HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FABULOUS DINER EN BLANC

Nearly 30 years ago in Paris the exclusive Dîner en Blanc began with a group of friends. It is an chic all white dinner party that takes place in glamorous locations around the world. Today it hosts more than 10,000 guests a year (if you’re invited that is). I unfortunately was NOT invited, nor did I know anyone that had been so this year I decided to throw my own Dîner en Blanc. It was much easier than I expected and a lot of fun!

First step, find a location that works for you. Luckily I had a rooftop with a beautiful view available to me. Once the location is set, invite your guests and assign them food to bring (pot luck style). When inviting guests make sure it’s clear which part of the meal they will be bringing. This ensures that 10 desserts and only one appetizer don’t show up. I divided my group of 12 guests into 4 categories; appetizers, side dishes, main course and dessert. Then distributed them evenly. Have everyone bring a bottle of their choice and it alleviates the cost on the host plus makes everyone feel included. Wahlah you have a well rounded meal!

Next step was deciding on the decor. Since this affair is “all white” I choose simple and classic decorations. I hung tissue paper pom-poms off of outdoor lights that were already up. If you don’t have outdoor lights, I would suggesting grabbing some like these because it helps set the mood (Ooo la la!) and hang the tissue paper pom-poms off of them. The pom-poms take about 2 hours to put together so keep that in mind. I put them together the night before while watching a movie. It was easy, but time consuming.

If you’ve seen any photos from Dîner en Blanc you’ll know that a centerpiece is essential. To create my centerpiece I grabbed 2 empty vases and swirled battery operated string lights inside then put white ostrich feathers coming out of the top. It was easy, inexpensive and made an impact. The final touch was adding flameless candles around the area. It was safe and created a beautiful vibe.

Once the mood was set, my guests arrived in white attire with their dishes and we had a lovely night. It was easy, fun and chic. This whole party was planned in 5 days so it’s a simple way to get together with friends. Enjoy!