How to Set a Dinner Table

Although it’s not an absolute necessity, setting a dinner table can be very useful when hosting dinner parties. Besides making your table look good, there’s another purpose to table settings. When tables are set correctly, they allow diners to use the right cutlery, crockery and glasses for meals. You don’t need to be hosting a formal event to set a dinner table, either. A beautifully set table will make an impression for casual dinners with friends, family meals and various other dining events. 

Setting a Dinner Table Correctly

There are three ways to set a dinner table - basic setting, casual setting and formal setting. The setting you use depends on the type of dinner you are hosting. For dinners at home with immediate family, you may want to skip the setting altogether or you may want to lay the table with basic items. For relaxed events, you can use a casual setting that covers the basics for a single course and dessert. For formal events, you would need a full table setting that covers multiple courses.

Basic

The basic table setting includes a placemat, cutlery (fork, knife, and spoon), a dinner plate, a water glass and a napkin. The plate is placed on the placemat in the centre, with the water glass above the plate to the right (if any of your guests is left-handed, it would be on the left). Your knife is placed to the right of the plate, the spoon is placed next to the knife and your fork is placed on the napkin. This set-up allows diners to easily start eating, with all utensils in the right position. 

Casual

The casual table setting includes the same items as the basic setting, in the same order. You will be adding a few more items. On top of the dinner place, you will first add a side plate and then add a soup bowl, if salad, soup, stew or similar dishes will be served. Just above the water glass, you will add a wine glass. 

Formal

The formal setting is a lot more complex and can be confusing. The layout is designed in the order that cutlery, crockery and glassware are used for each course. In the centre, there is a dinner plate and a soup bowl. Upwards to the left, there is a bread plate and a butter knife. The cutlery on the outside is used first. In a formal setting, a salad fork is placed to the left of the fork, on the left side of your centre plates and bowl. Salad is often one of the first courses, so this fork will be used early into the meal. On the right side, the soup spoon is placed to the right of the knife. Soup will often be served after salad so this spoon will be used before the main course. The dessert spoon is placed above the centre plate and soup bowl. For glassware, you first have your water glass on the upper right, with the white wine glass just below, above the soup spoon and the red wine glass in the upper right corner. 

It is important to note that tables should only ever be set for the meal you are planning. If you are hosting a formal dinner for a special event, you don’t have to use every single item listed above if you are only serving one or two courses. You don’t have to overthink things or get too caught up in the ‘rules’, either. When in doubt, start with the basic setting and add more items according to the meal you plan to serve. The table may look impressive with everything laid out but if you are not going to use every item, it will not be practical at all. 

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