Setting a Table For Any Occasion

Unless you live like a hermit and eat take-out every day, you are going to want to have people over to your house and entertain once in a while. One of the most important aspects of having people over is food, and having a good meal means not only having a nice dinner set, but the proper dinner setting in which to dine. In this article we will be exploring the world of the “table setting”, and how to set a table for almost every occasion.

Here are the basics with which you can start. Depending upon the type of dinner party you are planning, you can add to these basics.

a) Determine how many people you are going to be having over. You will need one place setting for each person, so make sure that they have their own space around the dinner table.

b) Place the dinner plate in the center of the place setting. Everything else will go around the focal point of this dinner plate.

c) The flatware (i.e.: fork, knife and spoon) will be arranged around the dinner plate in the order in which it will be used. The fork is placed to the left of the plate, while the knife and spoon are placed to the right. The knife is placed right next to the plate with the cutting edge pointed inwards. To the immediate right of the knife is the spoon.

d) Next comes the glass for water. Place this directly above the knife.

e) If you have napkins available, place them under the forks.

If the dinner party you are planning is informal, you can just start with the basics and add to them. Here are a few pointers:

a) If you are going to serve a salad, the salad fork is placed to the left of the dinner fork that you laid down during the basics.

b) If you happen to be serving soup, set the bowl directly on top of the dinner plate, and place the soup spoon to the right of the spoon you laid down during the basics.

c) If you have salad or bread and butter knives, they go directly to the left of the forks. If available, a butter place is placed above the dinner plate with the butter knife placed on top of the butter plate.

d) The cup and saucer go directly above the spoons. The cup handle is pointed towards the right. If you have wine or water glasses they go to the left of the coffee cup.

You have now graduated to the most elaborate setting of all…the formal dinner setting. Don’t worry, we have you covered. Just build on the informal dinner setting which in turn builds on the basics. Here’s what you need to know:

a) You will need separate wine glasses if you are serving both white and red wines. Wine glasses should be placed next to the water glass (which is in turn placed to the left of the coffee cup).

b) Beverage, soup, or dessert spoons should be placed to the immediate right of the knife. Alternately, they can be brought to the table when the soup or dessert is served.

c) A centerpiece is always nice. Look around for an appropriate one, or if you are artistic you could craft your own.

That’s it. You’ve done it! Sit back and admire your dinner set and all your great work. Looks nice, don’t you think? Now all you will need is to cook up some great dishes, and open the front door. If you need help in selecting the proper dinner set, check this site out. Let the party begin!