Ancient smoking etiquette – we’ve come a long way, baby.

Love Mad Men? You’ll love this etiquette q & a! It’s amazing to see how things have changed- smoking was so normal there were dos and don’ts! Yikes.

I got my hands recently on an etiquette Q&A compilation from Amy Vanderbilt, columnist and etiquette authority from the 50s-70s.  I will be sharing gems on the blog in the coming months.  Here’s my favorite so far, not wedding related, but too good not to share.

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Amy Vanderbilt’s ad for Lucky Strikes

 Q: Recently, when four of us were dining out- two married couples- one of the husbands left the table for a few minutes. The remaining husband, left with his wife and the wife of the other, lit the cigarette first of his friend’s wife and then of his own.  His wife felt that as her escort, he should have lit her cigarette first. Which is correct?

 A: As one woman was left alone, the husband and wife remaining are, in effect, her host and hostess for the moment.  Therefore it was correct for the remaining husband to light the guest’s cigarette first, then his wife’s.  

There you have it folks, cigarettiquette.

Be well, and love well.  And for goodness sakes.  Don’t smoke!

-Dinah

 

Wedding planning and time management

As kids, time moves like molasses.  Between birthdays was an eternity! When weddings are scheduled far in advance, they seem far away (sometimes literally)– but this is grown up stuff folks- the months will slip through your fingers like sand.

photo by Chris Miller
photo by Chris Miller

The trick is to keep the kid in you alive!  Remember how special it was to anticipate your birthday party, and try to embrace that feeling over the stress of details and family nonsense.  Remember- you’re doing all of this to marry the love of your life!  And it’s going to be amazing.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

BEST WEDDING PLANNING BOOKS! We cooked up a good one…

Our recommendations for the best wedding books are not traditional. They’re more about keeping you and your partner in crime on the same page. (Page! Get it? hah!) You’ve got to stay in close emotional touch with the person you’re marrying!  Here’s a book to help you do just that.

How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman is designed to get you into the kitchen – together!  Mark, longtime food writer for the New York Times and Gourmet Magazine explains ingredients, techniques and cooking terms in no-nonsense language.   Time in the kitchen is an ideal way to remember how much you love to be together without worrying about place cards and ceremony details. Pick a dish and create something delicious together.

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah