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How To Set The Perfect Table

A beginner's guide to a perfect Table

There is a certain craftiness when it comes to setting a table.

Every detail has its purpose, every utensil its rightful place, and it all comes down to a beautiful unison once you’re finished.

Setting a table properly, especially if you’re hosting an official dinner or just want to fancy things up, is the basis of a good, food-centered event. It might seem like rocket science at first (why are there so many forks?!), but it’s actually quite simple.

After you learn all about it, you’ll see that it just makes sense.

If you’re one of those people wondering how to set a table the right way, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to guide you through the process in this article.

Where to begin?

The very first thing you’d want to think about is your color scheme. Pick something that fits the spirit of your event. Choose your flatware, plates, glasses, and napkins accordingly. One tip to up your game is to use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.

Next, plan out your meals. This step is extremely important as it will dictate the way your table is being set. Figure out how many courses you’re going to serve and what they will be. This is your blueprint for the table.

Now, there are a few foundation rules, and some that can be broken. There are also differences between formal and informal table settings. The good news is, both follow the same basic rules.

Before we move forward, there are several different utensil types you need to know about.

Let’s break them down:

  1. Forks – Salad fork, fish fork, dinner fork, dessert fork, and an oyster fork. The oyster fork is the only fork that goes to the right instead of the left side.
  2. Knives – Fish knife, dinner knife, and a butter knife. The butter knife is set on a bread plate which is placed above the forks.
  3. Spoons – Soupspoon and dessert spoon.
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How to set a table for a formal event

Start by placing a charger plate and the plate your first meal will be served on in the middle. Charger plates come in various colors and designs and are equally great for decoration as they are for serving. Between meals, remove the used plate and replace it with the one your next meal will be served in.

Next, with your course plan in mind, start placing your utensils. Knives and spoons always go on the right side of the dinner plate, while forks go to the left. The secret to utensil placement is to organize them in the order in which the meals are being served, with the first ones to be used is placed furthest from the plate. As the meals move forward, the matching utensils get closer and closer to the plate.

As for dessert, there are two options. You can have the dessert dinnerware set on your table from the get-go, in which case the spoon faces left and the fork right, placed above the dinner plate with a dessert plate right above them. The second option is to bring them out when dessert time comes.

Moving on from utensils, we get to glassware. You’ll need three glasses. One for water, one for white wine, and one for red wine, placed in that order from left to right, set above the knives and spoon.

To finish up, place your napkin either to the left of the forks or in the middle of your plate and you have yourself a fancily-set table!

How to set a table for an informal event

All the basic rules still apply. Dinner plate goes in the center, the knives and spoons are to the right, the forks to the left, with the napkin resting next to the forks or on top of the dinner plate.

The difference here is that you can skip out on the charger plate and the number of glassware you need goes down.

To set a table for an informal event you’ll need your plate in the center, a salad fork and a dinner fork to the left with a salad plate on their left. To the right, a soup spoon and a dinner knife.

For glassware, you’ll need a water glass and a wine glass on the right, accompanied by a coffee or tea cup placed next to the wine glass. If you’re serving desert and want your utensils set out from the start, place the desert spoon between the soup spoon and dinner knife, and your dessert plate above the dinner plate. A bread plate and butter knife keep their place at the upper left corner.

And, there you have it! The mystery of how to set a table has been demystified! As a parting tip, don’t think that you need all of these utensils no matter what. If you’re not serving soup, skip out on the spoons, and if you’re not having oysters or fish, those utensils don’t get placed either.

 

Don’t lose yourself in all the formalities though and remember to actually enjoy your event!  Having a good time is way more important than a fish fork anyway!

 

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