Everything You Need for a Classic Crab Feast

Set the Scene:

For the cutest crab place cards around, use a stencil to trace the shape onto cardstock. (We like this classic blue shade.) Make sure to cut a rectangular tab at the crab's belly, which you can fold back so the place cards stand on their own. Then pen your guests' names in pretty script.

Serve this: Simple Boiled Crabs with Garlic-Vermouth Butter

Use either Dungeness or blue crabs for this recipe. The tangy butter serves as a fantastic complement to the sweetness of the crab meat.

RELATED: 39 Mouth-Watering Crab Recipes

Get the Gear:

Our plan for this party? Serve crabs on enamelware platters and place colorful colanders down the table for guests to dispose of shells. Outfit the table with plenty of wooden mallets so everyone can take part in the cracking.

Serena & Lily Teak Garden Table, $1,298

Office Star Thonet Stle Red Metal Side Chair, $240 (for a set of 2); terrain Backyard Horseshoe Set, $138

Leo's Dry Goods Crab Dinner Napkins, $48 (for a set of 4); Fox Run Crab Mallet, $2.49; Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. Enamelware Bake Set, $99 (for 5 pieces)

Reston Lloyd Calypso Basics 3 Qt. Enamel Colander, $26; Blue Rooster Trading Oval Rattan Tray, $56