Dinner table food layout

Table layout/setting

So you're engaged. Now what? Fire up that printer because there are a LOT of things to keep track of.

Everything you need to know.

I don’t throw many (or any, really) formal dinner parties, but I still found this diagram helpful, if for no other reason than it illuminates Downton Abbey’s dining etiquette.All joking aside, seeing this diagram reminded me of a few table-setting rules I learned from my mother as a child: the knife blade always faces towards the plate; the coffee spoon lies horizontally above it; and the water goblet sits in the upper righthand corner above and angled to the (smaller) wine glass.

Slow down this weekend and linger over an outdoor meal with friends long into the afternoon. Our menu is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean,