Last night, we joined 1,200 for dinner, and we didn't know until an hour before where it was going to be. Diner En Blanc has been going in Europe for years but only recently started holding massive, secret pop-up meals in the US; this was the first in DC.
Invited guests bought tickets, had to wear all white down to the shoes, and bring their own food, table and white chairs, white tablecloth, plates, and glasses. Many brought china, crystal, and candles. We snapped the Dept. of Energy’s Sarah Gerrity, Strategies 360’s Julie Goldrosen, NRDC Action Fund’s Emily Bischof, Cava Grill’s Nikki Rappaport, and Simul Media’s Kate Brennan.
Like its other dinners around the world, the location was kept secret until just an hour beforehand, when we got an email saying it would be at the new Yards Park in Navy Yard, one of the few large outdoor spaces in DC where it’s legal to consume alcohol. Here, Quorvis Communications’ Spencer Joynt, his mother, Washingtonian’s Carol Joynt, MPD’s Brian Hallahan, and Stratacomm’s Jamie Nolan celebrating with sparklers.
Dîner En Blanc co-founder Sandy Safi, second from right, flew in from Paris. She’s surrounded by sponsor Moët Hennessy's Vann Ashe, Michelle Desrosiers, Patrick Richards, and Donae Burston.
USA Today’s Natalie DiBlasio and Hadley Malcolm are bookended by Moki Media’s Brooke Hutchins and sisters Dannia and Maha Hakki.
Ace Hardware’s Gina Schaefer joins Sherri Kimbel of Councilman Jack Evans’ office.
TTR Sotheby's David DeSantis and Anne-Marie Finnell join Long & Foster’s Kent Madsen. Toward the end of dinner, guests gathered on the dance floor as DJs played.
