Set a laid back mood. A casual mix of serving pieces on the table—simple dishes set alongside elegant, highly detailed ones—can signal the party is not a formal dinner. Elaborately wrought flea-market silver can appear sculptural, not staid, when paired with clean white plates and plain glasses.
Event planner Matthew David Hopkins draws from the latest fabrics, tableware patterns to create four celebration styles for budgets ranging from stainless to silver elegance to spare