Written by Natasha Lawrence

There is quite possibly nothing worse than seeing a girl in a cute No.21 get-up with the latest Gucci bag, slurping her soup and eating her dessert with her salad fork while gabbing loudly on her cell phone at a party. Manners matter. We’ve walked you through a party and given you tips for the holidays, but now it’s time for a refresher.

Keep Your Phone Out of Sight

No matter the occasion, whether it be dinner with friends or a cocktail party, keep your phone out of sight. That means it shouldn’t be in your hand while you mingle and it shouldn’t be on the table during your meal. Keep it in your handbag. If you’re expecting an important call, you probably shouldn’t be out anyway.

RSVP! RSVP! RSVP!

No on likes to be kept in the dark about how many guests are attending their event. RSVP as soon as you know you’ll be available. It’s unfair to your host to wait any longer. The sooner your RSVP is in, the sooner they can start their planning.

Don’t Bring Your New Fling

We don’t know how many times we can say it, but bringing an uninvited plus one is as taboo as mixing your Chanel with your Schapparelli. It’s just a big no-no. If your invitation doesn’t specifically mention a plus one, assume your host is just asking you and not your newest fling.

Don’t Arrive on Time, But Don’t Arrive Late

Confusing, we know. While you don’t want to arrive to a party exactly at the time indicated on the invitation (or a minute earlier), you don’t want to arrive too late either. The sweet spot? Arrive 5-15 minutes after the time indicated. Your host has finished their final touches by then and you’re not holding up a meal.

Hold Your Glass By The Stem

That’s right. We see characters in TV holding their wine glasses by the ball of the glass, but it’s actually poor form. Holding the ball of the glass not only leaves finger prints all over your glass, but it also warms up your wine. Instead, hold your stemware by the stem.

And whatever you do, don’t forget our mantra: Manners Matter!