The bird or roast is in the oven, sides are prepped and the charcuterie is arranged. Now it’s time to set the table! But… does this fork go here or there? And what side does the bread plate go on again? We’ve got you covered with this ultimate table setting guide.
First things first, let’s review a few helpful, high-level tips.
Plan ahead. The table you will set depends on the meal you will serve. For instance, if you aren’t serving soup, well… then there’s no need for a soup spoon! You don’t want to have any extra utensils on the table that your guests won’t need to enjoy their delicious meal.
Napkin placement. It’s common to imagine that your utensils will be arranged on top of a folded napkin. Though, you may want to steer away from this setup. Guests commonly will place their napkin on their lap upon sitting down for the meal. If the silverware is on top of the napkin, this means they have to move all the silverware to get to it. Solution? Fold it nicely and place it on top of the charger plate.
Name tents. If you want an extra personalized touch to your table, add tents with your guests names printed or written on them. This is a lovely gesture that makes your guests feel extra special.
Your charger plate is at the center of your setting. As your dinner is served, the serving dish atop the charger will change as the course carries on. For instance, you may start with a salad plate, move on to a soup bowl, bring in the dinner plate and finally end with your dessert dish. The charger is the consistent foundation of your setting, always staying in place as your meal progresses.
As mentioned earlier, place your cloth napkin on top of the charger. Here’s a YouTube video teaching different ways you can fold your napkin to impress your guests even more!
Next, set knives and spoons to the right side of the charger with the blades facing in and set forks on the left side of the charger. The only fork that can be placed on the right side is the cocktail fork, which can be stationed inside the soup spoon.
Place the bread plates to the left of the place setting, above the forks. Don’t remove them until the dessert course! Your guests may like to enjoy bread with all courses served through dinner.
Stemware is set above and to the right of the dinner plate. The water glass stands above the dinner knife, white wine to its right, and red wine top center.
There you have it! Save the image in this article to your phone for easy finding when you’re about to set your holiday table this season.
