Proper Etiquette for Your Special Night

Once you have selected your dream gown, your date has chosen the perfect corsage, and you agree on how you will arrive to your formal event in style, take some time to make sure you both have manners as classy as your attire. Saying “please” and “thank you” should be a given at a formal affair, but other proper etiquette may not be as obvious. Three handy etiquette tips come from Lisa Gaché, president of Beverly Hills Manners.

Make your entrance count. Slinking into the party with your shoulders slumped and your eyes on the ground is awkward and unbecoming. It can also make it look like you don’t want to be there. Enter the room is with confidence, even if you don’t feel it. Take a moment before you step through the door to breathe deep, relax your shoulders and tell yourself how gorgeous you look. Then stand up straight and sashay into the party with style!

Make your introductions count. If you are meeting someone new, look them in the eye and firmly shake their hand. Once again, confidence counts. Shake their hand with a firm grip, not a dead fish grip. Also introduce others to your date by stating their names and their affiliation to you.

Make your table manners count. Table manners may be obvious, but they are not always followed at home. Remember you’re not at home but at a formal event where plenty of people may notice if you don’t display them. Keep elbows off the table. Put your napkin on your lap. And for goodness sake, don’t talk with your mouth full!

An elegant appearance goes beyond a great evening gown and accessories. Proper etiquette at a formal event gives you one more layer of class, and these three tips can help you exude it all night long.