Napkins seem straightforward until you are choosing between cocktail and dinner sizes, deciding on a fold, and trying to work out how many to order. This guide covers all three questions.
Napkins seem straightforward until you are choosing between cocktail and dinner sizes, deciding on a fold, and trying to work out how many to order. This guide covers all three questions.
Napkins are a small but visible part of the table setting. The size, fold, and colour all contribute to how the table reads when guests sit down. Getting them right takes about five minutes of planning; getting them wrong results in a table that looks like it was assembled in a hurry.
The two standard sizes for hired napkins are cocktail napkins and dinner napkins. Cocktail napkins are smaller (typically 30cm x 30cm when unfolded) and are intended for drinks receptions, canapé events, and any situation where guests are standing rather than seated. They are used briefly and then discarded, so the quality and fold matter less than for a sit-down setting.
Dinner napkins are larger (typically 45cm x 45cm or 50cm x 50cm when unfolded) and are placed on the table as part of the formal setting. They need to be ironed and folded consistently. A wrinkled or unevenly folded dinner napkin on a formal table looks careless even when everything else is right.
The most used folds at events are the ones that take under a minute per napkin and look good from a distance. A simple rectangle fold placed left of the forks is the fastest and works for any table style. A cone or bishop's hat fold takes slightly longer but adds height to the table setting without requiring specialist folding skills.
More elaborate folds (fans, swans, fleur-de-lis) are time-consuming. A table of 10 with elaborate folds takes 30 to 40 minutes to fold correctly. For a wedding with 20 tables, that is several hours of setup time before the room is dressed. Unless the fold is a specific design feature for the event, a clean, consistent simple fold is usually the better call.
For a sit-down dinner, order one dinner napkin per guest plus 10% for replacements. For 100 guests, order 110. Guests occasionally drop napkins, take a second, or the venue sets tables for more guests than actually attend.
For a drinks reception with cocktail napkins, guests typically use more than one napkin across an event. Order 2.5 cocktail napkins per guest. For 100 guests, order 250. This accounts for the rate at which cocktail napkins are taken from circulating trays and not returned.
If the event combines a reception and a sit-down dinner, order both types separately. Do not substitute dinner napkins for the reception in an attempt to simplify the order: the size difference is visible on circulating trays and the cost saving is minimal.
The choice between matching napkins and contrasting napkins depends on the table design. A white tablecloth with white napkins looks clean and formal but can read as flat without other colour on the table. A white tablecloth with coloured napkins (navy, burgundy, forest green) is more visually interesting and does not require other decorative elements to add contrast.
Storm grey or ivory tablecloths work with a wider range of napkin colours than white does. If you are uncertain which combination works, test it with a single table setting before committing to the full order.
Browse our napkin hire and tablecloth hire ranges for available colours and sizes. We can supply matching sets if you want the napkins and cloths from the same range, or mix colours across the two if you want contrast.
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