If you’re hosting a formal dinner, here is a quick and easy guide for setting your table for guests.

  1. Add a placemat for each guest.
  2. Place a napkin on the left side of the placemat and lay the salad and dinner forks on top. (The salad fork is the smaller one and rests beside the dinner fork, which is closest to the plate.)
  3. Rest the soup spoon horizontally above the space where the plate will go, then rest the knife to the right of the plate with the edge facing the plate.
  4. Place the dessert spoon to the right of the knife.
  5. Place the dinner plate, then the salad plate on top of that, and then a bowl on top of that.
  6. Rest a bread plate just above the napkin with the salad and dinner forks. Then add a butter knife on the bread plate.
  7. Finally, add a water glass and a wine glass just above the right side of the placemat.

Happy Holidays!


Further Reading

Editorial Contributors
avatar for Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

Learn More