Ideas for Dinner Party Place Settings

• Delight dinner party guests with decorative place settings.Marsel Van Oosten, Squiver/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Make dinner party guests feel welcome with eye-catching place settings. Decorative table place settings are a simple way to infuse a party space with festivity. Charming place setting décor can as work double-duty thoughtful party favors. Consider the party theme or color scheme when choosing perfect place setting decor.
  
  

Summery Settings

• If you're hosting a dinner party on your porch or patio, or if a party has a summery theme, create fresh-looking place settings. Use sunny décor to set the stage for a warm-weather soiree. Choose crisp white or sky blue ceramic plates and fold new yellow bandanas near each one as picnic-inspired napkins. For simple and vibrant name cards, write each guest's name on a whole lemon using a black marker and set the citrus fruits on top of the plates. Plant culinary herbs that correspond with the meal being served, such as cilantro for Mexican or basil for Italian dishes, in small terracotta pots. Set one potted herb by each place setting; guests can use them during the dinner and take the pots home as favors.
  
  

Tea Party Table

• Design a garden tea party-inspired table using a mixture of delicate patterns and fresh floral touches. Start by covering the table with a handmade vintage tablecloth. Give each guest an antique porcelain floral-patterned plate featuring a gold rim. The plates don't have to match as mismatched patterns will lend a charming, homespun flair to the table. As creative votive candles, place small candles inside sweet, flower-designed tea cups, which guests can take home as party favors. Fill bud vases with single stems of sweetheart roses and set one by each place setting as well. Vintage embroidered handkerchiefs or scarves make creative napkins or placemats.
  
  

Autumn-Inspired Decor

• When hosting an autumn dinner party, set the table to reflect the season. Treat Thanksgiving or fall birthday party guests to a harvest-inspired place settings. Set antique amber- and green-colored salad plates on top of scallop-edged white dinner plates. As a rustic alternative, stack tin salad plates on top of rust orange or pomegranate ceramic dinner plates. For napkins that work double-duty as place cards, write guests' names on squares of linen material featuring burlap-inspired weaving. Fold the linen squares into napkin shapes and write each guest's name on them using gold or copper-colored fabric paint. Set the napkins on top of the salad plates. For a casually elegant look, set a white mini pumpkin by each place setting.