I had an absolute blast capturing another Dîner en Blanc the other week!!! It’s an event that is one of my favs to shoot because I enjoy the playful energy that comes standard with the chic, pop-up picnic…not to mention the sea of white that pours into the lens each time I snap a photo.
If you happen to be unfamiliar with the Dîner en Blanc phenomena, it’s an event that started in Paris in 1998, when François Pasquierin invited a group of his friends to an elegant outdoor dinner at a public venue. So they could find each other easier, he asked them all to dress in white.
Since that time, Dîner en Blanc’s presence has grown to over 70 cities, where people don their whitest of whites and gather each year in a public outdoor venue–a venue that is only revealed within minutes leading up the event itself–and set up a temporary, chic dining experience to enjoy quality food, wine and laughter.
This year’s Dîner en Blanc landed on the front lawn of St. Ann’s Academy, after a short walk from one of four designated meeting areas around the downtown’s core. Once on the grounds, diners set up their tables, chairs and tablecloths so they could sit down and enjoy the yummy picnics they had packed for themselves. And for those whose lives are too busy to pack their own picnic, there was also an option to pre-order a meal from one of the designated catering companies….yaaay!
Either way, plenty of toasts were made, and as the evening progressed, so did the live entertainment that accompanied the venue, with three acts that were unique unto themselves. The final act, a DJ, pumped out some modern beats that had everyone hopping around the dance floor…or in this case, the grass floor. And when the night became dark enough, the sea of white was temporarily replaced with a sea of orange sparkles as everyone lit their sparklers in unison to mark the end of the night in tradition and style. And for those who still had batteries to keep the night alive, there was an option to join the after party at Victoria’s Sugar Nightclub.
If you’d like to dig into a few shots from this year’s Dîner en Blanc, feel free to check out CrackerJackFlash’s Facebook page for a few selects from the night. Bon appetit!