Entertaining Tips

Here are a few entertaining tips to help make your next event a great success!

Formal Place Settings

Are you overwhelmed about creating a formal place setting? Here's a quick guide. For slightly less formal dinners, you can leave out fish forks, extra wine glasses, etc.

  1. Place the service plate on the table directly in front of where the guest will be sitting.
  2. Locate the bread and butter plate at the 10:00 position in relation to the dinner plate.
  3. The butter knife should be placed on the bread and butter plate in a slight diagonal, pointing to the 11:00 position.
  4. Place a water glass at 1:00 position relative to dinner plate and just above knives.
  5. Put red or white wine glass just below and to right of water glass.
  6. Set champagne glass above and to right of red or white wine glass. Finally, set sherry glass to the right of red or white wine glass.
  7. Put dessert spoon above dinner plate in a horizontal position.
  8. Place dessert fork above dessert spoon, facing in opposite direction.
  9. Dinner knife should be located to the right of dinner plate.
  10. Place fish knife to the right of dinner knife.
  11. Put soup spoon and the fruit spoon (if used) to the right of dinner knife.
  12. If serving shellfish, oyster fork should be located to the right of soup spoon and/or fruit spoon.
  13. Place salad fork to the left of dinner plate. Put dinner fork next to salad fork.
  14. Place fish fork to the left of the dinner fork.
  15. Place napkin to the left of all forks.

Party Etiquette

  1. Proper etiquette is to wait 20 minutes after the scheduled arrival time and then proceed with serving your guests. If someone lets you know they'll be late, they're giving you the option to start without them.
  2. If your party is being held in a non-smoking household try to make accommodations for smokers. A room with a fan blowing out is a nice thought. If you do not have a place for smokers let them know in advance that the party is held in a non-smoking household.
  3. Try to make provisions for parking in advance. If you will be allowing guests to park on the lawn or in the back yard, let them know in your invitation. Ask your neighbors about parking options or warn them that guests will be parking on the street.
  4. It's always a good idea to bring a small gift to a party even if the host or hostess instructs you not to in the invitation. Bring along a bottle of wine, some flowers or chocolates to show your appreciation.
  5. Party hearty and have fun, but make room for guests who have had too much to drink. Don't let a guest who over drinks drive. It could save a life and save YOU from a lawsuit.