I generally follow these, except for the first one. I have a thing about having my back towards an open area or the door, so my wife usually sits facing away from the crowd. She doesn’t mind.
I always order for myself, except if I’m dining with someone who is in a better position to know what’s good (ie if we’re in a restaurant that s/he knows and I don’t).
I had a fairly serious relationship with a guy who always, always wanted to split the bill down to the last nickel. I kept trying to establish a cycle of I’ll-get-this-one-and-you-get-the-next-one but he wasn’t into it, even though we dined together several times a week. It really annoyed me, made him seem really cheap.
Sometimes I order for my husband, when he just can’t make up his mind and I’m STARVING. I’m a much, much faster reader than he is, too, so I’ll have read the complete menu when he’s still reading the appetizers. I’ll point out that they have liver and onions, for instance. He’s the only human in the Bodoni household who likes liver, so we almost never fix it at hom. He does enjoy eating it in restaurants. Or I’ll notice that they have quail. He rather enjoys this, as he’s a slow reader, and nowadays the menus are printed in teeny tiny print (he claims). He doesn’t always take my suggestions, and sometimes he’ll decide against what I’ve ordered for him, but this works for us. Very occasionally, he’ll draw my attention to some menu item, particularly if he’s been to the restaurant before and this is my first visit. Sometimes I order what he suggests, sometimes I don’t.
Generally, he’ll wait for me to order first, and then our daughter, if she’s with us. If he’s asked first, though, then he’ll order.
If I suggested the outing, then I pay, and if he suggested it, he pays, unless we’ve arranged otherwise. For instance, last week he asked me if I’d take him out to the steak house. I did. We like to settle the question of who pays BEFORE we go out of the house, it just is a lot easier that way.
I hate a guy like that. I’d never get to the serious stage with him. I’d be on pins and needles all the time. It really makes me nervous when someone watches their money that closely.
I’ve never heard this before. I don’t mean to seem ignorant, but would someone mind educating me on the logic behind it?
I’ve noticed that my wife seems to have specific preferences for which way to sit sometimes, and I don’t know that I’ve ever asked her before why that was (and since I know she’s following this thread, hopefully she’ll tell me now). 
Some of you have commented about not having your back to open areas; I don’t know if that’s an issue for her. I’d always assumed it was polite to offer the lady the nearest seat at whatever table/booth you’re being seated, ensuring that the male has to make the longer walk.
It’s based on two “reasons,” for what they’re worth:
- So the rest of the room can gaze upin the woman’s radiant beauty
- To indicate that the gentleman only has eyes for his lady (and won’t be tempted to look at all those other women in the room)
A bit about ordering, and in what order. The first person to order sets the price point for the meal, whether they like it or not. Not saying I agree with this, but I have read that it is rude to order something vastly more or less expensive than what the first person ordered. The first implies that you think you deserve a “better” meal than your companion, the second implies that they have ordered out of your price bracket, forcing you to compensate. Humans sure are interesting, aren’t they?
I don’t care who orders when, but when I’m out with my husband, he usually indicates that I should go first. Depending on what we’re having, and especially if we’re sharing (pizza, Chinese) I might then proceed to order the whole meal.
My husband’s boss is Mr. Etiquette. Not only does he do all the things Beadalin mentioned in her post, he ensures that everyone at a large table is seated male-female-male-female. Part way through the meal, he asks all the men to move to the right so the ladies have someone new to talk to (I guess). It’s hilarious.