I've used mosquito coils (small box, coleman or ozark in camping aisle at walmart) for 30+ years. We light them just before dusk, setting them all around the areas of yard we'll be in. I fill the little metal buckets from candles with dirt and stick broken sections of coil in, like sticking an incense in. The coils come with little stands, but there are never enough and we usually end up breaking the coils when trying to remove them from package. Just be sure to place them in safe spots where kids and critters won't bump into them. I put the buckets up beside canopy legs or garden statues where people are not walking through. They are cheap and one box will last a long time, especially if you are just doing the broken pieces. My yard is surrounded by national forest and we pretty much live outside in the summer. For us, dusk and D. are the bad mosquito times. Once it gets full dark, the mosquitos are gone....possibly because we have a health moth population. We also use christmas lights and torches for lighting as they don't attract the bugs.
Enjoy your party!
Deb Wright