Reception rules

Reception begins with invitations. Depending on the type of celebration you areinvite, each guest must be invited personally or by sending him an invitation by mail. As a rule, for small family holidays in the circle of friends, guests are invited orally when they meet or over the phone. For large celebrations, it is most convenient to give guests invitations indicating the place and time of the celebration, and, if necessary, indicating the required type of clothing.

When inviting guests, it is necessary to remember thatinvited guests should have enough time to prepare for the celebration, because every guest should choose a gift for the hosts of the evening, pick up the appropriate outfit. Usually, a wedding or a significant anniversary is usually invited for a month before the celebration, on your home holidays - not less than a week.

Time for admission must be chosen depending on the typefeasts. For breakfast, according to the rules of etiquette, it is accepted to invite between 10 and 12 hours, for lunch - from 15 to 19 hours, for dinner - from 19 to 22 hours. For tea or coffee guests are invited from 17 to 19 hours.

When inviting guests, you also need to remember that,inviting one of the spouses, you invite the second. Exceptions are allowed for specific types of guests, for example, for hens or stag parties.

Meeting with guests should occur in an upbeat, festivemood, that already from a threshold the special festive atmosphere was felt. When meeting guests, you should be at the "full parade", i.e. already brushed, dressed in festive clothes.

If the guest gives you a gift, accept it with a sincere smile, thank. When meeting the guests, take care of enough hooks and coat hangers for clothes so that the jackets and coats of guests are not wrinkled. In a prominent place it is necessary to put a shoe brush, and in the bathroom hang a few clean towels.

Do you offer change shoes? To ensure that guests do not feel uncomfortable, it is better to give them the opportunity to stay in their shoes. In addition, offering guests their slippers - it's simply not hygienic.

If not all of the invited guests are familiar with each other, then the task of the owners of the house is as tactfully as possible to introduce all. It is possible for the newly arrived guest to present already assembled or to gather the guests in a separate room and there to introduce each other.

Guest accommodation at the festive table - a real art. On small home festivals you can indicate to each guest his place with a movement of the hand, on large celebrations, each guest can be given a card indicating his place.

When placing guests at a table, you should consider several rules. First, the hostess of the house should sit down so thatto see all the guests, but at the same time she should have the opportunity at any time to get up from the table, without disturbing anyone. Secondly, the places of honorary guests should be located "face" to the entrance doors. Thirdly, seating the guests, you should take care that neighbors on the table were interested in each other.

Festive feast should not turn into fattening guests. Starting a feast is best with aperitif, because not always guests are going to the sametime. Aperitif allows you to pleasantly pass the waiting time. The aperitif is usually served with light alcoholic drinks and snacks (nuts, canapes, sliced, etc.).

By the time the feast begins, the table should be fully served. When traveling with guests,so that each guest had a linen napkin designed to protect the guest's clothes. Such a napkin guest should put himself on his knees, but in no case do not fill the napkin by the collar of clothes, in the manner of a bib.

Serve guests should the hostess or service staff. At a small home table, guests can serve themselves. Begin the feast of the owners of the house. During the feast You do not have to impose a dish on your guests, do not force guests to eat large portions.

At the table it is accepted to conduct table talk. Set the tone of the conversation and direct it to the desiredthe channel should you. Never complain to the guests about the high cost of products - this puts you in an awkward position. Also do not discuss with the guests the problems of your and their health, your family troubles, etc. Try to tactfully "cool off" not to the measure of ardent guests, to involve other guests in the conversation, but do not impose yourself.

Guest Departure - this is also a very important stage. You should not "invite guests to the door," but tactfully to hint guests that it's time to leave, you can. In any case, you should not take the cleaning of the table and the room, until your house is left by the last guest.

Some modern rules for the reception of guests repeat the etiquette rules of the century before last, others - the invention of the present days. However, in any case take guests always so that they have a long time left the warmest memories of your hospitality!