Whether it’s your birthday party or a wedding reception, finding the perfect place settings can be a challenge. It can be easy to discount plastic or paper plates because they have a tendency to look inexpensive. But, that’s where Smarty Had a Party comes in! They have the most beautiful and high quality DISPOSABLE party tableware.
Short story: I got engaged in 2019 and was planning my big, fun DIY wedding. Smarty Had a Party’s Harmony Collection plates and utensils were my #1 choice for my wedding reception. Now, Covid came around and threw all my wedding plans off track. I ended up with 10 people in a small ceremony in 2021. It was perfect. But, I get to use this collection in a different way now! I’m repurposing these gorgeous plastic plates for a fancy birthday party. Check out the five ways to style these elegant birthday party plates.
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The Harmony Collection Aesthetic
This collection is a full line of gorgeous (in my case) birthday party plates. But, you could use them for any occasion, like an anniversary, a wedding reception, or even a 4th of July or Christmas party! The options are endless. The Harmony collection comes in Blue & Gold White, Burgundy & Gold White, Gold & Ivory, Pink and Gold White. The sizing of plates available are both Dinner size (10.25″) and Salad size (7.5″). You can also add on or get a set that includes beautiful gold utensils and high quality plastic cups as well. Check out the pictures of all the pieces in the full set below.
I used the Blue & Gold white plates from the Harmony collection along with the beautiful gold utensils to style a few types of fancy birthday party plates in different settings. Check out some fun ways to use these plates with different placemats, plate toppers and chargers!
First Birthday Party Plates Styling: Multi-Color
It’s no secret (if you’ve read other posts on the blog) that I love color! And, you might be wondering how to take a blue and gold plate and add a bunch of color to it. So, what I chose was a multicolored and patterned placemat. It’s a blue, pink, and teal leopard print! (It’s from Hobby Lobby). Then I found a paper plate topper that is a floral print. That came from Hobby Lobby too. Finally, I paired all of this with a solid gold charger to bring it all together. You can find these at Michaels Craft Store, Hobby Lobby and more places!
The way you put this together is to layer, layer, layer. Start with your placemat and then your gold charger. The gold charger plays an important party. It acts as a separator between the two patterns (pattern of the placemat and pattern of the plate). Then place your beautiful Harmony collection dinner plate. Then, I stopped there and ended it off with the floral paper topper.
On the side, I added a gold scrolled paper napkin and the gorgeous gold utensils from Smarty Had a Party. This is the perfect fun, quirky, unique and still fancy place setting for any occasion. Watch the video below to see the styling!
You can grab your Blue & Gold Harmony Collection here: Dinner Plates, Salad Plates, Full Set
Second Styling: Modern and Worldly
This styling creates a more modern look and also only incorporates blue and gold. The placemat is a deep blue cutout with a Grecian flair. It’s a square shape too, which gives off a different look. I busted out the gold charger again, to help breakup the blue colors. This time, I added the dinner and salad plate. On top of the dinner plate, I folded a light gold cloth napkin. The edges are just tucked under the dinner plate.
You’ll notice in the picture that I purposefully staggered the gold detail on the plates so that they don’t line up. This creates visual interest and symmetry. I finally finished it off with a gold scroll paper napkin and the gorgeous gold plastic utensils from Smarty Had a Party.
I topped this place setting with a small food pick that says “cheers”. It’s he perfect sentiment for a fancy and modern setting of birthday party plates. This place setting styling still has a formal feel to it. So, if you’re having a dinner party, or even wedding reception, this would work perfectly! Check out the video below for the full styling.
You can get the Blue & Gold Harmony collection here: Dinner Plate, Salad Plate, , Full Set.
Third Styling: Fancy, but Simpler
This styling of the Harmony Collection plates is a bit simpler than our previous examples. But, it still feels dressed up! I started off with a thick square placemat. This placemat is from a store in the mall galled Z Gallerie. You can also purchase from them online. It’s a thicker, fabric covered board placemat. You can see there is a texture to the fabric, which helps bring visual interest.
Then I used a clear charger with a gold rim. It’s not as in your face glitzy, so it’s perfect for someone who wants something formal but not super glam. Then, add your dinner and salad plates. You can see below that I, again, staggered the gold scrolling to fill in all the available white space. I did also wrap the gold napkin around the dinner napkin, but horizontally.
Finally, you can add some paper napkins, folded in half diagonally on either side. This helps create beauty through symmetry. Or, you can skip the paper napkins altogether. I just felt like it brought a sense of formality to the place setting. Rather than using a plate topper, I placed the utensils in the middle of the plate to top the whole look off. They are a work of art on their own anyway! Check out the styling in the video below!
You can get the Harmony Collection here: Dinner Plate, Salad Plate, Full Set.
Fourth Birthday Party Plates Styling: Working the White Space
For this setting I brought out the white color, instead of focusing on the blue or gold. I did start with a round, blue woven placemat. I like the texture it provides, which contrasts with the smooth charger. This look is more neutral and focuses on a clean look. The charger is a white scrolled edge plate. I topped that with the dinner and salad plate from Smarty Had a Party. In between the two I folded a dark blue napkin over the edges of the dinner plate, to break up some of the whiteness.
I topped the whole thing off with a folded white and gold napkin. I folded it in half so that it creates a triangle. This way there was a different shape to create visual interest. I finished it off on the side with a second napkin and the beautiful gold utensils from the Harmony Collection. See the full styling in the video below.
Grab the Harmony collection here: Dinner Plate, Salad Plate, Full Set
Fifth Styling: Keeping it Simple
Maybe you’re looking to style these birthday party plates for an event that is less formal. This is the styling for you. I started with a traditional blue, rectangle placemat. It has a woven texture, but feels more like a vinyl material. For this setting, I skipped the charger altogether. I started with the dinner plate and then the salad plate. Notice I varied the placement of the gold scrolls so that they don’t line up with each other. This keeps the visual interest.
I finished it up with a folded napkin on each side. The napkins are tucked under the plate and have the points of the folded napkin pointing outward, away from the plate. I put the spoon on the left and the fork/knife on the right. That’s it! I wasn’t kidding when I said keep it simple! Check out the full styling in the video below.
Get your Harmony Collection here: Dinner Plates, Salad Plates, Full Set
Wrap Up Styling Birthday Party Plates
This collection, besides being an aesthetic I love for birthday party plates, is so versatile. This post goes through just 5 ways to style these beautiful plates. There are so many other ways to use them! Take your typical paper or plastic plates up a notch with this amazing collection. Either way, hopefully you got some inspiration from these stylings! If you want some more inspiration, check out my Pinterest Board for Table Settings. Happy Partying!
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