Set a Dinner Table

Whether you’re throwing a dinner party or having a few close friends over for dinner, you should provide a well-set table for your guests. A clever table setting will make the dinner flow seamlessly and provide easy clean-up of used plates. Follow a few general etiquette guidelines to set a beautiful table for your loved ones.

Steps

Arranging a Casual Dinner Table

1. Set a placemat on the table. Placemats protect the surface of your table from food and brighten up your dining experience. Make sure the edge of the placemat is about an inch away from the edge of the table. Choose a placemat that matches your plates and looks nice on your tabletop as well.
   • When in doubt, choose a simple white placemat.
2. Arrange your plate and napkin. A casual dining experience can include a soup or salad as an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert. First, place the large main entrée plate on the bottom center of the placemat. Next, place your salad plate or soup bowl on top of the main entrée plate. The napkin can be placed between the entrée plate and the appetizer plate or rolled up on top of the appetizer plate.
   • If you’re serving dinner rolls, place a small appetizer plate to the left of the placemat.
   • The dessert plates should be brought in with the dessert for casual dining experiences.
3. Place your silverware on the placemat. The forks will be placed on the left side of the plate and the knife and spoon on the right. Place the salad fork (if needed) to the left of the dinner fork and place the spoon to the right of the knife. If you want to set out dessert utensils, place them above the plate.
   • The sharp side of the knife should be turned towards the plate.
   • Only set the table with silverware that you will use during the meal.
4. Arrange your drinkware. Place the water glass above the knife on the placemat. If you’re planning on serving wine, place the wine glass to the left of the water glass and off the placemat. If you’d like to offer more than one wine, add other wine glasses behind the first in a triangle formation.
   • Most casual dining experiences only offer one kind of wine. If you have more than one kind of wine to serve, consider hosting a formal dinner instead.
5. Plan for your desserts and coffee. Set aside your dessert plates in advance. Once you’re ready to serve dessert, clear the dirty plates and distribute the dessert plates. If you’re serving coffee, you can either bring out the coffee cups and saucers with the dessert or place them to the right of the water glass at the beginning of the meal.
   • The dessert silverware can be brought in with the dessert plates or placed above the table setting at the beginning of the meal.

Setting a Formal Dinner Table

1. Lay the tablecloth and placemat. If you’re hosting a very formal dinner, spread a floor-length tablecloth over the entire table. Lay a placemat at each seat, keeping the edge of the placemat one inch from the edge of the table. Choose tablecloth and placemat colors that complement the plates and dining room.
   • When in doubt, use a white tablecloth and simple white place settings.
2. Set down a charger plate and napkin. A charger plate is a decorative plate for the other plates to rest on. Place the charger plate on the bottom center of the placemat. The napkin should be folded neatly and placed on the charger plate or rolled into a napkin ring and set to the left of the placemat.
   • These plates are decorative and therefore optional. However, many people believe that a table looks empty between courses if a charger plate isn’t used.
   • Never serve food directly on the charger plate.
3. Arrange your plates on the charger plate. Always arrange the plates in order of use. For example, if you were serving a soup, salad, and entrée, you would first place the main entrée plate on the charger. Next, you lay down a salad plate, followed by a soup bowl. Each piece of plates will be cleared away after use.
   • If you’re serving more than three courses, have each plate brought out and then cleared away after the course to save space.
   • Wait to clear the charger plate until it’s time to clear the entrée plate.
4. Set all other plates on the table. If you’re serving dinner rolls, set an appetizer plate over the forks and place a butter knife on top. If you’re serving coffee after dinner, you can either bring the cup and saucer out with dessert or set to the right of the spoons at the beginning of the meal. Similarly, the dessert plate can be brought out with dessert or placed above the plate on the tablecloth.
5. Arrange the silverware. The forks go to the left of the plate and the spoons and knives go to the right. Arrange the silverware outside-in, with the utensils you’ll use first on the outside and the ones you’ll use last next to the plate. The dessert fork should be at the top of the plate with the tines pointed to the right and the dessert spoon directly above it pointing left.
   • Each course should have at least one utensil. For example, a salad should have its own fork and a soup its own spoon.
   • The relevant utensils are cleared with each course.
6. Set the drinking glasses on the table. The water glass is placed closest to the plate. It should be followed from left to right by the wine glasses in order they’ll be used. For example, most people serve soups and salads with white wine and red wine with entrées. Therefore, you would place the water glass first, then the white wine glass, and lastly the red wine glass.
   • Glasses used for a particular course should be removed at the end of the course with the relevant plates and silverware.
   • If you don’t have room on the table to line up the glasses, arrange them in a triangle.

Displaying the Napkin

1. Roll your napkin in a napkin ring. Napkin rings can be found at home supply stores and boutique shops. You can also buy customized napkin rings online or Make Napkin Rings. Simply fold the napkin in half lengthwise, roll it up, and slide it through the napkin ring. The ring will keep the napkin rolled and beautiful.
   • While eating, place the napkin ring on the top-left side of your table setting.
   • The rolled napkin can be set on the plate or to the left of the placemat.
2. Fold the napkin flat. This technique is especially beautiful if your napkins complement your plates. Fold the napkin into thirds lengthwise to create a long flat napkin shape. Then, place the folded napkin on top of the charger and under the plates. The colors of the napkin will contrast pleasantly against the colors of the plates.
   • If the napkin is too long, fold the long flat shape in half to shorten it.
3. Create a napkin fan. Napkin fans add elegance and interest to any table setting. First, fold the napkin in half lengthwise. Next, fold the napkin into small sections like an accordion. Leave about three inches of unfolded napkin at the end. Fold everything in half with the unfolded section in the middle. Tuck the unfolded section into the back of the napkin and unfurl the fan.
   • If you have trouble creating a napkin fan, watch instructional online videos. Some people learn the folding technique more quickly if they can watch it done.
   • Place the folded napkin on top of the table setting.

Tips

• Fill the water glasses at the beginning of the meal to save a step.
• If you have the funds, hire a waiter to serve your formal dinner party. This will allow you to relax and enjoy the dinner along with your guests.
• Make sure the centerpieces won’t block the guests from one another.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Set a Table
• Throw a Progressive Dinner Party
• Bring Food to a Potluck Dinner
• Hold a Final Titanic Supper Dinner Party
• Seat Dinner Guests
• Create an Ice Bowl
• Contribute to a Potluck if You Can't Cook
• Arrange a Place Setting for a Formal Dinner
• Set a Table to Impress Guests
• Set a Table for a Tea Party

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