TL;DR
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A Veranda report outlines eight traditional hosting practices that etiquette experts Diane Gottsman and Lizzie Post say remain useful: plan ahead, welcome guests, serve on time, and give them your attention. The advice is presented as expert guidance, not as a new study or formal set of rules.
Veranda has published eight traditional hosting tips that etiquette experts Diane Gottsman and Lizzie Post say can still help hosts make guests feel comfortable. The advice ranges from preparing food and setting the table ahead of time to putting phones away and checking bathroom supplies before visitors arrive.
The list centers on preparation and hospitality. It recommends planning shopping and recipes in advance, setting the table the day before, and keeping a backup dish available in case the main course goes wrong. Hosts are also encouraged to serve at the promised time and have extra appetizers ready if dinner is delayed.
Other suggestions focus on how guests are received: greet and speak with everyone, ask questions that invite more than a yes-or-no answer, and dress in a way that signals the occasion matters. The report also advises hosts to create a comfortable setting with a tidy entrance, background music, and a thoughtfully arranged table; it says fresh flowers can be enough without an elaborate display.
The final recommendations are practical checks on attention and comfort. Gottsman advises putting away cell phones during a meal and walking through the home before guests arrive to check for soap, toilet paper, and clean hand towels. The report frames these actions as ways to prevent guests from feeling overlooked or inconvenienced.
Small Gestures Shape a Guest’s Evening
The recommendations address common sources of awkwardness at a gathering: waiting for food, struggling to join conversation, or discovering that basic facilities are not ready. Planning ahead and staying attentive can make hosting feel less stressful for the host while helping guests feel welcome.
The advice also presents etiquette as practical social behavior rather than a requirement for expensive tableware or elaborate décor. A clean entryway, a few flowers, and a host who is present can serve the same broader purpose: showing consideration for the people invited. Readers should understand the list as expert advice, not a universal standard that every host must follow.
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The Experts Behind the Advice
The source is a Veranda lifestyle report by Arricca Elin SanSone. It draws on comments from Diane Gottsman, identified as a national etiquette expert with The Protocol School of Texas, and Lizzie Post, co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast and co-president of the Emily Post Institute.
Gottsman and Post connect traditional hosting habits to making people comfortable and valued. Post says the practices remain applicable today, while Gottsman describes etiquette as a way to reduce awkward moments and support trust and goodwill. The supplied report does not cite a survey, research study, or formal etiquette code behind the eight recommendations.
“These rules still apply today.”
— Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute
Advice, Not a Formal Etiquette Code
The supplied material does not give the report’s publication date, describe how the experts’ recommendations were selected, or provide evidence that following the list produces measurable outcomes. It also does not claim that these practices suit every household, event, or guest. The recommendations are attributed expert opinions, and hosts may adapt them to their circumstances.
Practical Checks Before Guests Arrive
The report does not announce a follow-up event or policy change. Its immediate takeaway is a checklist readers can use before a gathering: prepare the menu and a backup, set the table, check the entry and bathroom, plan to serve on time, and put phones away when guests are present. No further development is specified in the supplied source material.
Key Questions
What are the eight hosting practices in the report?
They are to plan ahead, welcome and talk with guests, dress for the occasion, serve on time, create a pleasing table, make the home inviting, put phones away, and check household essentials before visitors arrive.
Who provided the etiquette advice?
The report quotes Diane Gottsman of The Protocol School of Texas and Lizzie Post, co-president of the Emily Post Institute and co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast.
Does the advice require formal dinnerware or elaborate decorations?
No. The report suggests using special tableware if available, but says a few fresh flowers in small vases can help set the scene without an elaborate arrangement.
What does the report recommend if dinner is delayed?
It advises hosts to keep extra appetizers on hand so guests have something to eat if the main course takes longer than expected or does not turn out as planned.
Source: veranda.com
