Diner en Blanc Seoul edition.. What to pack, wear, and decorate to prepare like a pro for the white party of the year!

You’ve seen the flash mob picnics on social media and maybe in real life.  Diner en Blanc is the ultimate white party that happens in most large cities every year around the late summer timeframe when things start to cool off and the weather feels incredibly pleasant.  Everyone is in stark white waving their napkins in the air and you’re standing on the sidelines wondering wtf is going on.  A little background is it started in France with a dude who basically wanted to create a fun environment with his friends and family to partake in a little popup picnic, have some fun, then pack up leaving no trace that they were there.  I’m not talking a hot dog and hamburger kind of picnic, think bougie champagne and brie with crackers on a white canvas table.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and it’s a SECRET location and you don’t know where the reveal will be till you basically are on your way with your designated group.

 

{How to be a Diner en Blanc insider..}

 

Read on if you want to know HOW to get into the parties.. once you’re in you’ll need to know how to prep and this isn’t something to be taken lightly, but incredibly seriously if you want to create some major memorable moments for a night of funnnnnn!

 

 

Ok, getting the invite.  The first time I ever went was in San Diego and a friend invited me along for the ride.  I just showed up and knew about the parties but no idea how to get an official invite.. I arrived in white and partied my butt off.

Fast forward to Seoul, Korea, an international Diner en Blanc destination.  You basically have to get an invite in one of three ways.  Either know someone on the committee who is putting the event on, get invited by someone who is a DEB member and been to a previous event, or sign up on the wait-list.  Depending on your area, the fees can be different.  For Seoul, it was about 55,000 Korean won ($50 USD).. multiply this by two because tickets are always sold in pairs.  This pays for your yearly “membership” and permits and such to help get the event set up, i.e. security, entertainment, rental equipment, etc.

 

 

 

Once you’ve gotten the golden ticket, you can start planning!  This was my FAVORITE part.  I had already filled my Amazon cart with all white everything and once I had the invite confirmation, I hit purchase SO fast.  The run down of the basic DEB kit including some optional pieces – keep in mind WHITE.. not off-white or cream or some other form of what you think is white but really looks like light mauve.  What to pack for Diner en Blanc:

 

{The basic necessities..}

 

1. Square Table – measuring between 28 and 32 inches (71 and 81 cm).  Doesn’t have to be white since you’ll be using a white table cloth to cover it.  This is the one I used and it was perfect (here).
2. White Table Cloth – You can get creative and double up with white lace over your all white table cloth.  This is the one I ordered and it worked just fine. (here)
3. White Cloth Napkins – You’ll want to have these to not only keep the stains from getting onto your all white outfit, but for the napkin wave (more on that later).  We actually got decorative white napkins given to us during the event by our host; I don’t think this is normal, so be prepared (here).
4. Cutlery – I had some gold and white pieces already in my arsenal, but these are similar (here).
5. White Plates – I found super cute rectangle plates (way better than awkward circle ones that take up a weird amount of space of an already small table once everything is set). I found them at the local Daiso store in Korea.  You’ll want 2 dinner plates and 2 appetizer/dessert plates.
6. Champagne Flutes or Wine Glasses – I had some white cups already purchased for entertaining.  They worked perfectly because they were white and heavy enough to not fly away in the wind.  Plus unbreakable in case one got a little too crazy during the night (here).
7. Flowers – They’re a nice touch and I opted for real.  Transporting fake is easy but I was super anal about my decor and wanted it to be as real as possible (read: bougie) so I made a point to bring fresh flowers.. the taller the better for the height!
8. Table Decor – Anything to make your table stand out and be unique.  Most of my pieces were white, but you can have darker color cutting boards or metals to be unique.  Bring little lights because you don’t know what the lighting will be like. Nothing can have a real flame, so no candles!
9. Chairs – You’ll need 2 chairs that are easily transportable.  If they are white you don’t have to worry about trying to cover them.  The ones I purchased worked perfect.  A little heavier than I anticipated, but I really like them (here).
10. Bag/Cooler – Preferably in white.  I purchased a wheeled cooler which worked fabulously. I was able to wheel it around like a carry-on suitcase.  It fit all my decorations and food (minus the water because that took up too much space).  Snag mine (here).
11. Extra Dish Cloth – To wipe down dirty dishes before packing them up at the end.
12. Garbage Bag – The idea is to leave the location as you found it, free from trash.  Plus you don’t want to be that person who litters and ruins it for everyone else.

 

 

 

This will complete your DEB kit.  Once you have everything, you’re good to go for any future DEB events!!  It’s a little of an investment, but everything can be used in other ways such as camping, get togethers at home, or trips to the park or beach.

 

{preparing for your picnic feast}

 

Now that you have your DEB kit, you have to think about your personal menu.  Most locations have options to purchase food with your ticket so you don’t have to worry about transport, or maybe you are a terrible planner/cook.  They have you covered for an additional fee.  I opted to make my own food.  This was half the fun in the idea of the pop-up picnic!  Hopefully this gives you some ideas on what to make for a Diner en Blanc dinner..  My personal menu with some Parisian/european influence:

Appetizers

• Baguette
• Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
• Almonds
• Brie
• Cheddar Cheese
• Caprese Salad (on a toothpick)
  • cherry tomatoes
  • fresh basil
  • mozzarella

Main Meal

• Couscous Salad
  • Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend
  • cherry tomatoes
  • celery
  • kalamata olives
  • cucumber
  • feta cheese
  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • cracked pepper
• Grilled chicken breast slices (served cold)

Dessert

• Macarons (picked mine up from a local cafe in Pyeongtaek, Anjeong-ri called Light Damda)

Drinks

• Champagne – Perrier Jouet
• Evian Water

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to make life easier by having our three course meal be foods that were to be eaten cold.  To keep things cool, I packed a small baggie of ice and put it inside an insulated lunch bag along with the salad, chicken, caprese salad, and cheeses. Then I put that lunch bag inside the cooler to keep things as cool as possible for the trek.  Everything else didn’t need refrigeration so I was able to put it inside the wheeled cooler for easy transportation.  My champagne bottle came with an insulted case.  It kept it cool, not cold; I used the ice cubes to throw in my cup to cool the champs down.

Remember, since you are meeting up at a pre-designated location with your assigned group/host, it might be up to 2 hours before you actually eat your food at that point, plus budget time getting to the designated spot.  For example, we met up at the Samseong Jungang subway stop at 4PM.  We didn’t start to leave until 4:30PM after checking in and rounding everyone up.  There was probably a few hundred of us by the time everyone arrived.  We SLOWLY made our way over by foot to the secret spot; waiting for everyone to cross the crosswalks, etc. so we could arrive as a group.  We didn’t get to the spot until after 5PM, then we still had to get ourselves situated.

 

{the big secret location reveal}

 

We arrived to the secret location!!  The Coex in Gangnam!  Gangnam is a famous high class area south of the river in Seoul and the Coex is a large shopping center.  So a ton of foot traffic goes through here.. the DEB locations always create a stir because it’s kept secret but then we are super out in the open on display for onlookers to wonder what is going on with everyone dressed in white.  Probably thinking we are a part of some large wedding reception.

 

 

 

 

We had until about 6PM to set up our tables which was about 45 minutes by the time we figured out where to plop down our kits.  You want to set up as quickly as possible so you have time to take pictures, hang with friends and maybe do a little wandering to check out the venue before sundown.  It was really cool to see 1,500 Diner en Blanc members getting their areas situated from a plain grassy area to hundreds of white tables and chairs streamed up and down like one long dinner table.

I wanted Parisian everything.. From our drinks, food, and table decor.  I took this VERY seriously in my planning.  I packed what I would want to eat if I were dining in front of the Eiffel Tower with my girlfriends.. Also note my choice in beverages – clear or light colored.  You don’t want to be that girl who spilled red wine all over your all white ensemble; and yes, I did see some shades of red appear on clothing throughout the night from spilled fermented grapes.

 

{showing your creativity with your outfit selections}

 

As much as you have to plan for Diner en Blanc, you have to keep in mind to have FUN! Get creative when figuring out your all white attire.  Throw something in your hair, style with layers, maybe throw crazy makeup on.  I saw one lady with an oversized beach hat and I was instantly jealous.  I personally figured out what I was ultimately going to wear the day of.. I had some ideas, but I went with a flowy dress in case I got hot or over indulged on my macarons.  Also, I would usually wear heels in this situation, but I had no idea how much walking we would be doing before our final arrival or dancing for that matter, so I opted for flats.  No regrets there.

 

 

 

 

{outfit details}

Dress: Stone Cold Fox

Shoes: Steve Madden

Clutch: ysl

 

After all the tables were set up, at approximately 6PM, we did the “napkin wave”.. this marks the start of the festivities and when you can begin eating.  The hosts passed around lighted signs (very Korean) when it got dark.. but a super cute keepsake.  At some point in the night around 9PM we all got sparklers to light and wave around.. made for some fun pictures!

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the night there was a band playing various stringed instruments with a singer.. think Norah Jones vibes… Incredibly perfect for the setting.  As the night went on, because we are in Korea, they had a K-pop artist, Ailee, perform and it revved up the crowd before the DJ took over for the rest of the night playing all the top songs.  Really thanking myself for choosing flats for the evening.

Check the DEB website if you have an event coming up in your area, it might not be too late to get an invite, even if you put yourself on the waitlist!  It was an experience and we got to meet some really cool people.  Everyone is in a good mood after the initial chaotic set up and the weather in Seoul couldn’t have been more perfect.

I’m brewing up a vlog from the night so you can see all the action going down.  I can’t wait for next year already and will probably start thinking up how to decorate the table like tomorrow!

Au revoir my friends!