DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m a 20-year-old wanting to follow manners more closely and inform others in my age range.
What is the proper first-date invitation timing? I remember as a kid being told not to accept a date for the weekend after Wednesday. So should a first-date invitation be given out/accepted for two days or more later?
GENTLE READER: Your honesty about how you intend to apply Miss Manners’ advice makes her leery of offering any.
Correcting one’s friend’s manners is not only rude, but also likely to diminish their numbers. While there is no definite rule about how far in advance a date must be proposed, Miss Manners thinks that would-be suitors who cut it too close are liable to learn that someone else has beaten them to it. She has no objection to your leaving them with this impression -- even if it is not strictly true -- in the hopes that they will plan ahead next time.