Table-Setting-Basics

Table-Setting-Basics: What You Need To Know to Set a Beautiful Table in No Time Flat

Plan Ahead, Do Ahead, Keep it Simple. With this philosophy you can easily create your own basic system for dealing with table-setting. Once you have a system, you can cross table-setting off your worry list. You will be able to set a lovely table almost “automatically”.

There are lots of beautiful Table-Setting-Basics books available and many of them are a great pleasure to leaf through, full of eye candy with their pictures of lovely tables. Some are overwhelmingly lush, some are simple.

But when I boil down the common elements from these books they all tell us what Table-Setting-Basics include: creating your centerpiece, (usually flowers and candles), how to position your flatware, utensils and glasses, choose tablecloths, napkins and serving utensils.

As you get more relaxed and confident, you can add extra touches to your Table-Setting-Basics if you want, like place cards or even little handwritten menus. But for now, we are going to remember the third part of the Secret Dinner Party Planning System - keep it simple.

How Many Can Your Table Accommodate?

There are some occasions where people expect and don’t mind being crowded, like a Christmas or family birthday dinner. It’s part of the whole tradition to squeeze in at every corner.

But for most dinner parties, you will want people to fit more comfortably around the table. If you want to have more people than your table fits comfortably, consider having a buffet instead.

Making your guests comfortable around the table means enough space so people can use their knives and forks without elbowing each other, hockey style. You want them to feel free to linger over coffee and good conversation. Crowded table conditions may cut short an enjoyable time.

Here’s what table sellers tell us about how many people your table accommodates comfortably. Remember this is only a guideline, so don’t get hung up if your table is slightly different in size.

Table Sizes for Seating Up To 10 People at a Dinner Party

I’m limiting this to a maximum of 10 people because if you’re serving dinner, somewhere after 6 to 8 people you start wishing you had a butler.

• A rectangular 6’ by 30” table seats up to 8 people
• A rectangular 8’ by 30” table seats up to 10 people
• A 48 “ round table seats 6-8 people
• A 60” round table seats 8 to 10 people.

Here are a few Table-Setting-Baics guidelines that will serve you in all but the most formal situations.

• Place the silverware and dinner plate about an inch or a thumb’s width in from the edge
• Remember the rule of eat to your left and drink to your right. This tells you that little dishes like a bread or salad plate go to the left of the dinner plate, and glasses go to the right
• Place the silverware in the order that you are eating the courses. If you serve salad before the main course, put the salad fork outside the dinner fork. If you serve soup, the soup spoon goes to the right of the dinner knife.
• Place the water glass above the knife, place the wine glass or glasses to the right.

About Charger Plates

Charger plates are large decorative plates that sit directly on the table. They are sometimes called just chargers, or service plates or underplates.

Whether you call them charger plates, chargers, service plates or underplates, you never place food directly on them. You place dishes containing food, but no food goes on the charger plates themselves.

There is both an aesthetic and a practical reason for using charger plates.

The aesthetic reason is that charger plates add formal elegance to your table. They convey that certain “hang the cost if it adds beauty” attitude.

The practical reason is that they may protect the table linens from spills.

Strangely enough, they don’t have to be made of fine china. In fact you will see charger plates made of such varied substances as china, leather, terracotta, wood, even plastic.

When I was a girl my mother and grandmother used charger plates for the first course only. Usually it was soup. They were always removed with the first course. Never ever do I remember them being left of for the main course.

Today the rules are a little more flexible. In fact it seems you can make your own rules. A quick search on the web reveals that etiquette mavens have highly different answers about when to remove them.

So go ahead, use your beautiful charger plates however you prefer. If you want an easy rule of thumb to add to your Table-Setting-Basics guidelines, you can remove them before the main course.

But don’t worry if you don’t follow the rule of thumb. And if your friends comment, just tell them that etiquette gurus say you can use them many different ways.

Flowers and Candles for Centerpieces

Centerpieces give you lots of scope for originality and creative design. But the thought of creating one also unnerves a lot of people, especially people who don’t think they are creative.

Remember this is all about Table-Setting- Basics. The key is to know how to create one or two centerpieces that work for most occasions. Fresh flowers are always in style. If you learn a few basics of flower arranging, you can feel confident that your centerpiece is suitable and lovely.

Start with simple white flowers and unscented candles. Just make sure your flower arrangements are low so that guests can see each other across the table. Aim for an arrangement that is not higher than about 5 inches.

Once you know the basics of flower arranging you can change the colors and flower types with confidence. Now you never need to worry about centerpieces again.

Be careful too, not to choose scented candles or heavily scented flowers for the table. Perfumed flowers and candles can “fight” the aromas of your delicious meal. Keeping these simple considerations in mind means you can be confident of your centerpiece.

Want some suggestions on basic flower arranging, and creating a few basic centerpieces that will suit most occasions? Just click on Flowers for Centerpieces

A Plan-Ahead Do Ahead Repertoire of Table-settings.

Create a table-setting scheme you can rely on. Make the first a basic, timeless table-setting scheme, a “little black dress” scheme. (Only in this case it will be a white tablecloth instead of a little black dress.) Make it one that you love and can use over and over again, with just a few changes of accessories.

For example, with a white tablecloth and napkins, and white or pale colours for everything else, you can create a serene, elegant table-setting. Change the napkins and flowers to a deep colour, and you can create a dramatic table-setting with hardly any added expense or effort.

Table-setting Tip: Because the white tablecloth and napkins are the
backbone of so many table-settings, why not buy two sets?
It’s an investment in Table-Setting-Basics, an investment in peace of mind.

To see sample pictures, and to see other suggestions for how you can easily change the look of your table to suit many different occasions, click here - Beautiful Tables.

Your five keys to setting beautiful tables, quickly,
easily and without stress

1. Create a basic, timeless Table-Setting-Basics scheme. Make it
one that you love and can use over and over again. Now is
the time to assemble the tablecloth, napkins and candles.

These items form the backbone of your basic table-setting
scheme. If it means going to the store, better now than two
hours before company is coming.

Work out a second Table-Setting-Basics scheme, one where you
use your basic items and just change a few accessories to
totally change the look.

Get this key Table-Setting-Basics task out of the way and it will pay off every time
you have company for dinner.

2. Record your schemes in a Table-Setting-Basics photo album. Make it virtual, on your computer, or real, in
your dinner party photo album.

Each time you create a lovely table, take a picture. Get it
developed, and put it in your table album. When you’re
feeling uninspired you can just refer to your album. You can
also put pictures of other table-setting photos you admire in
the album, something to inspire you to create new ones.

3. Store your basic Table-Setting-Basics items together so you can pull them out quickly. Instead of putting everything away
in different places, set aside a space where you can store
a kit of items that form the backbone of your “serene, elegant”
table? Then you’ll know that you always have a serene,
elegant table-setting kit at your fingertips.

Make sure your Table-Setting-Basics kit contains
setting kit

• a picture* of your basic table-setting scheme
• your white or cream-coloured tablecloth
• white napkins that go with the tablecloth
• white candles

* The picture is important. You think you will remember the
serving dishes, the vase, the way you arranged the flowers.
Why rely on your memory? Rely on the picture instead.

4. Set the Table with Convenience in Mind Savvy hosts and hostesses know that hot food gets cold really quickly when guests have to pass innumerable things back and forth. This is particularly true when you have more than four people at the table.You don’t want to create a hot masterpiece only to have it cooled off by the time guests take that first bite.

Here is a Table-Setting-Basics tip for minimizing the passing back and forth.

Set the table with as many doubles as you can of things that need to be passed. Here are some examples of doubles that save time if you have the table space:

• salts and peppers
• butter dishes
• sauce and gravy dishes
• vegetable serving dishes
• bread baskets
• salad bowls

5. Set your table well in advance of the dinner party. Setting a beautiful table is a task you can organize
and finish well ahead of time.

For your own sake, don’t be one of those people who is
rushing about trying to find enough plates and dishes as the
guests arrive. It’s stressful, and it sets you up for problems
– like discovering that two of your dinner plates are in the
frig with leftovers on them.

Besides, you have other last minute tasks that should be
claiming your attention. You need to fill the water glasses, light the candles, put last minute dishes on the table. (Luckily these are great tasks for helpful guests who ask you what they can do.)

Convinced? We hope so. At our place we really get a lift out
of passing a beautifully set table and feeling good because
we got this important Table-Setting-Basics task out of the way
24 hours in advance.

Now that you have your Table-Setting-Basics down pat, happy table-setting.

Short on time? Need information FAST? Cut straight to the best of my dinner party tips and techniques Conveniently packaged in my new ebook How to host a stress-free dinner party with poise - by next weekend How to make your shopping and cooking go smoothly The quick and easy way to get your house ready for company Dinner party etiquette for today How to set the table, how many courses to serve, how to seat your guests, how to handle awkward situations Suggestions for make ahead recipes and easy main courses How to choose wine to go with the food And much much more... Click here for more details about the e-book