideas from your mom. The straws are $4 for 20 and the paper plates are $7 for 12 at Shop Sweet Lulu.
http://www.shopsweetlulu.com/item/Party-Plates-Blue-Dots/40/c77

I also found some on ebay a little cheaper. From inkscissorspaper you can get just about any color or style. They charge $6.50 for 40 or $16 for 100.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/inkscissorspaper/m.html?hash=item4ab62d9002&item=320884019202&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&rt=nc&_trksid=p4340.l2562



Do you guys still have the old clothes line up? You could hang the chinese lanterns from there staggering them at diff heights.

 

Or MORE mason jars. I'd cover the inside bottoms with sand, pebbles or

marbles to help hold the candles in place.

Another idea to soften the edges of your screened in porch and
warm it up a little is to hang burlap just in the corners.

And what about those mason jar glasses, do you want to add
a stem? I've been working with an all purpose glue for another
outdoor project and the glue is clear and guaranteed to hold.

Some ideas for your party that we've used at R&R before. For extra seating you can use hay bales and place some burlap just over the tops. We did this at Sagamore Farms for an UnderArmor party and it worked out great. Just use some cheap twine to tie around the base and you're done. We have tons of burlap already cut if you like this idea.

Here the matterial is just tucked under

the bale twine. Burlap on the bottom

to match the pillows or a brighter or even darker

fabric would punch this group up a bit.

I have a lot of smaller pillows lying around

and they're easy, easy to cover.

Of course you know I like large galvinized pails filled with ice and drinks. R&R has several large oval pails for this.

Rachel told me you were thinking of using mason jars as drinking glasses, why not make this your party favor, I know, queer, but this idea still works even if you don't do favors. Similar to the eyelets you're using on the invitiations, why not do a small tag with the person's name on it. That way it's not just a favor, it keeps track of your drink. These tags are available pre-made, whoo hoo, and not expensive. Little bit more ribbon and you're done.

We also have paper lanterns in Tiffany blue and lots of other colors and sizes. They're battery operated and I thought they'd look nice hanging from your big tree out back. They're easy to hang with a little bit of thin wire or you could use fishing line. I'd hang lots.