Maria Brady's Blog – August 2009 Archive (4)

Most etiquette experts agree that it is never acceptable to include any instructions about gifts, even ‘no gifts please’ instructions, on an invitation. The hosts are supposed to be focused on the festivities at hand and not thinking about the possibility of getting gifts from the guests.



Nevertheless, if you're a guest at some point and receive an invitation with "no gifts" written on it, you should honor this request. "No gifts, please" means…no gifts. Showing up with a gift, when… Continue

It was always my understanding that plates were not to be cleared until everyone at the table was finished with the course they were eating. When did it become customary to clear a person’s plate as soon as they put the fork down regardless of the fact that others at the table were still eating? Somehow this practice has become so commonplace that it now appears the wait staff feels that this is what excellent service is all about. Is this the new etiquette? Did I miss the memo?



I… Continue

Many people wonder what they are supposed to do with those large decorative plates that are part of the place setting on a formal dinner table. They are called charger plates, and they've been around since the late 1800s. Chargers pretty much disappeared during the 1990s, but now they're back in vogue, and their proper use is a point of confusion for some.



Also known as a chop plate, service plate or under plate, a charger plate never has food placed directly onto it; it serves as an… Continue

Nowhere are bad manners more obvious to me these days than on airplanes. There was a time when air travelers respected each other but that’s no longer the case.



While six miles high in the sky, and crammed into a metal tube with seats, one of the unwritten rules of the airways is to remember that you are not alone. Most of us exhibit proper in-flight behavior and we always remember those that don’t! Below are some unwritten rules of etiquette (for those that don’t) to help you avoid… Continue