How to Set the Table For a Dinner Party

Whether you are having an intimate dinner for friends or a dinner for 50 in order to raise money for an important client, knowing how to plan and set a table for a dinner party is something that is helpful to know. Despite the fact that the world is becoming less formal in most of its manners and etiquette, someone in business or the marketing and promotion field never knows if and when it will be necessary to play host to a VIP party.

Instructions

Rules are Made to Be Followed

1

Bear in mind that rules were made for what silverware goes where for a purpose. In a very formal dinner, there are so many more utensils than the normal meal, that many people do not know exactly which one to use. However, it makes it much easier for guests to know all they have to do is follow a simple rule: move from the outside to the inside. On the left of the plate are a napkin and then three forks--far left salad; middle, dinner; and next to the plate, dessert. The same is on the right side, with the guest moving inward to the plate as the dinner progresses. The soup spoon is on the far right, before the teaspoon, and before the knife with the sharp side facing the plate. If there is a cocktail fork, it goes on the outside of the right side, next to the soup spoon.

2

Remember for plates, the rule is, eat to your left and drink to your right: Your small plate to your immediate left is for your salad. The plate above and to the left of the dinner plate is for bread, with a butter knife. However, because there is only so much room at a table, the bread plate is often left off. The soup bowl is on the larger plate in front of you. The glasses that are above and over the knife are, from left to right, water goblet, red wine, white wine. Coffee cups and saucers are brought in with dessert, unless one of the guests is having coffee with dinner.

3

Put salt and pepper shakers for each place setting above the dessert forks, if you have enough for each person. If not, they go between two place settings, placing a set on each side of the table if you have more than one.

Dessert plates are brought in with dessert and coffee. This is after the table is cleared and crumbs brushed away. Extra glasses are removed as well, except for the water glasses and dessert wine glasses. The coffee cup and saucer is placed where the entree wine glass had been. If dessert forks and spoons were not already on the table, the fork or spoon will be served with the dessert plate.

4

Serve dessert in the living room, if it is not too crowded or the dessert to difficult to juggle on one's lap. Bon appetit!