Setting the Table for Your Dining Experience

Often times, when I'm planning dinner parties, I am asked about how the table should be set for a semi-formal dinner. So this blog is dedicated to setting the table.

Here's how to set the table for a semi-formal event, and I'm saying semi-formal because this post will not include certain peices, such as the fruit fork, the fish knife, or the champagne and sherry glasses:

• The dinner plate (sometimes referred to as the service plate) should be placed directly in front of the guest
• The soup bowl is placed on top of the dinner plate
• The bread and butter plate is placed at the 10:00 position
• The butter knife is placed on top of the bread and butter plate, slightly diagnal at the 11:00 position
• The water glass should be located at the 1:00 position
• The wine goblet should be just below and to the right of the water glass
• The dessert fork is placed above the dinner plate in the horizontal position
• The dessert spoon is placed above the dessert fork in the opposite direction
• The dinner knife belongs to the right of the dinner plate, with the cutting edge toward the dinner plate
• The soup spoon belongs to the right of the dinner knife
• If serving shellfish, the oyster fork belongs to the right of the soup spoon
• The dinner fork is placed to the left of the dinner plate, and the salad fork to the left of the dinner fork
• The napkins should be ironed to ensure that there are no wrinkles in them, folded (see instructions below on how to fold), and placed inside the wine glass or on the dinner plate using a napkin ring.

 
Note: The attached photo inclcudes a few additional items that I have not used in this posting.

Folding the Napkin:
Goblet Fan (to be placed inside the wine goblet): Fold napkin in half. Pleat napkin from top to bottom. Fold the napkin back 1/3 of the way on right (folded) end and place into goblet. Spread the pleats out at the top.



Basic Napkin Ring (to be placed on the dinner plate: Lay the napkin flat on the table and pick it up at its center. Once you are holding the napkin at the center point, allow all points to fall into place naturally. Insert the tip of the napkin into a ring and adjust if necessary. Lay the napkin on a dinner plate.

A note about wine glasses
On ocassion, a client may ask me about the difference between a red wine glass and a white wine glass.

The white wine glass has a smaller opening (and has a longer slimmer look) because white wine is served chilled. The smaller opening is designed to keep the wine cool.

The red wine glass is round and full with a large opening, allowing the wine to breathe, in order to create a fuller taste.

I hope this post inspires you to start planning your next dinner party. Eat, drink, and be happy (-: