Cutlery
The biggest rule with cutlery is knives are always to the right of your plate with the serrated edge pointed inwards. Spoons are to the right of the knife and forks are to the left of the plate.
Traditionally, the dessert fork and spoon are laid one above the other above your plate. The rest of your cutlery is laid smallest (starting with your salad fork) to largest working toward the plate. The butter knife usually goes across the bread plate. With a modern setting, you only need the cutlery and dishes for the dinner itself. It's acceptable to place cutlery in the order of the courses where you work from the outside in and it's ok to bring the dessert dishes, cutlery and coffee cups out after dinner.
Glasses
On your traditional table, the water goblet is always above the tip of the blade of your knife and behind the glasses for your different wines. With a modern meal, you can simply have a water and a wine glass. Any others could be brought out as the courses are served.
Napkins
Many people tend to artfully place the napkins in the water goblets. According to Pinet, this is a big no-no mainly because there is a risk that the glass will tip as you pull the napkin out and break. What you want to do instead is fold it and lay it in the center of your plate. You can also put it in a napkin ring.
Ambiance and finishing touches
"The overall look you want to achieve on your table is nice and simple," says Michael. You don't want a lot of fussy things. Fresh flower arrangements are nice, but they shouldn't block the guests' view of each other. One trend he has noticed is smaller vases along the table with a couple of fresh cut flowers. This is a great place to lean your place cards if you're at a more formal affair.
Your room shouldn't be too light or too dark. If you have a chandelier above your table, use the dimmer. Candlelight is also a nice touch.
Read more in Food & Entertaining and Tabletop Ideas
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