Gala etiquette zijn de omgangsvormen op het gala. Hieronder volgen de regels die in het algemeen gelden voor een gala (in English).

Regels

The gala is not just your ordinary party and therefore there are the etiquette, a set of guidelines, which help us to go about during the gala. Etiquette is important in any social activity that requires awareness of accepted norms of behavior. But, it is especially important during a gala, where unpleasantness has no place. To help you prepare for this event, we’ll explore the most important guidelines of a Gala that will enable you to enjoy this evening to its fullest.

The invitation
The days that a gentleman had to go through utmost difficulties to indicate his interest in a woman as a gala partner are over. Nowadays one may contact a woman via various means of communication. A phone-call or email are probably not the most flattering forms of communication. However, they’re certainly effective. The dancing lessons and dancing evenings organized by EDS are certainly good occasions to give it a try. Modern times even give room for the woman to ask a man as a partner for the gala. Modern women may want to skip the process of waiting for the men to show some initiative and invite the man of their choice themselves. However, traditionally the man pays for the mutual costs during the evening when he has made the invitation. Usually he will expect something in return and for this reason it is suggested to have some agreements beforehand.

Ladies
Although female dress is not as formally codified as that of men, where white tie is prescribed women are generally expected to wear full-length dresses “groot avondtoilet” such as ball gowns. The dress is usually without sleeves and shows a décolleté in front and back. Shawls and long gloves are common accessories. The length of the gloves increases with decreasing shoulder coverage of the dress. The gloves may be kept on during the entire evening except during dinner. After the soup is served the gloves may be taken off. Rings are worn underneath the gloves and a single bracelet over the gloves.
Just like the men, women do not wear a watch.

Gentlemen
In order to avoid embarrassing moments in which you are asked to bring some drinks or take the coats from other guests, it is of vital importance to dress properly before heading off to the gala. For the men this means that they are expected to show up in either white tie (cravat blanc) or black tie.

White tie
Formal evening dress is strictly regulated, and properly comprises:
* Black tailcoat with silk (grosgrain or satin) facings, horizontally cut-away at the front
* Black trousers with two stripes; trousers are fish-tail back, thus worn with braces instead of a belt.
* White plain stiff-fronted cotton shirt
* White stiff-winged collar
* White bow tie (usually cotton marcella (US: piqué))
* White low-cut waistcoat (usually cotton marcella, matching the bow tie and shirt, which should not extend below the front of the tailcoat)
* Black silk stockings (long socks)
* Black patent leather pumps or shoes

The front of the dress coat is cut as if it were double-breasted, but is never buttoned. It is, in fact, cut so that it cannot be closed. The front cut-away is squared, in contrast to a morning coat, which has a diagonally-angled cut-away. Both dress coats and morning coats are tail coats, the former for evening dress, and the latter for day wear. Since the waistcoat must not extend below the coat front, it must be high; the waistcoat must cover the trouser waistline (which should never be seen) so this must also be high.

Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for semi-formal evening events, and is worn to many types of social functions. For a man, the major component is a jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo, which is usually black but is also seen in midnight blue. Unlike white tie, which is very strictly regulated, black-tie ensembles can display more variation. In brief, the traditional components are:
* A jacket with silk facings (usually grosgrain or satin), called the dinner jacket
* Trousers with silk braids matching the lapels
* A black cummerbund or low-cut waistcoat
* A white dress shirt with either a marcella (piqué cotton), stiff, or pleated front
* A black silk bow tie
* Black dress socks, usually silk
* Black shoes in patent or highly polished leather, or patent leather court shoes

Corsage
The person that has made the invitation to the opposite party will take care of the corsage. A traditional corsage can be purchased at the florist, preferably not conflicting with the color of the evening dress. Both men and woman wear the corsage on the left side. The corsage faces upward on the men and downward on the women. Of course one may choose for a more creative corsage that, e.g., matches the Parisian theme of this evening.

On the day
Before heading off to the gala the gentleman will first pick up the lady at her place. If it turns out te be impossible because the lady lives too far away from Rotterdam a meeting point can be arranged. This may be a restaurant, hotel or café. However, under no circumstances can one meet at a bus-stop, the middle of the street or at a train station. There is no problem if the lady takes a few minutes longer to arrive at the meeting point. However, the gentleman assures that at any cost he will be on time at the meeting point. Before the gala, a number of activities can be done in which you may get to know your date better or the group of people accompanying you to the gala. On the day of the gala you may want to have some social program. Furthermore, in the evening the whole party may join to have the dinner together.

The diner
Reservations are vital. One would not want to take his or her date from restaurant to restaurant wearing gala clothes. Arrive on time at the place you have made the reservations. On arrival at the restaurant the gentleman enters the restaurant first. The gentleman takes the lady’s coat and hands it over to staff after which he leads the lady to the dinner table. The gentleman takes his seat after the lady is seated. The gentleman does not take off his coat during the dinner since he is not doing any construction work. When the lady feels cold the gentleman may take off his coat and give it to the lady to warm herself.

During the Gala
During the gala there are a few rules which you have to take into account. The most important rule is that during the entire evening your date should enjoy himself/herself. Furthermore, one should consider the stairs etiquette. Normally the gentleman always waits for the lady to go first, except at the stairs. To avoid any unwanted sightseeing, the gentleman goes first up as well as down the stairs. There is just one exception and that is when the stairs are very steep. In that case the lady goes first such that the gentleman can catch her if she falls.

The dancing
A gentleman asks a lady for a dance via a light bow, introducing himself and asking: “May I have this dance from you?”. The lady acknowledges via a small nod. If the lady is in the company of another gentleman, the gentleman first asks the other gentleman if he may have this dance. The gentleman offers his right arm and guides the lady towards the dance floor. After the dance is finished the gentleman guides the lady back to her seat. If a lady has refused it is not polite to directly ask a lady in the neighborhood. The lady may have the feeling she is second choice. When a lady has refused a dance she should also not directly accept a dance of another gentleman.

After the Gala
The gentleman collects the coats and helps the lady to put on her coat. When leaving, the lady goes first, but waits at the door until the gentleman has opened it for her. The gentleman brings the lady to her home. In case the lady desires, she may invite the gentleman for a small drink. However, if the lady does not do so the gentleman has to respect the lady’s choice.

“Galamos”
Traditionally the party that invites the opposite party pays for all the costs before, during and after the gala. However, the inviting person does not do so out of plain generosity. The person accepting the invitation may think that he or she has had an inexpensive date. However, in general this is not the case. There are two ways of showing ones gratitude. The first is to organize a thank you dinner for the inviting party. The second is to show your appreciation via physical manner. When you are asked to come over for dinner in the near future as a token of appreciation for the lovely evening, then in Dutch we say: “you know what time it is”. In such case one should not hold any romantic ideas.