Formal Table Setting
You may not have a butler to serve the soup or a maid to clear the plates, but your table can be as elegant as any heiress. For those important dinners, pull out all the stops and dress your table to impress with all the extra details that tell your family and guests that this is a special occasion. Keep this illustration as a guide to the correct placement of every piece.

Casual Table Setting
A beautifully-set table brightens every meal, so use your fine china, crystal, and flatware to show you don’t take your new husband or wife for granted. Every now and then, set the table for breakfast and add fresh flowers as a centerpiece. Or put together a picnic with cloth napkins and crystal glasses for the wine. This illustration will remind you when you can’t remember if the forks go on the left or the right.

Serving Tips
Each line of china includes handsome serving pieces, and it is often here that the designer’s creativity comes to full flower. So make sure you consider the beauty of a covered vegetable dish, or look for the graceful swoop of a handle and spout on the coffee service. Perhaps your pattern includes a cake plate or a variety of serving platters. These pieces will help complete the beauty of your table.

Buffet Tips
When you serve a buffet, remember to put plates first, then the food, and napkins and silverware at the end. That way, diners won’t have to hold on to everything while they serve themselves. If you have room, put two duplicate lines down either side of a table, so guests can move through twice as fast. And unless you’re providing seating with table space, try to avoid foods that need a lot of cutting—stay with “fork food” for your guests’ ease.