Table Settings

• The most recognizable feature of a formal dinner is the place setting. The hosts use fine china and continental flatware. The aspects of the setting are as follows:
  *The table is arranged with all places equidistant from one another.
  *The dinner plate goes in the center of each setting, with the smaller salad plate on top.
  *If there is a soup bowl, it goes on top of the salad plate.
  *The bread plate goes in the top left, with the butter knife across it, blade to the left.
  *The napkin is on the dinner plate's left, dinner fork on the inside, salad fork outside.
  *The dinner knife goes on the right side, blade facing in, followed by the dinner spoon.
  *Additional utensils are added in course order, outside to inside.
  
  

Courses

• Formal dinners feature three to five courses. A five-course dinner will have appetizers, soup, salad, the main dish and dessert. As guests finish each course they place the utensil they used diagonally across the dish they used, signaling that it is OK to take them away.
  
  

Dress

• Usually the hosts of a formal dinner will indicate proper dress for the occasion in the invitation. At minimum, ladies should wear a dress suitable for a business casual office and men should wear a button-down shirt and a suit jacket. The fanciest of dinners are called "white tie." This requires gentlemen to wear a tuxedo, complete with vest and cummerbund, and ladies to wear formal cocktail dresses or evening gowns.
  
  

Invitations

• It's proper etiquette to invite guests to a formal dinner by mailing a written invitation, even if the dinner is at the host's home. It's very impolite for guests not to RSVP, because hosts take great care in preparing the food, décor and place settings. People invited should always respond at least two to three days before the party. Sooner is better.
  
  

Host Gifts

• Guests should bring a host gift and present it either before the event or when they arrive. Proper gifts include a bottle of wine, flowers or a décor piece for the home. It's not considered polite for guests to bring extra food unless asked. It may not fit with the mood of the dinner and could be taken as an insult to the host's cooking skill.