Formal Dinner Table Setting

Formal dinner table settings are an important part of pulling off a special event. Formal tables do not have to be a stuffy affair, but there are certain rules to setting a formal table that will make enjoying the meal much easier.

The placement of the plates, cutlery and glasses is the most critical thing to pay attention to when setting a formal dinner table – in fact, taking your time with these things is what takes your table setting from casual meal to formal affair. A formal dinner setting is sometimes formidable for dinners, and even more so for the person setting the table. If you’re intimidated by this aspect of a formal setting, just remember that the set-up is supposed to be functional and make it easier for you to serve your meal and spend time with your guests.

Here is what you need to know about getting the setting just right:

Start first with your plates. The number of plates you need depends on how many courses you are serving and how the food will be served. The dinner plate should always be on the bottom, unless you are using a charger for decoration, in which case that should be under the dinner plate. The plates then should be stacked on top of the dinner plate in the order they will be used. Consider for instance that you are serving a soup course, a salad, and a main course. On the bottom, you will have the main course/dinner plate. On top of that, you will have a salad plate and on top of that you will have a soup bowl.

One difference to this rule is if you plan to serve each course pre-plated and set the plates down in front of your guests already on the plate. In this case, you should have a charger/base plate in place, and then put the pre-plated course on top of that plate, clearing each course before you deliver the next one.

As your guests are facing their plates, the cutlery should be set up so that they move from the outside inward during each course. In other words, the knife and fork or spoon they are supposed to use during the first course should be on the outside and the silverware for dinner should be closest to the plate.

The forks should be to the left of the plate, as you are facing it, and the knives, teaspoon and soup spoon to the right. Sometimes the dessert cutlery is placed at the top of the plate, but that is a matter of personal preference.

As you face the plate, the glasses should be at the top right. The water glass should be the largest glass and the closest to the inside. To the right of the water glass should be the wine glasses, if you are serving wine. If you are pairing wine with each course, you can have a few glasses on the table, or you can opt to remove glasses and serve the next one as you move through the courses.

The bread plate and butter knife should be at the top left of the plate. The butter knife should be placed across the bread plate.

The napkins can be placed to the left of the forks, under the forks, or folded or in a napkin ring and placed across the top the dish stack.

Even if the dessert utensils are placed at the top of the plate throughout the meal, the dessert and coffee are usually served separately after the dinner dishes are cleared. This opens up the option of serving dessert and coffee in another room. However, if you do opt to keep the coffee cups and sauces on the table during the meal, they should be behind the wine glasses.

Remember of course that formal dinner settings are a great chance to pull out your best china and crystal. Last but not least, if setting a formal dining table is overwhelming, remember that the most important part of pulling off your formal event is making your guests feel welcome – no matter where you end up putting the salad fork!

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