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Earlier this month, I got to go to the Diner en Blanc here in Sacramento thanks to OneHope Wine. They were gracious enough to invite me and a guest (my friend Sarah) to enjoy an evening of fancy picnicking, all white attire, and some bomb sparkling wine — all at a secret location.

I drove past the Diner en Blanc a couple of years ago and was completely intrigued by the concept. I took French in college and fell in love with the language and French club. To this day I think I would have loved to major in French and I’m still not sure why I didn’t. Needless to say, I was thrilled to get to participate in an event that started in Paris.

OneHope graciously provided us with a table, chairs, and all the essential table settings. This is something that attendees usually bring themselves. Think of it like a flashmob picnic party — you bring everything you’ll need, set it up, enjoy your dinner and the party, then pack up at the end of the night. There’s no trace of the festivities the following morning. Pretty cool, right?

I did bring my own food. By that I mean I ordered food from South (a really great restaurant here in Sacramento). It was a total feast. So much fried chicken, house made biscuits, honey butter, potato salad, and butterscotch pudding for dessert. I did my best to keep the hot food hot with an insulated bag, but I won’t lie, it was delicious even though it was lukewarm.

The event ended up being at the Sacramento Zoo! Our table was right in front of the lion enclosure and it was amazing. The lions came out and roared a few times while we set up our table decorations. Some folks go all out for their table, but I chose to do something simple (and easy) and decorated with fresh eucalyptus, a few mini pumpkins (white, of course) and some LED candles I scored at Dollar Tree. It was simple but effective!

Le Diner en Blanc is not BYOB but you can order wine ahead of time. There aren’t any alcohol sales during the event, either. Luckily, OneHope reserved a bottle of their sparkling brut for us in the prettiest gold shimmer bottle. I love some good bubbly and I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s some of the best tasting sparkling wine I’ve had. Not too dry, not too sweet. I know where I’ll be getting my bubbles from now on.

what to wear to diner en blanc tinted green

I stressed about what to wear to the Diner because, as a person who rocks a capsule wardrobe, I didn’t have a closet full of options for an all white, elegant dinner party. I ended up purchasing everything but the shoes I wore. I went back and forth between whether I should wear a dress. I even considered getting my wedding dress out and wearing it!

Not really, but kinda.

Luckily, I found a pair of white, wide leg trousers while shopping with my mom. I paired the pants with a white crop top. and I borrowed some white wedges from my mom which totally tore up my feet. For accessories, I bought a simple gold necklace from Icing and paired it with some fun gold statement earrings I picked up at Madewell last winter. October is still a warm month here in Sacramento, so I didn’t bother to wear a coat or anything.

diner en blanc sacramento 2018 one hope wine tinted green

We feasted on our food, mingled with our neighbors, clinked our glasses of OneHope bubbly, rode the carousel, danced to Wagon Wheel and took our turn at the photo booth. The night was over before I knew it. It was an amazing experience. I’m so grateful I got to go this year and hope it’s something I’ll do again!

Huge, amazing thank you to the OneHope team for treating me to this incredible event. They’re an awesome cause-focused wine company that gives back to charities, plus their wine is gooood. Check them out!