Dinner parties are great, but they can get pricey fast. Invite 15 people over for a four-course meal with beverages, and you're looking at a hefty price tag – all of those ingredients add up! The old-fashioned practice of throwing potluck parties, where you ask each guest to bring a dish to share, fell out of favor in recent years – but we think it’s time to bring it back. Potluck parties are a fun way to enjoy a feast for a large group, try new things and save money all the while.

'Stylish potluck dinner' isn’t an oxymoron. You don’t have to pile a bunch of mismatched dishes covered in checkered cloth on the table if you’d rather not go that route – you can make it as casual or sophisticated as you want to. Here are some tips for organizing a green potluck dinner that fits your entertaining style.

How To Potluck It: Food

Often, the host provides the main dish. Decide what you’d like to center the meal around – say, burgers on the grill or a big pan of lasagna – and ask your guests to bring something that goes well with it.

You could also simply choose a theme or type of cuisine, like Italian or Indian. While you shouldn’t dictate the exact dish that they bring, you should assign them either an appetizer, side dish, dessert or beverage so you don’t end up with five trays of macaroni and cheese and nothing else. Be sure to ask a few guests to bring something vegetarian or vegan, so non-meat-eaters have options.

How to Potluck It: Decor

If you’ve got Martha Stewart tendencies and want everything to look elegant despite the casual theme, you can re-plate the guests’ dishes on your own serving platters, but this certainly isn’t necessary. It’s unlikely that anyone will care if the dishes don’t match – after all, they’re there for the food and company! Just be sure to have plenty of serving spoons, since guests rarely bring their own.

Of course, you don’t want to run out and purchase a bunch of disposable napkins, cups, plates and utensils. Borrow some from a friend so you have enough, or hit up the thrift stores. A great way to come up with a lot of cloth napkins without spending too much cash is to simply cut up a secondhand tablecloth or sheet. Hem the edges if you like, or just leave them raw as long as they’re not fraying.

How to Potluck It: Invites and Organization

Since potlucks involve food preparation, it’ll be easiest on your guests if you send out invites well ahead of time. Don’t bother wasting paper – electronic invites are the way to go! You don’t even have to design one yourself – check out all of the potluck-themed electronic invitations at Evite.com. Pingg.com has lots of  gorgeously hip, fun designs too if you want to try something new. Using an electronic invitation service will also keep all the details of who's bringing what fairly organized, and partygoers (and the host) will know how many people are coming and therefore how much food to make.