You signed up for Diner en Blanc in Montreal (or another city) for the first time… yay! However, as you read through the rules and FAQ, you are beginning to feel the dress code and etiquette is more stringent than playing tennis at Wimbledon. I am here to re-assure you that no one will be subject to a full inspection and inquire what colour is your underwear.
This is my 5th year attending (see my post about last year’s event here) and I’ve gotten a lot smarter about how I plan and organize my things so that the whole experience is a little less daunting. Below I listed what are some of my lessons learned and tips for people who are curious about what to bring or how serious some of the rules are enforced. To be perfectly transparent, I always select the metro option for transportation to and from the event. I imagine those that take the chartered buses may have different tips to share.
1. Bring a lighter: I use LED lights to light up my table, but that is not helpful when it comes time to light the sparklers (a DEB tradition). Plus those sparklers can take some time to light up, so matches will usually burn your fingers before light a spark!
2. Invest in lightweight furniture: Oh boy, the first year I attended I rented a table and chairs from a local catering company. What a disaster! The wood table weighed a ton, and the chairs were super awkward to carry. Since then I ‘invested’ in a collapsible table (like this one) and purchased ultra-light and portable white plastic chairs (see these ones from IKEA). You have to remember that you (or your date) will have to carry those pieces up and down stairs, through rotating doors, and walk a short distance, so pay some money and get decent pieces. In my case, I use the table for camping every year and the chairs as extras when I have guests over. So it’s not money wasted.
3. Off-White still has the word White in it: Every year I have this moment of panic as I get dressed when I think my dress is more on the beige side than pure snow white. I know what the rules and stuff say, but lets be real here: No one is going to take you aside and tell you to leave the event because the dress appears to be off-white under the harsh metro lighting. You will not ruin the integrity of the event with an off-white lace skirt, so don’t go crazy shopping for the perfect Arctic white outfit!
4. Wear flats bring heels: This follows the logic of #2, expect to walk and carry your stuff some distance away and through numerous metros, so don’t show up with 4 inch heels unless you are an expert at walking in them or you have a super amazing partner who will do all the heavy lifting (including you at the end of the night lol). I usually wear a pair of gold flip flops or ballet flats and will actually keep them on all night. It’s more practical, comfortable, and less hassle since I have yet to find a pair of white shoes that are comfortable and affordable.
5. Figure out your rain gear situation: I almost want to omit this point completely out of fear of jinxing the event this year. So here’s the deal: it has never rained in the years I have attended. There have been a few close calls, but nothing once seated and dining. If it eventually downpours I am not sure how I will manage that… yet I have purchased inexpensive white ponchos and found white golf umbrellas on Amazon, so hopefully that will keep me semi-dry.
What are your tips or tricks for Diner en Blanc? Are you attending the event?
[…] 🙂 If you haven’t already, you can check out my post about the dinner last year, and some tips to survive your first […]
I love the white roller cart in your blog post. Did you purchase that online? If not, which store?