Table Setting
General Table Setting Guidelines
The lower edges of the utensils should be aligned with the bottom rim of the plate, about one (1) inch up from the edge of the table.
To avoid hiding a utensil under the rim of a plate or bowl, lay it approximately one (1) inch away from the plate's side.
To eliminate fingerprints on the handle, hold flatware by the "waist," the area between the handle and the eating end of the utensil.
Elbow room requires a minimum of 15 inches between place settings, or approximately 24 inches from the center of one place setting to the middle of the next.
Butter should be waiting on butter plates, the glasses filled with water, and the wine ready to be served before the guests are seated.
The water glass should be placed approximately one (1) inch from the tip of the dinner knife.
Place knives with blades facing the plate.
Do not place over three pieces of flatware on either side of the plate at one time (except forks if an oyster fork is used).
When an uneven number of people are seated, the odd-numbered place settings are laid opposite the middle of the even-numbered place settings.
The Formal Table Setting
To avoid clutter, the general rule for a any table setting is to include no more than three utensils on either side of the dinner plate at a time. The exception is the oyster (or seafood) fork, which may be placed to the right of the last spoon even when it is the fourth utensil to the right of the plate. The initial table setting for a typical formal dinner should look something like this:
dining etiquette
Service Plate. Place the service plate in the center of the place setting.
Butter Plate. A small bread plate is placed above the forks, above and to the left of the service plate.
Glasses.
Water Glass. The water goblet is placed above each guest's dinner knife. The other glasses are then arranged around the water glass as follows:
Champagne Glass. A champagne flute may be located between the water glass and the wine glasses.
Red Wine Glass. Red wine glasses have a wider globe and may be cupped in the palm of your hand if you choose.
White Wine Glass. The glass with the longer stem and cylindrical globe is the white wine glass. White wine glasses should only be held by the stem.
Sherry Glass. A small sherry glass may also be present to the right of the wine glasses. This may signal that sherry will be served with the soup course.
Forks.
Salad Fork. Directly to the plate's left. One (1) inch from the plate.
Dinner Fork. Left of the salad fork.
Fish Fork. On the dinner fork's left.
Knives.
Dinner Knife. (Or meat knife if meat will be served.) Directly to the right of the plate. One (1) inch from the plate.
Fish Knife. On the dinner knife's right.
Butter Knife. On the butter plate, diagonally with the handle toward the guest.
Spoons.
Soup Spoon and/or Fruit Spoon. Right of the knives.
Oyster Fork. If present, on the right of the soup (or fruit) spoon.
Also known as the seafood fork.
The only fork placed on the right side of the place setting.
The fork tines are placed in the bowl of the soup spoon with the handle at a 45-degree angle.
It may also be laid next to the soup spoon in a parallel position.
Dessert Spoons and Forks.
A dessert fork and/or spoon may be placed horizontally above the dinner plate.
These utensils may also be provided when dessert is served.
Salt and Pepper.
Salt Shaker. The salt shaker is placed to the right of the pepper shaker.
Pepper Shaker. The pepper shaker is to the left of the salt shaker, and is angled slightly above the salt shaker.
Salt and Pepper Shakers. They are placed above the cover or between two place settings.
Salt Cellars. At formal affairs, salt is always applied from a salt cellar, a method that provides controlled use of salt. A small spoon is presented in the salt cellar and used to sprinkle salt over food.
Finger Bowls.
Finger bowls may be placed on the table at the end of the meal.
Table Setting
The Informal Table Setting
table setting
At an informal meal, the table setting is not cluttered and all the flatware is laid on the table at one time. At the host's option the dessert utensils may be brought to the table on the dessert plate.
The following is a standard table setting for a three-course meal. Note the basic "outside-in" rule. The piece of flatware that will be used last is placed directly next to the whatever plate you are using.
Forks
Both forks are placed on the left of the plate. The fork furthest from the plate is for salad. The fork next to the plate is for the dinner. (Please Note: At more formal meals where the salad is served after the main course, the order of placement is reversed.)
Fork tines may be placed downward, continental style, or upward, American style. In the continental placement of flatware, the fork is laid on the table in the way it is held, tines downward. In the American style although the fork is used tines downward to cut food, it is held tines upward to eat.
Dinner Plate
The dinner plate is placed on the table when the main course is served and is not on the table when the guests sit down.
Large plates, such as the dinner plate and luncheon plate, are laid about one (1) inch in from the edge of the table.
Salad Plate
The salad plate is placed to the left of the forks.
Small plates, such as the salad plate, fish plate, and dessert plate, are laid about two (2) inches in from the edge of the table.
Dinner Knife
The dinner knife is placed on the right side, and directly next to and one (1) inch away from, the plate. The blade should face the plate. If the main course requires a steak knife, it may be substituted for the dinner knife.
Spoon
The soup spoon is on the far right of the outside knife.
Butter Plate with Butter Knife
A small bread plate is placed above the forks, above and to the left of the service plate.
The butter spreader is laid on the bread-and-butter plate.
Glassware
Usually one wine glass is used along with a water goblet. If the table setting is uncrowded, there is room to arrange stemware in any way you like, such as in a straight line parallel with the edge of the table or a diagonal line angled toward the table's edge.
Water Goblet
The water glass goblet is placed in a position closest to the hand, approximately 1 inch above the tip of the dinner knife.
Wine Glass
At least one wine glass should sit to the right and possibly above the water glass.
Napkin
Place the napkin in the place setting's center, or left of the last fork.
Coffee Cups
Place a cup and saucer to the right of the place setting. The coffee spoon goes to the right of the saucer.
Place approximately One (1) inch beyond the outermost piece of flatware. The top edge of the saucer is aligned with the top rim of the plate or bowl.
Cup handles are faced in the four o'clock position for easy access
Dessert Spoon and Fork
At an informal meal, when two utensils are provided for dessert, the utensils are laid on the table or presented on the dessert plate.
The dessert spoon (or dessert knife) is laid on the table above the dinner plate in a horizontal position, handle facing right.
The dessert fork is laid beneath the dessert spoon (or dessert knife), handle facing left.
The dessert utensils may also be presented on the dessert plate in the same way as formal service.
Salt and Pepper
Since more people use salt than pepper (and most people are right-handed), the salt shaker is placed to the right of the pepper shaker, in a position closer to the right hand.
The placement of the pepper shaker is to the left of the salt shaker, and for added definition it is angled slightly above the salt shaker.
Small salt and pepper shakers, approximately 1 ½ inches in height, conserve space at a crowded table.
They are placed above the cover or between two place settings.
Because salt is finer than pepper, the lid of the salt shaker is punctured with smaller, more numerous holes than a pepper shaker.
Pepper has a coarser grain than salt, and the lid of the shaker is made with larger but fewer holes than the salt shaker.
Once the table is set, the next consideration is informal dinner service.