You Need These Instagrammable Paper Plates For Your Next Gathering

In partnership with Sophistiplate.

Y’all… I have to be honest. We’re friends here, right? Having people over for dinner stresses me out. We had around 20 people over for a Friendsgiving last year and while it was so much fun, the logistics of hosting, preparing, and cleaning up had me visibly stressed. When it was done, I remember looking at my husband and saying, “That was fun, but next time, we are doing paper plates.”  

While I realized that meant my table would likely be an eyesore, I was ready to trade aesthetics for ease. I lucked out, however, when I came across Sophistiplate, a new tableware brand making disposable dinnerware that actually looks good. Like, really good.

In: Dinner Parties, Out: Doing Dishes

It’s clear that 2023 is the year of the dinner party. After several years of not gathering in others’ spaces, it seems the collective agreement is that we’re eager to share time around a table with friends and family. As is the case with many of our favorite brands, Sophistiplate was way ahead of the trend.

Sophistiplate was founded in 2015 by Gary and Dan Seehoff in response to heaps of dirty dishes post-Thanksgiving dinner. This dynamic father-son duo already knew the power of a well-set table and created a better way to skip the dishes (while still enjoying a beautiful table!). Sophistiplate focuses primarily on picture-perfect paper partyware (say that ten times fast) that is sold in sets to make hosts’ lives easier.

Minimal Prep, Maximum Aesthetic

Had I known about Sophistiplate for Friendsgiving, I also would’ve done way less stressing about the way the table looked. Ordering from Sophistiplate is insanely easy. I selected 3 sets for upcoming dinner parties that we’ll host: Timeless, Moroccan Nights, and Sunflower (each of which is $9.50 per Setting). The Capri Coast and Honey Bee sets ($9.50 per Setting) also caught my eye. Next time.

Update: TQE Readers can use the code TQE15 for 15% off any order.

Each set is thoughtfully curated with premium paper. Most sets come with a set of designer dinner plates, a set of salad plates, dessert/appetizer plates, paper guest towels, cocktail napkins, cutlery, baking cups, and cocktail toothpicks. You’ll find some other fun surprises in other sets, like the Sunflower Set, such as a reusable pitcher and funky pink plastic wine glasses that you’ll catch me using all summer long.

All of my sets arrived quickly and safely to my door in one delivery. I could hardly wait to see the sets in person – I busted the packages open within minutes of them arriving.

Effortlessly Elevated

Before the sets came, I sent the Timeless set link to my sister who also regularly has folks over for dinner. She texted back that she couldn’t believe they were paper! When they arrived at my door, I had the same feeling. Yes, you can tell after closely examining the thickness that they’re paper, but the design and shape are so unique to paper products that you’d never guess at first glance. These aren’t your everyday paper plates; they’ll seriously elevate your next gathering and wow your guests.

Beyond just looking good, Sophistiplate has thought of everything to make your life easy and make you look like the world’s most put-together host. Without a ton of warning, I got the chance to have folks over for dinner and used my new sets. My table has never looked better. We had steak and veggies with chimichurri and admittedly, the forks struggled a little bit. They are plastic, after all! Minding what you serve (as you would with any other plastic flatware) will help alleviate this, though.

I plan on reusing a lot of the set, too. The silverware and cups are all top-rack dishwasher safe, meaning you can just rebuy the disposables and do it all again for the next party, whether it’s a formal affair or a “just because” casual party. If the only dishes I’m doing after a party are the silverware and cups, then it is a darn good party for me. Being able to invest more time in people instead of doing groty dishes is something I won’t forget about this party.

The Timeless collection is giving us grandma’s fine china vibes with blue and white floral designs framed in a gold foil trim

Less Mess, Way More Fun

There’s something really special for your guests about a well-set table. I’m not talking about whether you put the fork in the right place; I mean that guests notice and feel served when you take care of them. Sophistiplate’s sets are an incredibly simple, no-brainer way to make people feel cared for while they’re at your house – and to me, that is priceless.

5 More Reasons to Love Sophistiplate:

1. Sophistiplate has a table setting for every occasion. From birthday parties to Mother’s Day to baby showers, your next occasion just got a whole lot easier – and more stylish.
2. The fun doesn’t stop at table settings; the brand has expanded into barware, serveware, and baking supplies, as well.
3. Whatever happened to a good sale section, anyways? Sophistiplate has a sale section of its website that’ll score you sweet deals for your next party.
4. Don’t just take our word for it (OK, well, we hope you do!)... Sophistiplate landed itself on Oprah’s Favorite Things list in 2022.
5. The reviews are in (and phenomenal!) – the brand boasts 900+ 5 star reviews on their website!

TQE Readers can use the code TQE15 for 15% off any order.