Thinking about attending Dîner en Blanc, one of the most magical yet mysterious dinner parties of the year? This Beginner’s Guide to Dîner en Blanc will give you the 411 on everything you need to know about attending! Even if you are a seasoned Dîner en Blanc guest, this guide will be a great refresher as you plan your 2019 DEB experience.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13

WHAT IS DÎNER EN BLANC?

Almost 30 years ago Dîner en Blanc was created in Paris as an evening of elegance for the community. The premise is for the community to style themselves all in white and enjoy an elegant chic picnic under the stars. The coolness of an all-white chic picnic doesn’t stop there. It is also held in a public spot within the host city, that remains a secret until minutes before you arrive on foot! Dîner en Blanc is now hosted in over 20 countries and countless cities!

UNDERSTANDING THE RULES

THE RULES are the MOST important part when considering attending a Dîner en Blanc. THERE ARE A LOT OF RULES! THE RULES & PROCESS ARE SO EVERYTHING RUNS SMOOTHLY AND GIVES EACH OF THE THOUSANDS OF GUESTS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. My suggestion is to 1) make sure you read the rest of this post and 2) ask questions from others who have previously attended if you still have questions about attending.

IMPORTANT RULES FOR THE EVENING

• You must purchase TWO tickets. All attendees must be in pairs.
• Once you have confirmed your registration/ticket you and your partner are now MANDATORY to attend no matter the weather. Dîner en Blanc happens rain or shine.
• You and your guest MUST arrive in an elegant head-to-toe white outfit. The white must be a crisp, bright white. NO CREAM, NO OFF-WHITE, NO SHORTS, NO SNEAKERS.
• Everything you bring into Dîner En Blanc MUST be WHITE.
• You and your guest MUST hand carry or rent all of your table items: table (must be a specific size, chairs, linens (table cloth + napkins), utensils, glassware, and table decor are all required.
• *** You and your guest are ALLOWED to accessorize your table decor & outfit with METALLICS: gold, silver, copper, bronze and rose gold.
• You and your guest must bring your own or buy through the approved caterer your FOOD for the evening.
• You and your guest must bring your own NON-ALCOHOLIC drinks. NO ALCOHOL is allowed to be brought into Dîner en Blanc.
• Dîner en Blanc has approved alcoholic partners where you can purchase your alcohol for the evening through the event.
• All food, beverage and rental orders must be placed ahead of time with through the Dîner en Blanc event portal. You will not be able to purchase on site.
• YOU and your guest must arrive at your departure location on time with all of your items.

GETTING YOUR NAME ON THE LISTT

Tickets for Dîner en Blanc happen in THREE phases. First, PHASE ONE: Is dedicated for members, leaders and leaders friends. A member is someone who attended previous years and a leader is someone who is volunteering to host groups for transportation and set up. Second, PHASE TWO: Is for sponsored guests. Members and Leaders are able to “sponsor” i.e. add folks they know to the phase two invite list. Lastly,PHASE THREE: Is for the waitlist, first timers, non-sponsored guests. If you have never been before visit here and add your name to the waitlist for your city of choice.

PURCHASING YOUR TICKET

Most cities have waitlists by the thousands so whatever phase you are in you need to be quick about securing your tickets. As soon as you receive your email take the proper steps to register.

DEPARTURE SELECTION

BE SURE TO READ! This part can be a little tricky. Most cities offer departure points where you walk to the secret location. A few cities also offer bus transportation that gets you closer to the the secret location but WALKING is always involved. When you register you will need to select your departure point and group leader. IF you are hoping to sit with friends then you ALL MUST CHOOSE THE SAME DEPARTURE POINT AND TABLE LEADER. If by chance you and your friends are not able to select the same, then you can not eat together. However, you will be able to see each other after the dinner ends and the dancing begins.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING

• TABLE
• CHAIRS
• TABLE LINENS
• NAPKIN LINENS
• PLATES
• GLASSWARE
• UTENSILS
• TABLE DECOR
• PICNIC BASKET/SOMETHING TO CARRY ITEMS IN
• TRASH BAG
• HAND TRUCK
• TABLE DECOR
• TRASH BAG
• UMBRELLA (in case of rain)

FOR ALL YOUR DÎNER EN BLANC NEEDS SHOP HERE!

WHAT TO WEAR TO DÎNER EN BLANC

WHITE, WHITE, WHITE! This is about elegance! It’s your time to shine in head-to-toe white! We are not talking cream or off white… your outfit needs to be a clean, crisp, bright white! Originality is highly encouraged and some cities even have best dressed contests. Shorts and Sneakers are not allowed.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE DAY

The day of Dîner en Blanc will most likely be a little hectic, especially if you are working in the morning and afternoon. Prepare as much as you can ahead of time. This means your nails, hair, spray tan, any facial grooming. As well as packing the car and/or hand truck ahead of time.

Before you drive or walk to your departure point make sure you have everything you need! You and your guest should already be in your most stylish all-white outfit and have all of the necessary items with you, unless you rented or ordered catering. If you have done this, you will pick those up when you arrive at the location.

At the departure point you will meet you table leader and others in your row of tables. At the designated time you start walking to the secret location. Remember this is rain or shine! You may want a fan or umbrella depending on the weather that day.

Once you reach the location, your table leader will start lining you and your guests up to start assembling your table. This is the time when you would pick up your rentals and ordered food/drink. You have a short window of time to set up before everyone must be seated. you must do this quickly to make sure you are not holding up the group. (Practice setting your table and decor ahead of time so you know everything works well!

After all are seated Dîner en Blanc officially starts and the eating begins. After the eating the dance floor and entertainment really begin! The rest is up to you, your guests and your new friends to have the time of your lives!