Table etiquette # 14

Musical Chairs

It is self evident: Every guest at a party Should have a comfortable seat. It is not. I have attended too many dinners where this simple, basic notion is overlooked. So for the sake of anyone planning a party, let me declare the absolute necessity of providing guest with chairs.This is just as true as buffet for forty as a cozy dinner for six. It is simply bad manners to assume that your guest would enjoy perching on sofa armrests or, worse yet, standing up during a buffet meal.If you do not have enough chairs, and cannot borrow what you need, consider renting them, or trimming your guest list.

Guest with spacial conditions (like me) must be given seating that is appropriate. You do not want a gout-stricken relative struggling in and out of a bean-bag chair during cocktails, nor would you wish to offer a delicate Louis Quinze side chair to a guest whose girth resembles that of a sumo wrestler. But bear in mind here that a hosts do walk a fine line between being considerate and being too deferential. Make your guest feel comfortable without appearing overly solicitous. Be careful not to give anyone the feeling that he has been parked in the "Handicapped Only" zone...

Source: Craig Claireborne