How Do you Decide The Seating At A Dinner Party?
HOW DO YOU DECIDE SEATING AT A DINNER PARTY?
There are many things that need to be taken into consideration when throwing a dinner party.
As well as the menu, the wine, the entertainment etc., one very important factor is how do you decide seating at a dinner party.
The seating positions could make the difference between your guests enjoying your dinner party, or not.
Listed below are some certain factors that need to be taken into consideration when organizing your seating plan.
The Formality of the Occasion Needs to be Decided Upon
The relationship that you have with your guests will determine the formality of your dinner party. Are you inviting business associates or friends? Do your guests include your family or friends from out of state?
Seat people together who have common interests
This is one of the simplest ways to seat your guests together. Take the following into consideration: – Is business one of the things that your guests have in common? – Are interests or hobbies something that they have in common? – Do they have the same professions? – Is there marital/single status the same, especially if you are planning a little matchmaking? – Do they like each other? Be careful not to sit people together if there is animosity between the two of them.
Pair people together
It is sometimes customary to pair males and females together. However this can sometimes be a conversation killer and make some people feel uncomfortable. If you have a guest arriving that is of a shy nature, then try and sit them with someone that is a caring extrovert.
Seat your guests in the order of honor
If you have a guest of honor, such as, a boss, an elderly relative, or a visiting superstar, if you were to be so lucky, then there are rules of etiquette as to their seating. A female guest of honor would normally sit to the right of the host, whereby a male guest of honor would normally sit to the left of the hostess.
Sit guests of honor or hosts at the opposite end of the table
When your dinner party has two hosts, then sit them at opposite ends of the table in order to share yourselves around a little bit more to your guests. Alternatively, your guests of honor can be placed at the opposite end of the table to the hosts.
For a female guest of honor, place her opposite the hostess and for a male guest of honor, place him opposite the host. The remaining host can be placed next to the guests of honor. It is important to remember that the duty of the hosts are to ensure that the guests are happy, therefore should be kept as apart as possible to ensure that your guests have a equal share of them.
Use place cards
Use place cards with the full name of each guest in an elegant print. It is not necessary, however, to use place cards if you have less than six guests.
Be a good host
It is essential that you ensure that you guests are having fun. However, it is imperative that you as a host also enjoy the occasion. Inform people upon arrival of where the bathrooms are located. If a guest looks extremely uncomfortable as to where you have seated them, then quickly re-seat them, making an excuse such as “oh I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to seat you there”. Only do this if you can make it look as though it is not too obvious.
In conclusion, a dinner party does involve quite a large amount of organization. And even with the best preparation, things can go wrong. For example, you could be entertaining to so much that you forget something is cooking and it turns out a little well done. These factors are not usually crucial.
However, one of the most essential factors is, how do you decide seating at a dinner party? It is of great importance as you wish all of your guests to get along together and enjoy pleasant, compatible company.
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Quick Tip #1 Plan your dinner party carefully. Draw up lists of what you need to get done and put due dates against each task. Some things may need to be done well in advance. |
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Quick Tip #2 Pay attention to your budget. Nothing can spoil your fun more than the feeling you've overspent. Our Dinner Party Cost Calculator may help you. |
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Quick Tip #3
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