Just above your dinner plate on the left side, you should place your bread plate. Just above the dinner plate on the right side, you should place in this order, going from left to right:

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• Coffee cup
• Water glass
• Wine glass
• Liqueur glass

Napkin placement depends on personal preference. Typically, if you are using a fancier, cloth napkin it should be placed on top of the main plate. Otherwise, any type of napkin you use can be placed on the side plate or underneath the knife and spoon.

Formal Table Setting

There are some slight changes that can be made when setting a table for a formal dinner. A formal table setting should always include a cloth tablecloth. Color is up to you but white is standard.

Keep in mind that when you are setting a formal table setting, the settings should be equally apart from one another. You don't want to have two settings quite close to each other and then the next setting several inches away.

Set the dinner plates in place and put a folded linen napkin in the center of each plate. In a formal table setting, the silverware should be silver or silver-plated. To the right of the dinner plate should be three knives, with the blades facing the plate. These are used for the salad, the first course and then the main course.

Soup or melon spoons should be placed to the right of the knives. Dessert spoons should be placed at the top of the dinner plate, horizontally. If you are going to be using a dessert fork, that will not be part of the setting; instead, it will come with the dessert when it is served.