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Tablesetting 101

If your mother forgot to teach you how to set the table, or if you're forgotten those eternal rules, here's our guide to help you navigate the complicated world of table setting etiquette, complete with cheat sheets.

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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