When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Mary Hollis Huddleston Setting a perfectly laid table is an essential part of hosting.

Have you ever wondered how to set a table? The holidays are here, and with it, dinner parties as well as formal family meals that finally put grandma’s silver to use. Laying them out, however, can be ...

While there are certain protocols for basic, casual, and formal table settings, there is some flexibility. Get creative based on the items you already own and what you’ll be serving. For a formal ...

The biggest eating holiday of the year is upon us. You’ve brainstormed the menu, shopped for sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and thawed the turkey. (You have thawed the turkey, right?) With all ...

Like many details we tend to brush off in our hurried daily lives, the art of proper table setting seems to be getting lost in the ether. While it's true that we've become a casual society, there are ...

Place a dinner plate in the center of each place setting. If you're serving salad, place a salad plate on top of the dinner plate. Place a folded napkin to the left of the dinner plate. Place forks on ...

Many of us remember our mothers starting a week in advance of Thanksgiving, polishing sterling stemware until it gleamed, setting the table three days in advance with the good china, then cooking ...