How to lay the table for formal dinners

If you like to make your dinners stand out and you are unsure of how to set up the table, this is the post to read. 

We will show you the most traditional way following the table etiquette.  It is very simple.
Basic rules: Cutlery always in order of use, from the outside in. Knives and spoons always at the right and forks to the left. Only use the utensils you will use, no soup no spoon. 

Cuttlery

Always think about what you are serving for dinner, that will help you remember the order of the cutlery. As in the picture,  spoons and knifes always together; as soup is being served first , the spoon will be the furthest cutlery to the right. Why the right? Because unless you are left handed, this will be the hand you will use with the spoon to eat your soup. Then, if you serve salad, you will need a smaller fork to the left.  If it is a special dinner with two main courses, first will go go the fish cutlery and then the meat. Dessert cutlery will be placed fork nearest to the plate and looking towards the glasses and the spoon  the other way round above the fork.

In conclusion, Cutlery goes outwards for first courses and moves inwards when changing dish. 

Glasses

You can have 3 or 4 glasses. The smallest one to the right will be for water. Then to to its left will be the white wine and next to it the red one. (Some people just opt to change it when changing the dishes from fish to meat). Furthest to the plates will be the champagne, prossecco or cava glass.

Dinnerware
You may want to add a charger plate at the bottom, then a main course plate (this might change when serving second dish). Then on top a salad plate and a soup or sharing plate at the top.

Napkins
Definitively, you can play around this depending in what you want in your table. It can be placed at the top of the plate, by the side or placed as part of the ornaments of the table.

Bread dish should be placed to the left of the table.

We have set a very basic setting, in plain cream to just focus on the guide. So think of the colour, napkin fold, flowers or accessories. So, now you need your imagination and creativity to make the setting yours!