Gather Around the Table
There is no denying that a beautiful tablescape can completely transform the room for any event. Whether it is the head table that draws your eye at a wedding reception, linens and lighting that change the ambiance of a corporate meeting room, or chargers, china, and glassware that tell a story at your own dinner table. The smallest details help liven up an event and at a dinner party, it starts with the table.
We are sharing a step-by-step guide to following dinner table etiquette, in hopes of helping you host for the holidays.
The formality of your dinner will help you determine what items are needed for your setup. With the holidays right around the corner, we are going to keep it pretty casual and focus on Friendsgiving + Thanksgiving.
First, pick a tablecloth or a placemat to protect your table. Add a charger in front of each seat to help differentiate the place settings for each guest.
Next, place the dinner plate in the middle of the charger. An interesting pattern or heirloom plate will help add an interesting dimension.
If you're having soup or a salad, start by placing the smaller salad plate on top of the dinner plate, followed by the soup bowl. We tend to skip over the starters and pile all of the Thanksgiving goodies right onto our plates at my house 😉
Next, place your napkin. Since we opted out of adding the salad plate and soup bowl, I chose to place my napkin in the center. Proper etiquette would be to set the napkin to the left of the table setting or underneath the charger in a flat trifold.
The flatware will come next. Starting from the left, place your dinner fork to the left of the setting with the salad fork on the outside left of the dinner fork. The dinner knife and spoon will be set to the right of the plate. The correct setting is to place the blade of the dinner knife facing in towards the plate, and the spoon to the right of the knife.
Next, place the water glass directly above the knife. To the right of the water glass, place the wine glass.
To finish off your table, add ambient lighting and a low-lying centerpiece to allow conversation and food to fill the remaining space.
Taking the time to set the table shows your guests just how much you care; making them feel honored to be invited and welcomed into your space. We hope these tips help you host all of your family and friends gathering around the table this season!
Need help planning your next event? Reach out today!