DEAR MISS MANNERS: At my associate’s son’s wedding ceremony, the primary row had names taped on the chairs for assigned seating.
On the groom’s aspect, the order was: groom’s mom, groom’s father (my associate), their daughter, the groom’s mother’s associate, then me.
I’d by no means met the gent subsequent to me (the mother’s associate), so it felt awkward. However I made the most effective of it and chatted him up — asking about his personal kids, as people often take pleasure in speaking about that.
My associate and his ex are well mannered and cordial to one another. They’ve been divorced for 20 years, and my understanding is that it was acrimonious, however that they finally developed an uneasy truce. They shared custody of their kids, who’ve lengthy since been adults.
My associate and I had assumed we’d sit collectively through the ceremony, so it was a little bit of a shock when the marriage planner advised us concerning the seating preparations about half an hour prior. In fact, we simply accepted it and made no protest. We had no need to make waves at his son’s wedding ceremony.
Was I improper in feeling uncomfortable with this assigned seating scenario? I hid my emotions and definitely received’t voice any complaints after the actual fact. Simply wished a actuality test. Do you assume my discomfort was comprehensible?
GENTLE READER: Sure. As a substitute, you must really feel pleased with your self for dealing with an ungainly scenario graciously.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m planning to ask my daughter’s in-laws to a proper dinner.
I plan to host it the way in which my late almost-aristocratic mom would have completed 60 years in the past: with wonderful china, starched linens, good silver, flowers, the lot. I’m partly (effectively, primarily) motivated by just a few snobbish remarks dropped by my daughter’s father-in-law.
The factor is, I used to be raised to roll up my serviette after dinner and put it in my serviette ring, with my identify engraved on it, for later use. However I can not bear in mind for the lifetime of me whether or not company ought to discover a serviette ring offered in the event that they’re solely staying for one meal.
GENTLE READER: If this gentleman is as pretentious as you say, he might effectively imagine, as many now do, that silver serviette rings add a proper contact to a desk. And he could be improper.
They don’t belong at firm meals.
Your mom used the serviette rings to lighten the load of the laundress (who, for all Miss Manners is aware of, might have been your mom herself). The household used their napkins at a couple of meal, so it was vital to differentiate whose was whose. You wouldn’t need to be caught along with your brother’s serviette after he wiped jam throughout it.
Please ship your inquiries to Miss Manners at her web site, www.missmanners.com; to her e-mail, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or by way of postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas Metropolis, MO 64106.
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