Whether your family is sitting down to have Sunday dinner, or you have company coming over to eat, you always want the table to look great. You would receive some strange looks, though, if a casual Monday supper was served with a bouquet of flowers and the family’s best china. The same goes for serving a formal dinner on paper plates – people will think you’re really strange or totally out of the loop! Don’t frighten or disappoint either crowd. Learn to set an informal table that still looks great as well as a formal table that will impress even the snootiest.
There is a definite difference between a formal table and an informal setting. Formal tables often contain extra silverware, additional glasses and a more elegant table dressing. An informal table can be seen with no cloth; a formal table often has one – or more cloths. Sometimes one cloth is draped over another to create a two-tone look of elegance and interest. For a formal table a nice tablecloth is a must. The cloth doesn’t necessarily have to be silk or lace but should be free of any stains. As soon as a formal tablecloth starts to show wear it is then an informal cloth.
With an informal table set the main plate in front of each place. It’s not necessary to have more than one plate. If you will serving soup the soup bowl can be placed on the dinner plate. In some informal situations the original table is set with the silverware and bowl – and no plate. After the soup is eaten, and the dishes removed, the plate is then set at each place. This is strictly in a casual and informal setting.
An informal table can have many options: cloth or no cloth, napkin rings or none. A formal table, however, has all those things. Use your best tablecloth(s) then proceed to set each place. A charger plate is a must for holding the place. With the charger plate in place the place is never sitting empty between courses. Set the charger plate, then the dinner plate, then the soup bowl. Each should be centered on the previous.
Set silverware for a formal table by first placing a folded cloth napkin left of the charger. On it, place the dinner fork next to the plate, the salad fork left of it. The salad fork is the smallest of the two forks and should be on the outside. On the right side of the plate set the steak knife – if using one – just to the right of the plate. The serrated side of the knife should face the plate. To the right of the knife set the soup spoon.
If you’ll be using a steak knife as well as a butter knife set the butter knife on the bread plate. The bread plate should be much smaller than the dinner plate and should be placed just above the forks. Set the butter knife on the plate, horizontally, with the tip of the knife facing to the left. Lay an additional spoon, horizontally, just above the charger. This spoon will be for dessert. If the dessert will require a fork instead set a fork in place of this spoon. Should there be a selection of desserts offered, some requiring a fork and some requiring a spoon, position the fork above the charger and the dessert spoon above the fork.
Above the knife set the water glass. To its right, and down slightly to be above the spoon, goes the white wine glass. Back up a little, and to the right, goes the red wine glass. If serving only water and one type of wine, omit the last glass but leave the others in their positions.
If no soup is served there is no reason for a soup bowl. In this case the napkins are sometimes folded in a fancy way and placed on the plates. If this arrangement is used the forks will go directly on the tablecloth, to the left of the charger. If you have lots of room at the table a different arrangement can be made so that the napkin is the furthest from the plate, to the left, then the forks are placed to the right of the napkin.
No matter if you’re setting a formal or informal table there are a couple things to remember. Set all silverware so that they are about a half-inch away from each other. The bottom end of each silverware piece should be about even with the bottom edge of the charger or dinner plate (if there is no charger). The salt and pepper shakers should be centrally located on the table, next to the flower bouquet or other centerpiece. Your table – formal or informal – will impress everyone there!
