Thanksgiving is coming, so setting up a dining room table for a large feast several days in advance is one of several ways to reduce holiday stress. However, how do you pick the proper plate, spoon, or wine glass?
Don't worry, because we've got you covered. In this blog post, we've listed basic table setup instructions so that your table has everything it needs for serving. For sure, you can be the best host this holiday season once you take a look at our advice listed below!
And if you're looking for decor ideas, make sure to check out our blog post about Thanksgiving Decoration Ideas.
Mats, Plates, and Napkins
Utilize chargers or placemats before placing plates on your Thanksgiving table. However, if you have a large family or a full Thanksgiving table, it's perfectly alright to skip them to save space.
Placemats can work well in certain holiday tablescapes. If your home has a designated children's table, you can also use them. A tablecloth can be ruined by messy diners' grease stains from gravy or cranberry sauce spills.
Place your plates gently on the table after deciding whether to use placemats or chargers. You can then place the salad dish right on top of the biggest platter, which is used for the main meal.
Make your napkins afterward. You can decide to fold them into a traditional rectangle and put them on the right side of your plate beneath the utensils or center them over your plate after folding them into a cute shape. Napkins can also be rolled into napkin rings for a quite festive touch.
Utensils
There are some fundamentals to bear in mind when placing your knives and spoons. To begin with, forks are always placed on the left of the dish. It's pretty obvious that you'll need a whole set of silverware, which should contain two forks, for formal dining settings.
For an appetizer or salad, smaller forks should be positioned on the outer part of the table. While for the main meal, the larger fork should be put closer to the plate.
Place the knife closest to the plate on the right side, the blade facing in. Then, the spoon should be put next to the knife last. To the right of the knife, you should place both a soup spoon and a dessert spoon. For uniformity, make sure that every piece is positioned such that it touches the plate's bottom.
Glasses and Polishing
Make sure the proper wine glasses are placed at each place setting if you plan to serve wine with the meal. Additionally, you should place a glass of water for each visitor. The water glass can be placed at the top of the stack of drinkware on the right of your dining setting, just above the knife and fork.
You can then either place a bowl, bread plate, or butter knife on the opposite side of the glasses. Whatever you decide, make sure the color and style coordinate with your dinnerware.