Seating and serving
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Seating
Is the seating arrangement key to a happy party?
Most experienced hosts will tell you that one of the main factors in having a successful dinner party is the seating arrangement. To make sure every guest always has some one to talk to, it is imperative to group people with similar interests (eg. hobbies and professions).
Where to seat them
- Spouses should be seated apart, unless you are hosting a family gathering.
- Alternate male and female guests when possible.
- The guest of honor, if female, traditionally sits to the right of the host.
- The guest of honor, if male, traditionaly sits to the left of a hostess.
- If a formal dinner party is hosted by a female for a female, the two women should sit at opposite ends. The same rule applies for males.
What about placecards?
Place cards are quite useful for parties of more then 10 people. They should be placed on top of the napkins when they are centered on the plate, when not they should be placed just above the plate. The hosts should not have place cards for themselves. In a small party, one simply indicates to each guest where they are to be seated.
The place cards should be cleared along with the first course to avoid table clutter. This is, of course, unless the party is large and most guests do not know each other. In this case, they serve as a way for mutual identification.
