etiquette

With the upcoming Wills and Kate wedding, there promises to be a whole lot of royal gawkers invading Old Blighty. If you (or your loved ones) haven't been here for a while, it's probably a good idea to brush up on the local customs and rituals—if only to avoid an international incident at the pub's royal wedding fancy dress (read: costume) party.

I’ve received many kudos for my book How to Raise a Boyfriend from women (and some men) who now understand why they are clueless when it comes to basic etiquette in relationships. But many men have complained about women complaining about them.

I was unaware, until very recently, that I have a very bad habit. I hang up on people. And I don’t mean if you piss me off, I’ll hang up on you. (I’ve learned to say, “Let’s just talk about this later,” and then hang up.) I recently learned that I just hang up on people without saying ‘goodbye.’

Haven’t we all wondered during snowy winter months what to do with our shoes when we’re invited to people’s houses, especially for fancy dinner parties? How should hosts deal with shoe policies and how should guests respond?

I recently attended an intimate dinner party in honour of my best friend’s birthday. I didn’t really look at the invite thoroughly. I just looked at the date and time and thought, “YAY!” I love this friend. I immediately thought of what to buy her for a gift. A couple days before the party, I re-looked at the invite and realized that on the invite it said, "no gifts"!