The Real Simple Reader Etiquette Poll

Over 7,000 of you weighed in on manners; here’s what you (and experts) had to say.

How Should You Seat Guests at a Dinner Party?

Readers say:

Let them pick their own seats: 54.6%

Boy, girl, boy, girl: 28.8%

No married couples together: 16.6%


Experts say: “There are no longer any rules,” says Anna Post, a great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post and the author of the blog What Would Emily Post Do? (annapost.typepad.com), backing up the majority of readers. But for large gatherings, she says, “a host might still want to arrange the seating to prevent predinner musical chairs.” People should be seated with the goal of creating lively conversation, whether that means seating couples together or not.