What happens if your corsage arrives, and it clearly does not go with your dress?  A good solution to this is to pin your corsage on your evening bag.  You don’t want to offend your date with his choice.  So this is a good way to handle this situation.

Now, where do you put the corsage and boutonniere?  The corsage may be worn on the shoulder, or wrist if it is a wrist corsage, or pinned to your evening bag.  As for the boutonniere, it goes on the lapel of the man’s jacket where the buttonhole is.  On both the flowers  point upward with the stem pointing down.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

Check your appearance.  Make sure your clothes are pressed and clean.  Check your personal hygiene.  Be sure to check your breath.  You don’t want to knock your date over with bad breath!  Instead, knock him/her over with looking the best that you can.  Watch the perfume and cologne.  Don’t go overboard with the good smelling fragrances.  Comb the hair, tuck in the shirt tail, and polish the shoes .  Now put on a great smile and have fun.

Meet the parents.  Whether you are nervous or not, you want to make a good impression on your date and the parents.  When meeting the parents shake their hands and look them in the eye while introducing yourself.  When leaving, tell them it was nice to meet them.  Young men remember  to hold the door for your date while leaving the house and while getting into the car.  Your date will be impressed with your  manners.

Eating at the restaurant.  You want to remember that you are trying to make a good impression.  Remember to chew with your mouth closed, don’t talk with food in your mouth,  no burping, don’t put your face in your plate and shovel your food in like it’s your last meal, put your napkin in your lap, don’t use a toothpick, and young men please hold the chair for your date.   This is your time  to shine with your date and friends.

Remember to thank your chaperons for giving of their time to make prom night possible.  It takes a lot of community effort to host prom.  People appreciate it when their efforts are recognized.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

As you have observed from my comments above, I’m talking about just using everyday manners.  I like it when the door is held for me, when the car door is opened for me, and when my chair is pulled out for me at the dinner table.  It shows respect for me.  The person demonstrating these manners distinguishes himself from others.  In my parents’ era, it was the norm for the man to open a door for a woman.  Today, it is permissible for this not to be gender oriented.  Women can and do open doors for  men and especially in the business world.  It’s an act of kindness and respect.

Take time and think about a  situation where maybe you didn’t use your manners as you should have done.  We have all done this at one time or another including myself.  Manners need to be used at home and when we go out in public.  I ask myself if I answer the phone abruptly and speak in an irritated voice?  Was I in a rush and didn’t wait to hold the door for the other person coming behind me?  Did I constantly interrupt the conversation at the last dinner I attended?   Did I  remember to respond to an invitation?  All these things matter. If  some one thinks enough of us to invite us to a function, we need to remember to respond to the invitation.   Show courtesy when engaging in conversation.  Show courtesy and wait a second and hold that door for the person behind you.  Use a pleasant voice when using the telephone.  I’ll write about telephone etiquette in another topic.

We all need to use our manners.  I’m  willing to bet you will notice a difference in the way a person responds to you when you remember your manners.   I know I do. You know how you feel when someone uses their best manners towards you.  It’s a good feeling.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

This is a good article.  Mr. Sharoff talks about, of course, the way a person dresses, a person’s grooming habits, and having knowledge of the company which is interviewing you.  You want to look your best from head to toe so you can indeed make that first impression a good one.  Following certain guidelines will definitely help you get a follow-up interview or even get the job.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

There are a couple of other points I want to make regarding invitations.  Be sure to reply in a timely manner.  If there is RSVP on the invitation, usually a date  by which you are to respond is given.   If you receive an invitation in person or by phone, you may respond at that time.  If you receive a spur of the moment invitation, it is acceptable to tell your host that you will check you schedule and call back as soon as you can.  Whether you are  responding by a handwritten note or by phone, you do not have to give a reason if you can’t attend the function.

Once you have accepted an invitation, you are expected to attend the function.  There are circumstances when you must notify your host that you have to change your acceptance.  If you are ill, have an emergency, or have some unavoidable situation, please let your host know as soon as possible that you will  not be attending the affair.  It is very rude to do a “no show”.  If you have declined an invitation and then realize that you are in a position to attend, what do you do?  If the occasion is casual or if it is a buffet style dinner, you may call your host if you know them well and inform them of the situation.  However if the invitation is for a more formal seated dinner, you  need to stick to  your regrets.    Don’t put your host in an uncomfortable situation.

If an invitation is addressed to you and a guest, that means you are free to bring a guest of your choosing.  When accepting, make sure you inform your host if you will be bringing a guest.  If your invitation doesn’t mention bringing a guest, do not assume that it is alright to bring one.  That is not the case and may cause for an embarrassing moment for you and your host.

Please feel free to share any experiences which you have, feel free to ask any questions, or to comment on the topic.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

During my teenage years, I was taught how to respond to invitations.  I can recall many handwritten notes that I sent to respond to formal invitations.  That was just something one knew how to do.  There were and still are reasons that one should respond to an invitation.  The first is common courtesy.  If someone thinks enough of you to extend an invitation, you owe them the courtesy of replying.  Today most formal invitations arrive with a card for you to send back stating your acceptance or regrets.  This has made it very easy for you to reply.  So there is really no excuse for not answering the invitation.  Another reason for responding to an invitation is the host/hostess really needs to know if you are attending in order to plan on the amount of food and drink that will be served.

I’m sure you all have had varied experiences with sending out invitations.  When my son and daughter-in-law married, they were in charge of their own wedding.  I know personally of some people who were on the guest list that never responded.  I know the recipients received their invitation, but obviously they didn’t feel the need to reply.  This was rude and not considerate on the recipient’s part.  Since the wedding was out of state, my son and his fiancee knew that the person probably wasn’t coming.  So they didn’t add their name to the dinner list. Their situation ended up well since they didn’t count the unanswered invitations in the count for the caterer.   My neighbor’s situation didn’t end as well.  When her daughter married, they didn’t hear from several people.  This was an in-town wedding.  So they didn’t know whether the guests were coming and just didn’t respond or whether they thought they didn’t have to respond since they weren’t planning on attending.  My friend also had several people accept, and then they didn’t show.  They didn’t call, write, or contact my friend at all.  I know we all have emergencies from time to time.  Even so, it is the polite thing to contact your host/hostess if you have an emergency and can’t make the affair.  My friend included the first people mentioned in her list for the caterer.  She was worried that the guests might show so she had to make sure there was a place for them at the seated dinner.  In the second case, the names had been included since the guests accepted ,and their names were added to the caterer’s head count.  My friend was charged for these guests that didn’t show but had accepted.  This cost them several hundred dollars.  This really shows a lack of good manners and no consideration for the person who was gracious to send the invitation.

So when do you respond?  Always.  RSVP comes from the French language.  It means repondez s’il vous plait.  If you receive an invitation with RSVP on it, you must reply.  If RSVP is on the invitation and there is no other note and there is no reply card, then you are to send a hand written note either accepting or regretting the invitation.

Some invitations will say “Please reply” or “The favor of a reply is requested”.  This instructs you to do exactly what it says.  However, other invitations may say “Regrets only”, and you only reply if you are unable to attend the function.  It doesn’t take much of your time to respond to an invitation.  This is an easy rule of etiquette to put into practice and one that people should make an effort to bring back as part of everyday life.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

What is the etiquette on thank you notes?  When do you write a thank you note?  Is one always necessary?  How long do you have to send a note after receiving a gift?  Is a note sent by e-mail sufficient?

You always send a note when you have received a gift or when someone has done something for you.  There are a couple of exceptions.  If you have received a gift for a birthday or a holiday and you thanked the giver in person, then a note is not mandatory.  The note, however, is still a much appreciated touch.  If a person has insisted that you not send a note, and you have thanked them in person, then a note is not necessary.  If you are sick and not able to send a note, it is permissible to have a family member do this for you.

If you receive a gift for something you did for someone, do you then have to write a thank you note for your gift?  Yes, you do.  Even though the gift was the person’s way of thanking you, you still need to show your appreciation by writing a note.

Etiquette Class

In my etiquette classes, I teach that one should write a thank you note within three to five days of receiving a gift.  Thank you notes should be done promptly.  What about wedding thank you notes?  I have received several questions recently regarding these notes.  The rule of thumb for writing wedding thank you notes is three months after the gifts have been received.  However, it is better to write when you receive the gifts.

Is a note by e-mail considered a proper thank you?  No, it is not.  A hand written note is considered the proper form of saying thank you.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

What does it take to make a good first impression?  Is it wearing designer clothes?  Is it sporting the casual look or is it  more the business look?  Is it taking over the conversation in an interview to show what you know?  Is it being prepared for the college or job interview?  Is it knowing how to properly greet the person you are meeting?  Do you  write a thank you note after the interview?   If your interview involves dining, are your skills up to the challenge?  What about things like wearing perfume, wearing jewelry, not tucking in your shirt, not combing your hair, and yes, what about your breath?  All these things play a part in what kind of impression you make.

Today there is a lot of competition for jobs so it is in your best interest to make the best impression that you can. Make yourself stand out in a positive way.  The same goes for a college interview.  What if you are applying for a scholarship?  Here again you want to put your best foot forward.  Critique yourself before you go for an interview or any other situation where you will be making an impression on others.  The statements listed above are just a few of many for you to think about when getting ready to make an impression.  Having respect for yourself is the starting place in respecting others.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com

Importance of Introduction Skills

The person who is knowledgeable about the rules of introductions will feel comfortable and confident in their interview.  Having this skill, the person is able to concentrate on the interview and present himself in the best manner that he can.  This also applies to anyone interviewing for a job.  Knowing how to meet and greet someone shows respect and confidence.  These are two qualities which will enable  you to make the best impression you can in securing the job.