Hello, I am Nancy Mitchell, I am the owner of the Etiquette Advocate and today we are talking about dining etiquette. Your responsibilities as a guest begin even before you arrive at the event. Your responsibilities begin when you receive an invitation. Look very carefully at the invitation, notice how it’s addressed; is it to you and a guest is it to only you. Its very rude to respond to an invitation by saying you’re going to bring a guest or to ask question may I bring a guest? Your marching orders if you will--how your invitation is addressed and respond accordingly.
Look at your invitation for clues about the event, the starting time, the dress code. If there is any question about what is the appropriate attire for the event, call, ask questions. If you have any hesitation about how to dress always go one level above what you think will be appropriate. You will always be comfortable, if you are little overdressed, you’ll always be uncomfortable if you are underdressed. Go with the signals that are given on the invitation. It is extremely rude not respond to an invitation. As a guest your primary responsibility is to say yes or no, are you attending? Don’t make your host guess about this, its critical for them to know account for the caterer. They need to know a seating arrangement; they need to know exactly how many people are coming. Don’t be rude by not responding to your invitation.
At this point it is your responsibility as a guest to communicate any special needs you may have to your host or hostess. If you have food allergies, you have religious restrictions you have special needs because of disability. When you are invited you need to convey this information to your host. Don’t surprise them the day of the event they sit down at the table with you, they don’t want to know at that point that you are vegetarian they want to know ahead of time. Share your special needs your restrictions with your host or hostess at the point that you are responding to an invitation.
That is how you respond to an invitation and how you prepare to go to an event. Next we are going to be talking about how to arrive at the event and what you do as a guest.
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