Her Philly

A lifestyle blog for young women dining, shopping, playing & living in the city of Philadelphia.

  • About
    • Behind the Blog
    • Meet Emily
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Chit Chat
    • Philly Girl Life
  • Dining
  • Living
    • Moving to Philly
  • Playing
    • Travel
  • Shopping
    • Gift Guides
    • Emily’s Amazon Favorites
  • Shop my Instagram Stories
  • Contact
    • As Seen In
    • Work with Me
    • Get in Touch

July 9, 2013

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia {Everything You Need To Know}

The buzz came in waves: Picnic dinner party. All white. Dancing. Wine. Surprise location. I was intrigued, and I needed to know more. But the secrets Dîner en Blanc keep are all part of the equation . . . the very fabulous, glamorous, unique equation.

To cure my curiosity, I got a chance to chat with Natanya DiBona, Dîner en Blanc (DEB) Philadelphia’s Co-Host, about the whitest event of the season. Turns out, curiosity is what lead Natanya to DEB in the first place. When her Aunt & Uncle told her about an invite-only all-white picnic in their city of Montreal, Natanya did some research & was instantly hooked, leading her to the co-host position of DEB Philadelphia.

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia // Image via: Georgi Anastasov Photography

Image via: Georgi Anastasov Photography

DEB started 25 years ago in Paris, and has since grown to over a dozen cities around the world. The goal of the event is simple: give residents a reason to celebrate the public space of their city. DEB is essentially a pop-up picnic dinner party, in that invited guests (sign up for the DEB wait list here), clad only in white, bring everything with them! That’s right: your table, chairs, linens, china, and dinner are all coming & leaving with you. That personal investment, Natanya says, is what transforms the event. Everyone brings something to the table that they’re proud of or passionate about, and the event feeds off of that.

While the location of DEB is not revealed to guests until they’re walking to the event itself on August 22nd, last year, it took place in Philly’s Logan Circle. As you can see by the pictures, the night looked magical.

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia // Image via: Georgi Anastasov Photography

Image via: Georgi Anastasov Photography

For the Philly lady, DEB is a must this summer. The weeks leading up to the event, as Natanya described them, generate a serious amount of buzz and build a tremendous community among Philadelphians. The excitement she described reminded me of kids the summer before they go off to college, trading tips on where to purchase dorm room necessities and Facebook stalking potential new friends down the hall. It seems fantastic, that is, if you get a spot . . .

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia // Image via: Sean Corbett Photography

Image via: Sean Corbett Photography

Because DEB takes place in a public space with restrictions, not everyone who is interested can lawfully attend. But, I’ve got the lowdown on the thee phase invite process. Invitees for each phase will get an email this month with info on the date they can register. Phase 1 tickets are first offered to all of the registered guests of last year’s DEB (AKA you signed up for you & your date on the DEB website). Phase 2 tickets are offered to suggestions or recommendations of Phase 1 attendees. And then there’s Phase 3, the wait list. Don’t let the numbers swirling around out there about the size of the wait list discourage you from signing up. It does not matter what order you put your name on the wait list, everyone on there gets the same email with the opportunity to register at the same time. So, if you have not signed up yet, do it now and wait for that email!

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia // Image via: Georgi Anastasov Photography

Image via: Georgi Anastasov Photography

In order to allow room for all of the invited guests, the DEB co-hosts must account for every inch of space, so there are some pretty strict guidelines on what can & can not come with you and on you. Your table (which, remember, must be carried by you!) must be at least 28” high x 28” square, and at most  32” high by x 32” square. Your clothing must be elegant – AKA no white jeans, shorts or baseball hats. Pretty reasonable, right?

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia // Image via: Sean Corbett Photography

Image via: Sean Corbett Photography

You can keep up with all of the Dîner en Blanc happenings on their Facebook & Twitter pages. Plus, I have a few final tips & tidbits Natanya shared with me that I get to share with all of you . . .

1. Since the event is BYOB, 21 & over only, please!

2. Shop early for your picnic supplies & outfit! Not only do stores start putting out their Fall stuff soon, but other DEB invitees start their shopping!

3.  DEB is open to & encourages all types of pairings. Mother & daughter, Aunt & niece, neighbors, etc. You must fill in the name of your date when you officially register, but don’t worry, you can always change it later.

4. When you sign up, you’ll need to pick your Pedestrian Leader. If you’d like to sit near another table or two, make sure you all pick the same leader.

5. For my ladies who hate to cook, DEB offers some options for pre-made dinners. Visit their site for more info.

 

Now that I’ve given you all of the info you need to know about Dîner en Blanc, what do you think? Will you be attending? I personally can’t wait! In the final moments of our chat, Natanya told me DEB is “an event that celebrates the city.” Count me in, Philadelphia. 🙂

 

her philly

 

Related Posts

  • A Magical Philadelphia Evening {Dîner en Blanc 2013}A Magical Philadelphia Evening {Dîner en Blanc 2013}
  • How to setup for Diner en Blanc // Her Philly{Summertime Reminiscing} Diner en Blanc 2014
  • Philly Girl Summer Life {2014}Philly Girl Summer Life {2014}
  • 5 of my Favorite Philly-Area Lady Grammers5 of my Favorite Philly-Area Lady Grammers
  • 19 Items You Must Pack for Diner en Blanc19 Items You Must Pack for Diner en Blanc
  • My Favorite Places in PhillyMy Favorite Places in Philly

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Posted by admin 21 Comments
Filed Under: playing Tagged: dance, deb, diner en blanc, music, party, philly, playing, white

NEVER MISS A POST

Hi! I'm Emily, a Philly lady on a quest to discover everything lovely, exciting, affordable, and beautiful about my city.

HER PHILLY, DELIVERED!

Join 331 other subscribers

What’s Hot on Her Philly

11 Philly Things to do with Your Work Buds
How To Spend A Weekend In Philadelphia With Your Parents
Philly Girl Fall Life {2014}
My Favorite Places in Philly

Good Day Philadelphia

HP on the Gram

Farmers market flow. 🍉🍇🥕🍓🥬 #nuuly Farmers market flow. 🍉🍇🥕🍓🥬

#nuuly #nuulysaysgah #mynuuly #plussizefashion #plussizeblogger #fallfits #curvyblogger #phillyblogger #njblogger #keeporreturn #fallfashion #curvystyle #curvyconfidence #lisasaysgah
Tonight was the best feeling of trying something n Tonight was the best feeling of trying something new. ⛳️ (I’m now looking up golf puns and I love how many have the word “putter” in them. 🥹🖤). 

My gal pal @calisonx and I took a ladies beginner golf clinic at @linwoodcc tonight. We both had absolutely never played golf past mini golf on the boardwalk… so this was fun & new. The late summer weather was simply stunning & on top of that, our class included THREE glasses of wine. 😅🍷

It was fun to get a new outfit (duh) and be in a social place that’s not a bar. My dad thinks this is where I will meet my future husband so let’s all send me some good vibes for that. 😉

I’m excited to take another class & learn more. 🏌🏻‍♀️Are any of you golfing girls? Would love to hear your tips on how to get into it (and/or meet your husband at the golf course.) 😉

#njblogger #southjersey #southjerseyadventures #augustslippedaway #plussizestyle #plusblogger #curvyblogger #jerseygirl #ladieswhogolf #curvyconfidence
What a gorgeous Philly evening to welcome three Je What a gorgeous Philly evening to welcome three Jersey gals for a little theatre (thanks to @kimmelculturalcampus!). My mom, sister, and I met to see @thelionking at @academymusicphl and it was simply *phenomenal.* 

We both found quick weeknight after 5pm parking at nearby lots ($16!) and had time for dinner & @vanleeuwenicecream before the play. 

The show is better than you could ever expect - the actors are just so talented (especially young Simba & Nala! The best part was watching the little kidsss enjoy it, too (three little boys in front of us were raising their Simba doll merch up at the end- so unreal 🥹). The show is so worth seeing while it’s here (now through 9/10!). 

A huge thanks to @kimmelculturalcampus for the beautiful Philly night out. 🖤

#whyilovephilly #visitphilly #lionking #thelionking #njblogger #phillytourism #phillyfamily #thingstodoinphilly #kimmelcenter #phillytheatre
Load More... Follow on Instagram
PHLBloggers

Shop my looks

Shop more of my closet on Poshmark

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis