Video:Set Up a Formal Dinner Place Setting

SHARE ON                

Transcript:Set Up a Formal Dinner Place Setting

Hi, I'm Rachel Edelman for About.com Food. Today I'm going to show you step-by-step how to create a formal place setting. This is useful if you are hosting a fancy dinner, or are just having friends over for a nice meal. Some people even enjoy having a formal setting on their dining room table all the time.

Arrange the Service Plate

To start, place your plate on the table directly in front of the chair. This is called a service plate and is usually taken away when the main course is served. Position the bread and butter plate above and to the left of the service plate. The small butter knife is placed horizontally on this plate.

Position the Glasses

Next come the glasses. First place the water glass above and to the right of the service plate. Place your wine glass below and to the right of the water glass.

Arrange Utensils

To the right of the plate, first place the dinner knife, followed by the soup spoon. To the left of the plate, place the salad fork, then the dinner fork. Your napkin should be folded to the left of the dinner fork. This is a great opportunity to use napkin rings.

7 Course Meal Setting

This is the basic formal setting. If you wanted to make a setting for a fancy 7 course meal, you could add more glasses and more silverware for fish and dessert.

If you d like to put out dessert utensils, place the spoon above the plate in a horizontal position and the fork below it, facing the opposite direction. An oyster fork is placed at a 45 degree angle, with the tines sitting in the soup spoon. A fish knife is to the right of the dinner knife and a fish fork is to the left of the dinner fork.

A champagne glass can be placed above and to the right of the wine glass. And a sherry glass is below and to the right of the wine glass.

Finally, you can place a soup bowl and plate on top of the service place. This is a beautiful and complete formal setting

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at food.about.com.