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Stylish Table Settings for Every Occasion

Here's our guide to help you navigate the complicated world of table setting etiquette.

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Erik Rank

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Formal Lunch

For a formal luncheon, the table is set much as for dinner with a few exceptions. The presence of an iced teaspoon and iced beverage glass announce a daytime event. The lack of candlesticks, too, is appropriate for a daylight meal.

Stemware is limited to a water goblet and a wine goblet. Old etiquette books dictated that the flatware should align at the bottom of the handle. Looser customs now allow you to arrange them in a graceful angle, if you prefer.

• Download the Formal Lunch Cheat Sheet

Tablecloth: Sferra, Gracious Home
Napkin: Private collection
Flatware: Vera Wang, Waterford/Wedgwood
Fish fork, iced teaspoon: Private Collection
Stemware: Waterford
China: Lenox