Putting your wedding table settings together is a touch more complex than dressing up your dining room for a family meal. While you may know the basics - like where each piece of cutlery goes - you may not have thought too deeply about chargers, table runners, and what type of glasses to use. We’ve broken down the basics so that you know what you’re in for.
When it comes to wedding etiquette, it’s important to cover the basics. And nothing is more essential as a host or hostess than knowing how to properly set a table, especially if you are having a formal wedding reception. So, to make matters better we will make sure each place setting is perfect and your wedding table looks its best!
There’s a lot that goes into setting a traditional formal wedding table and we understand that it sometimes gets tricky. Here are all the things we learned throughout the years to style your wedding table with the perfect art de la table!
Charger: A charger (sometimes called a service plate) is larger than a standard dinner plate, and is often more decorative in design. You don’t eat off of a charger — instead, other plates are set on top of it.
Dinner Plate: This is a large (usually 10–11 inches) plate that is used to serve the main course.
Salad Plate: This is a smaller (usually 8 inches) plate used to serve salads or appetizers.
Bread Plate: This is the smallest (usually 6–7 inches) plate, used to serve bread and butter.
Salad Fork: This small fork is used to eat salads or appetizers.
Dinner Fork: This is the biggest fork on the table, and is used to eat the main course.
Fish Fork: Often with three prongs, this fork is used to eat fish only. You’ll know it’s the fish fork because it resembles a trident.
Dessert Fork: This is the smallest fork on the tables, and is reserved for eating dessert.
Salad Knife: This smaller knife is used to eat salads or appetizers.
Fish Knife: This smaller knife does not have a sharp edge, and is often slightly offset like a spatula. A notch at the top helps you cut fish using the natural flaking quality of the flesh.
Dinner Knife: This larger knife is used to eat the main course, and can be replaced with a steak knife if required.
Bread Knife: This small knife does not have a sharp edge, and is used for spreading butter or spreads on bread.
Soup Spoon: This large spoon has a deeper bowl, used for eating a soup course.
Dessert Spoon: This small spoon is used for eating dessert
Water Glass: This glass can either be a flat-bottomed cup or a goblet with a short stem.
Wine Glass: This glass, used for serving wine, usually has a long stem and comes in a variety of shapes (some of which are created for specific colors or varieties of wine).
Champagne Glass: These narrower, taller glasses often have long stems and can be a coup, tulip, or flute shape, designed for serving champagne or sparkling wines.
Our team always transforms each wedding table in a work of art, using all those pro elements and details to make sure your wedding dinner setting surpasses your expectations and creates something you and your guests will remember forever! You don’t have to use all those elements if they don’t fit with your style and we’re certainly going to help you navigate the wedding dinner setting waters, offering you valuable information and advising you where to spend and where to save!
We wholeheartedly believe in utterly romantic wedding design and beautiful art de la table and dinner setting will make your celebration stand the test of time and create the loveliest wedding memories to cherish forever!
