How To Set a Formal Table
Okay, so, here’s the truth: I don’t actually care how you are supposed to set a formal table. I typically only use one utensil to eat all of my food, so, I don’t see the need to have multiple utensils at the table – I’m just not that kind of girl…and lots of you aren’t. Now, the problem is, when I do need to know how to set a table, I can’t even remember what side of the plate utensils should go on! Ah, the simplicity of it, and yet, still so complicated for some reason – and embarrassing to boot if you don’t get it right for the right situations. There’s always that one girl who knows – and she knows that you don’t know! Even though this isn’t my standard operating procedure for every day, I’ve come to realize that now that I’ve dabbling in more gourmet cooking, as I’m about to get married and have people over to my new home, this is something I definitely need to become more acquainted with. This is what I’ve learned…
First, choose an appropriate table cloth. A white linen tablecloth is a fine choice for covering your dining table. Any color tablecloth will do but a white one signifies cleanliness and elegance. It also makes the silverware and the dish ware stand out better. Your napkins should match the color as well as the fabric of the tablecloth.
Next, decide on how many guests are going to attend your dinner, and have the appropriate number of silverware and dishware pieces on hand. Your silverware should be a complete set and ideally the patterns on all of the pieces should match. Your dinnerware should also be a complete set of china or crystal. Do not try to put together odds and ends of different sets can create a broken effect. For those of you who prefer a more eclectic or whimsical look, you can mix and match patterns but make sure the texture and colors coordinate both with each other and with your linens.
To set your table with a formal, traditional look, every piece of silverware and each piece of dishware has its distinctive spot on a formal dining table, and must be put in its proper spot. A service plate, or charger, may be used as the anchor for each place setting. Start with the largest plate which is the dinner plate. It is placed in the center of each place setting. The soup dish is then placed in the center of the dinner plate. Next, place the dinner fork to the exact left of the dinner plate, with the salad fork to the left. Up above the salad fork, and to it’s left, place the salad plate. Directly above the dinner fork, the bread plate with the bread knife horizontally across it. To the exact right of the dinner plate, place the dinner knife, and position the soup spoon to it’s right. Now, right of the soup spoon is where the coffee cup and saucer are placed. Directly above the coffee cup, place the wine glass, with the water glass placed a little above it and to it’s left. The napkin is folded either in the empty water glass, or on the dinner plate. Last, the dessert spoon is placed in the center above the dinner plate.
Add a centerpiece, usually consisting of a flower arrangement, and your formal dining table is complete. Keep in mind that the centerpiece should be low and not obstruct the view of each dinner guest. Now you can serve gourmet food to your guest on your elegant table.
Now I know this picture isn’t exactly as i descibed for the formal place setting but this is a more non-traditional look that is still formal and elegant. This is a perfect example of how a put together table can make all the difference. It also doesn’t hurt to have some of that gorgeous china displayed. I saw this pattern on Simplicity Gourmet’s web site. For everyone who likes to host formal dinners I hope this helps.
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