Slide Show: Seven Steps to a Highly Successful Dinner Party
 

(Photo: Jim Franco)
1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10
 
6. Break up a happy couple.  
No, not permanently, though a little harmless flirting certainly keeps the soirée lively. We're talking strictly about seating arrangements here, and a dinner party is the right time to split up your favorite power couple. It keeps conversation flowing and encourages people talk to someone they don't see every night across the dinner table. And hopefully, it prevents petty domestic arguments -- like who forgot to load the dishwasher yesterday -- from ruining the spirit of the party.
BOOKMARK: Table Talk: Seating Guests »