The Art of Setting a Formal Table

A beautifully set table always turns heads. If you take a slower and closer look, you’ll realize just how much detail goes into setting a table. Whether it’s the flower arrangements, candles, unique centerpieces, place cards, napkins, etc., there is so much thought put into each piece. If you’re unsure where to start, I’d recommend picking a theme and a color scheme. Before we get into the details, let’s talk about the basics of setting a table.

First comes...

The Tablecloth

Figuring out what kind of tablecloth you want to put on the table is the first step. Once you’ve done that, you can go ahead and place the cloth on the table. (I recommend ironing it prior to putting it on the table in case there are any wrinkles.)

The Plates

Moving on to the plates, you’re going to want to grab them and place them onto the table cloth. Make sure your plates align perfectly with your chairs.

Soup Bowl

Once you’ve aligned your plates with your chairs, you’re going to want to grab your soup bowls and place them perfectly in the center of each plate.

Bread Plate

Moving on to the bread plates, you’re going to want to grab them and place them on the top left of your plates/soup bowls.

Butter Knife Set Up

Once you’ve set your bread plates, place a butter knife horizontally on each plate with the blade facing inward. So, towards you. Make sure the handle of the knife is on the right side.

Napkin

There are a couple ways you can go about the napkin situation, but it depends on the plate situation. If you’ve followed the rules above, then you’re going to want to place the napkin to the left of your plate/soup bowl and under your bread plate. If you do not have soup bowls on your table, you can place the napkin on the plate with a napkin ring. It’s completely dependent on the look you’re going for and of course, whether or not you plan on serving soup! Haha.

Fork Set Up

First, you should decide if you want to put the utensils on the napkin or not. If you do, then make sure your napkins are nice and ironed prior to placing them onto the table. Keeping in mind that the napkin goes on the left side, the fork order is the same all around. According to proper etiquette, you must place the salad fork on the outside and the dinner fork on the inside. (The salad fork is smaller than the dinner fork.) Remember to space the forks out evenly, about 1/2 an inch away from each other and to align the bottom of the utensils to the bottom of the plate. You can also put your forks inside the napkin, it’s completely up to you.

Knife / Spoon Set Up

Now that we’ve talked about the left side, let’s talk about the right side. The knife is the first thing next to the plate on the right side, with the blade facing towards the plate. Next to the knife is the soup spoon (a rather large spoon.) Remember to space the forks out evenly, about 1/2 an inch away from each other and to align the bottom of the utensils to the bottom of the plate.

Dessert Spoon

Place your dessert spoon directly above each plate. Dessert spoons are normally teaspoons. Again, same as the butter knife, make sure the handle of the spoon is on the right.

Water Glass / Wine Glass (dependent on color)

The water glass should go above the knife. If you’re setting the table not knowing what kind of wine your guest will prefer, then put the glasses in this order. The white wine glass will go next to the glass of water (3/4^th’s of an inch of space between the two and tiny bit lower than where the cup of water is at.) The red wine glass will go next to the white wine glass (3/4^th’s of an inch of space between the two and slightly a bit upward than the white wine glass.)

Now for Styling/Decorating...

Flowers

Everyone loves the smell and look of flowers which is why placing them on your table is a good idea. Tips I’d recommend for choosing the flowers are to think about the theme and color scheme of the table.

Candles

Candles are great for creating a vibe. The one’s I’d recommend using are taper and/or votive/tealight candles. Taper candles are the long thin candles and votive/tealights are the mini ones that can be put in cool, colorful glass candle holders.

Place Cards

Place cards are always fun and will definitely have your guests feeling special. If you’d like to use place cards, make sure you place them either above the dessert spoon or directly in the center of the plate.

Bougie Napkin Rings

Napkin rings come in a variety of styles, colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes. You can stick to simple ones or very unique ones. Either way, you have plenty of options! It’s up to your imagination.