My first ever Dîner en Blanc | Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
Last Saturday night, I attended my first ever Dîner en Blanc and it was awesome.
Dîner en Blanc started A LOT earlier than I thought. In 1988, a man named François Pasquier invited a group of friends to have an outdoor dinner in the beautiful park of Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, and to make it easier to find each other, he came up with the white dress code. From there, Dîner en Blanc became an international phenomenon, and every year people attend this mysterious dining event in over 70 cities.
In the days leading up to the event, I couldn’t stop asking the other travel bunnie questions (or just thinking out loud…) - “where do you think the secret location is?”, “How are they going to get all 3,000 people in one place?”, “But, do you really have to wear white head to toe?”… I had no problem with putting together an all white outfit, but it was slightly harder for the other travel bunnie, so we hopped to Zara and picked up a few items.
At 4pm, we walked to the Queen St Mall right outside of Wintergarden to join a crowd of chic gentlemen and ladies all dressed in, you guess it, white(!), for some bubbles and canapés before being lead to the secret location, which happened to be at the Botanical Gardens this year. Walking into the venue was like stepping into an enchanted garden as there were white balloons and fairy lights everywhere.
Our table, dressed with a crisp white linen tablecloth was elegantly decorated with Baby’s Breath. At dusk, everyone waved their napkins in the air, signifying the start of Dîner en Blanc. Our three-course dinner, provided by catering company Cuisine on Cue and Sirromet Wines, included shared platters of peeled Mooloolaba king prawns, fresh poached and smoked salmon spread, marinated baby octopus, fresh Pacific Oysters, and a cheese board of cheddar and brie with lavosh crackers and quince paste. I must say that there’s something magical about dining under the fading summer light in Brisbane’s iconic Botanical Gardens, with live music playing in the background. It was like nothing I’ve experienced before. It was also beautiful to see couples and friends gathering together, setting up their tables with elegant decorations and having a few laughs and a drink.
Until next year, Dîner en Blanc. ♥
Disclaimer: the bunnies attended Dîner en Blanc as their guests.
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