I hold formal dinner parties with limited place settings. But there are friends who never respond to my invitations and show ...

My question is how to react when people do not respond to an invitation, nor to a gentle nudge and arrive anyway.

I usually say simply, “What a nice surprise,” but I am then left to shuffle place cards, add settings (often unmatched) and ...

In old-school California, dinner came with unspoken rules, polite habits, and family routines that would totally surprise ...

A lot of dining etiquette rules are now seen as outdated. Whether they're overcomplicated or too formal, here are some that ...

These are friends of mine, and I do want to entertain them, but I’m afraid I’ll be limiting them to barbecues in the future.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at missmanners.com, by email to [email protected], or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a single man who inherited, from my parents and grandparents, both a love of entertaining and also a great deal of the trappings needed — china, crystal, linen, silver — that ...

My question is how to react when people do not respond to an invitation, nor to a gentle nudge (such as an emailed “I wondered if you had received this,” with a second copy of the invitation) — and ...

Table manners have always reflected social values, class structures, and practicality of their time. Many rules were created ...

There are some occasions when we can consider skipping a formal dinner and hosting just a cocktail party instead. No rigid seating plans, no perfectly timed courses, no pressure to keep guests ...