HOW TO SET A TABLE FOR A DINNER PARTY
It's no secret that I love to host dinner parties. You just can not beat these unforgettable memories that good food, good wine and good Company shared amongst friends and family bring shared amongst the warmth and familiaraity of your own home.
Whether you are hosting a formal dinner party or having a casual get together with friends or family, knowing the basic rules for how to set a table for a dinner party is sure to impress your guests and make your evening a touch more special.
Knowing which side to place your cutlery and glass wear can be daunting at first if you are not used to hosting dinner parties. But the art of table setting is actually quite simple once you understand these few basic rules.
HOW TO SET A TABLE FOR A DINNER PARTY
Follow these few simple steps on How to set a table for dinner party and it will set your evening off to a flying success....
- Start with your table cloth or center piece. Table cloths are useful to help to protect your table, however, many modern table settings often only include a table runner and center-piece for a more minimalist look. If you don't fancy laying down a table cloth then a Charger plate or place mat can also help to protect your table.
- Colour coordinate your theme. Think reds, greens, golds and silvers for a Festive inspired dinner party. Choose Yellows, pale blues and pinks for spring and Easter. But if you are after an elegant classic dinner party theme then choose whites and neutral colours for your dinner party.
- Create layers. Whether you are using a Charger plate (formal) or a place mat (casual) to set your dinner plates on, knowing how to layer your plates will not only make serving your courses a breeze but it will also look very impressive.
This was one of my most recent casual dinner party table settings featuring black and gold.
- Set your table correctly. Place the dinner plate in the center of the charger plate or place mAt. Place the fork is to the left of the plate. Place the knife to the right of the dinner plate and repeat if you are having more than one course. If you are having Soup as a course then set the spoon to the right of the knife. Dessert spoons get placed above the plate.
- Set the water glasses in the top right corner diagonally, above the knife
- Fold your napkins. There are many beautiful ways to fold a napkin. Napkin folding is a bit like origami, but once you have found an easy turotial to teach you how, there are over 21 different ways in which you can learn how to fold a napkin (thanks to google). However, if you just want to opt for the basics then napkin rings can help keep your napkin beautifully folded.
- Polish your cutlery! Because lets face it, no one likes dirty fingerprints on their utensils and glass wear. Take a napkin or a paper towel and buff out those fingerprints!
PLACE CARDS
- Create place cards. Creating personalised name cards will make your guests feel extra special and help them know exactly where to sit at your table.
