The ‘This Is Us’ alum revealed some etiquette rules she follows to create her ideal dinner party for her guests
Credit: JC Olivera/Sony
NEED TO KNOW
- Mandy Moore shared her hosting rules during a recent interview with Architectural Digest
- She emphasized creating a warm, inviting dinner table to encourage guests to linger and connect, and shared how she prefers meaningful but simple hostess gifts
- Moore also uses a “light cleanup” approach after hosting to maintain a calm space while leaving “evidence of a good night”
Mandy Moore is spilling her hosting etiquette secrets!
The This Is Us alum, 42, opened up about how she creates her ideal dinner party during a recent interview with Architectural Digest alongside her close friend, cookbook author and food blogger Gaby Dalkin. Moore revealed her takes on a number of hosting rules, including how she feels about leaving the dishes and mess from the party to deal with the next morning.
The actress admitted that she tends to go with a “light cleanup so the space feels calm” that night, but she doesn't “mind leaving a little evidence of a good night.”
When it comes to her “ideal” hostess gift, she appreciates “something meaningful but simple — a candle, flowers, or a serving piece that feels personal,” she shared.
Credit: Gaby Dalkin/instagram
As for assigned seating, Moore said she gravitates towards a “loose plan,” especially if a seating arrangement might help her guests “connect.”
“I try to seat people [next to each other] who might not know each other but would genuinely enjoy a conversation,” she added. To help her guests' conversations flow, Moore noted that she has a few tricks up her sleeve.
“I try to circulate and gently bring people together, whether that's refilling drinks, introducing guests, or encouraging everyone to mix a bit as the night unfolds,” she said.
Another way she tries to get her guests to connect is by decorating the dinner table with pieces that “make people want to linger.” She does this by creating a sense of “warmth” in the space, usually through lighting and texture.
In February, the Tangled star shared a closer look at her design style when she opened the doors to her Los Angeles home in a video tour with Architectural Digest nearly one year after the property was seriously damaged by the 2025 Eaton fire.
Moore — who shares the home with husband Taylor Goldsmith and their three children — had previously been documenting the years-long construction and renovation process of the 1931 Spanish Colonial Revival ever since she and Goldsmith purchased it in 2020.
The couple envisioned transforming the space into their idyllic family home, but in January 2025, Moore shared the devastating news that their Altadena home had been affected by the Eaton fire.
Speaking to AD, Moore and Goldsmith recalled the immediate aftermath of the fire and why it was important for them to rebuild the home they had poured so much time and effort into.
“I came here the day, like a few hours after, the fire passed through this area,” Goldsmith recalled during the video tour. “The studio was on fire in the back, the garage was already burnt down. As the days went on, we realized our house made it.”
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While the main structure of the home was still standing, the couple recalled having to throw away all the “soft goods” — like the rugs, furniture and clothing — as a result of the damage from the fire. Their family had to relocate to a rental home for nine months, but they were determined to rebuild.
“I think what initially lured us to Altadena is the spirit of the community here,” Moore told the outlet at the time. “Like overwhelmingly you just feel so proud to live here. And so proud to stake your claim here. Like we're not leaving, we're digging in deep. We're rebuilding what we lost.”
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