Dîner en Blanc is an international pop-up event phenomenon and, as the title suggests, all-white attire is a must. No negotiation on this point.
My husband, Ernest, and I first learned about Dîner en Blanc back in the U.S. but were never able to get past the wait list to actually attend one.
When we learned about a planned Dîner en Blanc event in London, we never dreamed that we would actually get to go right way. We had hoped to get on the wait list and perhaps make it to one before we returned home in a few years. We were thrilled, then, to learn that we actually made the cut on the first try! So, for the first time in nearly a decade I found myself garbed head-to-toe in white - well, actually more of an ecru.
The concept of Dîner en Blanc is simple: Diners supply their own food, place settings and linens; organisers arrange the location and entertainment for the evening. Confirmed attendees meet at the appointed rendez-vous spot and are then escorted to the super-secret venue where they set up for the world’s 'most elegant picnic'.
Our meeting place was The Birdcage sculpture at St. Pancras, and the venue was only a short walk away at Lewis Cubitt Square. Other attendees that evening, however, had to travel by tube from meeting points all over the city. The Facebook photos showing the marching white brigade attest to this amusing sight.
Most of those around us were DEB newbies - we
could tell by the shared wide-eyed wonder at some of the spectacular outfits and paraphernalia of many diners. DEB veterans were also easy to spot. They were meticulously packed to party with fancy baskets, their own tables and chairs (we rented ours from the event organisers) gourmet fare and table decorations that would do Colin Cowie proud.
For many of these vets, elegance was enthusiastically embraced - white sequinned gowns, Ascot-worthy hats adorned with ostrich feathers, parasols, and even powdered wigs! Others - I’m guessing some newbies - chose a more relaxed interpretation of elegance with white jeans, button-down shirts or T-shirts and trainers. No matter the style, 1,200 people dressed in the same colour is, itself, an amazing sight.
It was a festive evening spent with new found
friends
from all over the world, including Canada, France, Japan, Ireland,
Germany and the U.S. We danced to a great party band, played board
games and enjoyed fireworks (well, hand-held sparklers!) If that
weren’t exciting enough, our Canadian table mates got engaged in the
middle of dinner. It happened in a flash: Daniel kneeled and popped the
question in a whisper to Angie. They embraced and she cried. Once I
figured out the momentous news, dozens (then hundreds) of us tapped our
wine glasses and whirled our napkins overhead in celebration. How
awesome is that?I’ll never have a love affair with white clothes, but for an evening of food, fun, good cheer and colourful people, sign me up to dine en blanc any time.
Written by Pamela Rucker Springs. Pamela is a PR and communications expert with her own consultancy. She and her husband, Ernest, moved to London in late 2014 for his secondment with a global news organisation.
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