Placemats and Chargers vs Tablecloths: What Do You Need?

At a rental order, the line items blur together. A cloth looks like a cloth, but a charger and a placemat are both small and both sit under the plate. Choosing between them, or deciding to use two, changes the look of every place setting, the clean-up and the budget. Here is how they differ and how they stack at a Chicago-area wedding or dinner.

What each one does

Tablecloth

Covers the whole table, hides its flaws and sets the base color. It carries the room. For sizes, see the tablecloth size chart.

Placemat

A rectangular or round mat, usually 13 to 19 inches, that marks each place. Placemats suit tables where the wood is the feature, such as a farm table, or where you want to protect a surface without a cloth. They come in woven, wood, leather, linen and acrylic. See farm table linens.

Charger

A large decorative plate, typically 12 to 14 inches, that sits under the dinner plate. It adds color, texture or metallic shine and frames the setting. Guests do not eat from it. The server clears it before dessert or after the entree, depending on the style of service.

When to choose each

Chargers pair best with plated meals where servers are available to clear them. At a buffet, a charger is just one more thing guests carry. Placemats help most when no tablecloth is used, because they give each place a clear boundary.

How to stack a place setting

Do not stack more than three items at the center of a plate. The setting looks crowded and is hard to clear.

Combining layers

A cloth plus a charger is the most formal stack. A cloth plus a placemat is rare because both are flat and the mat can vanish. A placemat on bare wood is the casual version. Two ideas that work:

• Ivory cloth, gold charger, white plate, deep napkin. Classic, rich, easy to read in photos.
• Bare wood, linen placemat, white plate, simple napkin. Relaxed and natural.

If you are layering textures, see textured linens and overlays and layered linens.

Cost and logistics

Chargers are counted per seat, so a 120-guest dinner needs 120 plus a spare. They are dinnerware, not linen, so they may be quoted separately from your linens. Ask whether they are rented by the piece, who sets them, and who clears them. Placemats are also per seat, and they can be laundered or wiped, depending on material. Ask your supplier how they arrive and how to return them. Request a quote that lists each item so you can compare.

Plan counts using the linen ordering checklist, and remember to add dinnerware items that go with chargers, such as plates, flatware and glassware.

Chicago note

At downtown hotels and large banquet halls, the catering staff usually sets and clears chargers, so check what they have in stock. At tents and backyards, volunteers often set tables, so a simple placemat or charger is easier than a complicated stack. In wind, lightweight placemats can lift, so use a charger or a weighted base.

Plan the place setting as a whole

Book a free 15-minute seating call and we will help plan linens, plates and chairs together, or request a quote.