President Biden and first lady to host first state dinner for France's first couple
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER: This week's state visit to the ring road by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte look like a capital and potentially precarious person. Although France is the oldest ally of the United States, the French leader and President Joe Biden are not completely in sync on some of the current issues, especially when it comes to their country's policies regarding China, climate change and war in Ukraine. The highlight of the Macrons' three-day stay is Thursday night's state dinner - the first hosted by the Bidens and the first in White House history to be held during the holiday season.
Breaking bread in the middle of such pageantry will be a different kind of test - one in the hospitality - and presumably a welcome change of pace from the most trying issues. Between 300 and 400 guests were invited to take their seats in the candlelit pavilion on the South Lawn. This greenery was also recently the site of another Biden-hosted milestone: the wedding of the President's granddaughter Naomi. Musician Jon Batiste was scheduled to perform at the state dinner. Musician John Legend was also in the crowd with his wife Chrissy Teigen and other notables like Jennifer Garner, daughter Violet Affleck, Baz Luhrmann, Anna Wintour, Tim Cook, Laurene Powell Jobs and ABC's Robin Roberts.
> Related GalleriesAdhering to the standard dress code for state dinners, Presidents Biden and Macron each introduced themselves in a traditional tuxedo. Their wives also kept things very formal. FLOTUS wore an off-the-shoulder hand-beaded navy blue crepe floral dress by Oscar de la Renta and Brigitte Macron looked elegant in a high-necked, long-sleeved all-white evening dress.
State visit and dinner discussion began last summer, report says of the White House pool. After celebrating the president's 80th birthday on Nov. 20, unveiling "We The People" holiday decor on Monday and hosting the official Christmas tree lighting on Wednesday night, there's been no shortage of festivities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue lately. The menu alone took months to prepare, and the first lady selected the American wines – an unfiltered Newton Chardonnay “Napa Valley”, 2018 (at LVMH), an Anakota Cabernet Sauvignon “Knights Valley”, 2019 and Roederer Estate Brut Rose. Attendees were to be served butter-poached Maine lobster and beef patties. The tables will also have "Champagne vessels forged in France," according to White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo, based on a pool report.
The red, white and blue color scheme is appropriate considering the national flags of both countries and is intended à symbolize the shared values of freedom, democracy, equality and fraternity. As another sign of the alliance, the menus were printed with an image of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States. during the State Dinner.
Like everything else, the floral decor has been selected with the utmost care. The iris, the national flower of France, was to be a part of it, as were the American Beauty roses, which were grown in France and first shipped to the United States more than a century ago. As another sign of solidarity, piano roses were chosen to reflect President Macron's love for the piano.
The personal statement is always in order for such world leaders and their respective spouses. For a photoshoot and outing earlier Thursday, the first lady wore an all-millennium pink ensemble including heels and gloves, while her French counterpart looked more classically understated in a hunter green dress with a black-shouldered tweed jacket and black heels. While the two presidents held bilateral meetings, their wives engaged in cultural diplomacy, passing through Planet Word, known as the museum "where language comes to life."
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER: This week's state visit to the ring road by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte look like a capital and potentially precarious person. Although France is the oldest ally of the United States, the French leader and President Joe Biden are not completely in sync on some of the current issues, especially when it comes to their country's policies regarding China, climate change and war in Ukraine. The highlight of the Macrons' three-day stay is Thursday night's state dinner - the first hosted by the Bidens and the first in White House history to be held during the holiday season.
Breaking bread in the middle of such pageantry will be a different kind of test - one in the hospitality - and presumably a welcome change of pace from the most trying issues. Between 300 and 400 guests were invited to take their seats in the candlelit pavilion on the South Lawn. This greenery was also recently the site of another Biden-hosted milestone: the wedding of the President's granddaughter Naomi. Musician Jon Batiste was scheduled to perform at the state dinner. Musician John Legend was also in the crowd with his wife Chrissy Teigen and other notables like Jennifer Garner, daughter Violet Affleck, Baz Luhrmann, Anna Wintour, Tim Cook, Laurene Powell Jobs and ABC's Robin Roberts.
> Related GalleriesAdhering to the standard dress code for state dinners, Presidents Biden and Macron each introduced themselves in a traditional tuxedo. Their wives also kept things very formal. FLOTUS wore an off-the-shoulder hand-beaded navy blue crepe floral dress by Oscar de la Renta and Brigitte Macron looked elegant in a high-necked, long-sleeved all-white evening dress.
State visit and dinner discussion began last summer, report says of the White House pool. After celebrating the president's 80th birthday on Nov. 20, unveiling "We The People" holiday decor on Monday and hosting the official Christmas tree lighting on Wednesday night, there's been no shortage of festivities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue lately. The menu alone took months to prepare, and the first lady selected the American wines – an unfiltered Newton Chardonnay “Napa Valley”, 2018 (at LVMH), an Anakota Cabernet Sauvignon “Knights Valley”, 2019 and Roederer Estate Brut Rose. Attendees were to be served butter-poached Maine lobster and beef patties. The tables will also have "Champagne vessels forged in France," according to White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo, based on a pool report.
The red, white and blue color scheme is appropriate considering the national flags of both countries and is intended à symbolize the shared values of freedom, democracy, equality and fraternity. As another sign of the alliance, the menus were printed with an image of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States. during the State Dinner.
Like everything else, the floral decor has been selected with the utmost care. The iris, the national flower of France, was to be a part of it, as were the American Beauty roses, which were grown in France and first shipped to the United States more than a century ago. As another sign of solidarity, piano roses were chosen to reflect President Macron's love for the piano.
The personal statement is always in order for such world leaders and their respective spouses. For a photoshoot and outing earlier Thursday, the first lady wore an all-millennium pink ensemble including heels and gloves, while her French counterpart looked more classically understated in a hunter green dress with a black-shouldered tweed jacket and black heels. While the two presidents held bilateral meetings, their wives engaged in cultural diplomacy, passing through Planet Word, known as the museum "where language comes to life."
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