What Is the Proper Way to Set a Table? An Expert Answers

Etiquette consultant Jamila Musayeva explains how to arrange your plate and utensils for basic, casual, and formal meals

Co-authored by Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: December 10, 2025 Fact Checked

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Basic Place Setting

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Casual Place Setting

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Formal Place Setting

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Buffet Table Setting

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Table Setting Tips

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A mark of a good host or hostess is a table laid with proper place settings. If you're not sure where all the utensils are supposed to sit or where to put the water and wine glasses, we've got you covered! This helpful guide will explain how to properly set a basic, casual, and formal table setting, with expert table setting tips from etiquette coaches and event planners.

What is the proper table setting?

A diagram showing the proper, basic place setting for casual meals.

Etiquette consultant Jamila Musayeva says to set the plate in the center, the fork on the left on a folded napkin, and the knife and spoon to the right. Align the bottoms of the utensils with the bottom edge of the plate. Center the water glass above and between the tip of the knife and the top edge of the plate.

Section 1 of 5:

How to Set a Basic Table Place Setting

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Set the plate in the center, the fork on the left, and the knife and spoon on the right. Leave about a thumb's width between the edge of the table and the bottom edge of the plate. Line up the bottoms of the utensils with the plate's bottom edge.^{[1]
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Research source} If you're using a napkin, fold it, lay it to the left of the plate, and set the fork on top. Position the knife next to the plate facing inward, so that you don't accidentally cut yourself on it. Set the spoon beside the knife on the right. Center the water glass above and between the plate and the knife.^{[2]
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- When to use: Everyday meals for yourself or your family
- When arranging any table setting (basic, casual, or formal), Musayeva says that "the plate [goes] in the center, your fork is always on your left side, [and] your knife and spoon are always on your right-hand side."^{[3]
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  Jamila Musayeva
  Etiquette Consultant
  
  Expert Interview}
- To remember which side of the plate the utensils go on, etiquette coach Tami Claytor suggests counting the letters in the utensils' names. "How many letters are in the word 'fork'?" she asks. "It's four. How many letters are in the word 'left'? Four." That's how you remember that the fork goes on the left.^{[4]
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  Tami Claytor
  Etiquette Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
- Regarding knives and spoons, Claytor says, "they each have five letters, and 'right' [also] has five letters. So you know the knives and spoons go on the right."^{[5]
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  Tami Claytor
  Etiquette Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
Meet the wikiHow Experts

Jamila Musayeva is an etiquette consultant, author, and YouTube educator who promotes elegance, cultural awareness, and refined living to her 1 million YouTube subscribers.

Tami Claytor is an etiquette coach with over 20 years of experience teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations.

Megan Papageorge is a certified wedding planner and the owner of the Sweet Peach Planning wedding company. She's coordinated over 200 weddings.

Rachel Weinshanker is a certified event and wedding planner with 8 years of event planning experience. Her wedding and event planning business, San Diego Life Events, is award-winning.

Section 2 of 5:

How to Set a Casual Table Place Setting

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Stack a salad plate and a soup bowl on the dinner plate, and set out extra utensils. A casual meal is a small step up from a basic meal, so you'll want to add a few more elements to elevate the experience. For this table setting, set out the dinner plate in the center of the table setting, a salad plate on top of the dinner plate, and a soup bowl on top of the salad plate. Next, lay the dinner fork to the left of the plate and a smaller salad fork to the left of the dinner fork. On the other side of the plate, set out a dinner knife, a regular-sized spoon, and a large soup spoon in that order. Finally, set a wine glass to the right of the water glass, above the soup spoon.^{[6]
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- When to use: Brunches, luncheons, barbecues, and informal parties

Section 3 of 5:

How to Set a Formal Table Place Setting

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Put a charger under the plate and set out a bread plate and dessert utensils. A formal table setting is your chance to pull out all the stops! To impress your guests, place a charger under the dinner plate, salad plate, and soup bowl. Lay the napkin with the dinner fork and salad fork on top of it to the left of the plate, and the dinner knife, spoon, and soup spoon to the right. Set a small bread plate above the dinner fork, and lay a butter knife at a 45-degree angle across it. Lay a dessert spoon or a dessert fork (or both) horizontally above the charger. Orient the top of the spoon to the left and the fork tines to the right. Set out a water glass, a red wine glass, and a white wine glass above the utensils on the right.^{[7]
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- When to use: Weddings, holidays, galas, and formal dinners
- When serving fish, place the fish fork between the dinner and salad forks. Set the fish knife between the dinner knife and the spoon.^{[8]
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- When serving oysters, place the oyster knife to the right of the soup spoon.^{[9]
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- When serving champagne or sherry, place these glasses to the right of the white wine glass. Alternatively, if you're only serving champagne or sherry, place the corresponding glass next to the water goblet.^{[10]
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- To remember how to arrange a formal table setting, Claytor suggests using the BMW method. "'B' stands for bread plate, and it's on the top left of the place setting," she explains. "'M' stands for meal, which is in the center. 'W' stands for water, which is on the top right."^{[11]
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  Tami Claytor
  Etiquette Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
- See Table Setting Tips below for expert advice on how to decorate your table to match the upscale atmosphere of your formal event.

Section 4 of 5:

Setting a Buffet Table

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Set plates on the buffet station and utensils and napkins at place settings. If you're hosting a buffet, certified event and wedding planner Rachel Weinshanker says to stack plates at the beginning of the buffet line for guests to take. As for utensils and napkins, set them at each place setting on the table. Weinshanker says, "The fewer items for guests to carry from the buffet station, the better."^{[12]
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Rachel Weinshanker
Certified Event & Wedding Planner

Expert Interview}
- Set up your buffet with the hottest, most plentiful food at the start of the line and the coldest, smallest dishes at the end.
- Add labels to the food on the buffet, and include any allergy warnings.

Section 5 of 5:

Table Setting Tips

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Spread out a fabric tablecloth and fold fabric napkins for formal meals. Claytor says you can fold the napkin into a rectangle or a square, or "you can try to create interesting shapes like a flower or a boat." If you have napkin rings, she suggests making an accordion shape with the ring in the middle of the napkin. When you're finished folding, place the napkin on the charger (but not on the dinner plate, says Claytor), or place it in the empty water glass. Your guest will move it when they sit down to eat.^{[13]
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Expert Source

Tami Claytor
Etiquette Coach

Expert Interview}
- For a basic or casual meal, Claytor suggests rolling the utensils into a paper napkin and laying the roll to the right of the dinner plate.^{[14]
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  Tami Claytor
  Etiquette Coach
  
  Expert Interview}
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Set out a centerpiece and position it so that guests can see one another. A centerpiece adds color and elegance to your table, while also making it appear less empty. Whether you're decorating your table with a floral arrangement, crystal, an ice sculpture, or something else, certified wedding planner Megan Papageorge says to keep it "nose height or below." That way, your guests can see and talk to each other more easily. Alternatively, Papageorge says, if you're using a floral arrangement, arrange it so the tops of the flowers are 24–30 in (61–76 cm) above the tabletop. This puts the largest parts of the flowers "above your head [so] you can still see around the table."^{[15]
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Expert Source

Megan Papageorge
Certified Wedding Planner

Expert Interview}