Tuesday
Nov242009
More Details on Tonight's Fete
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 1:47 PM Venue: Heated pavilion on the South Lawn of the White House
Guest Count: 320 - 400
Guest List: Click here
Decor: Round tables seating ten will be draped with apple green linens. Deep purple flower arrangements, made of purple, plum and fuchsia hydrangea, garden roses and sweet peas, will honor of the state bird of India, the Indian Peacock. A video of the state dinner tables can be seen here.
Place setting: Click here
Menu: Click here
Guest Chef: Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit
Featured Performers: Oscar-winners Jennifer Hudson and A. R. Rahman (the latter composed the soundtrack for "Slumdog Millionaire")
P.S. Thanks to maraabout40 for several of the links above!
Reader Comments (17)
I really LIKE the wide silver belt Michelle is wearing over the sweater. She looks so well put together today. She looks SMASHING! Running out words to describe my delight over Mrs. O today, must I consult a thesaurus to find a word to describe tonight's gown...
Mrs. T, place setting here: http://twitpic.com/qryba
Menu here: http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/11/obama_state_dinner_official_fo.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Thanks so much for that pic marabout40. The table cloth is green and the plate settings are gold. Could this mean a green dress for Mrs.O? A former white house chef stated that the table cloth and settings are often modeled after the first ladies dress. Also the silver skirt from today's preview was said to be Rachel Roy, an Indian-American designer she's worn before, by a Politico reporter.
Too bad it is raining in D.C. because FLOTUS coat would have looked pretty in the rain. Also, Rachel Roy is going to have a HEART ATTACK if FLOTUS wears her dress tonight. I am excited COLOR!!
You're welcome, Mrs. T. BTW, MSNBC just said, "The floral arrangement pays homage to the Indian peacock." I believe Laura Bush did something similar at her state dinner for the Indian PM in '04. She used some green button-shaped flowers.
For past state dinners, C-SPAN sets up a stationary camera and shows the guests arriving and being received by the President and First Lady. Right now C-SPAN lists their coverage as starting at nine, but I think that's the speeches. Tune in around 7 and see what's going on. It's always fun to see who's there, how they behave, and of course, what they're wearing.
I just read that there will be port-a-potties for the guests. Cedar chips have been sprinkled on the roofs. I have used some pretty upscale ones that were like well-appointed powder rooms, but they are still port-a-potties. Involve climbing a few steps.
Makes sense as it would be difficult to accommodate 400 in the bathrooms in the public part of the WH.
I imagine other arrangements have been made for Dr. Singh and Mrs. Kaur.
The large, rather plain place plates shown on the green-clothed tables have wide gold borders. From the photo below, it appears that the food will be served on the new china acquired by Mrs. Bush but never used by the Bushes because it arrived too late. It has the gold edge and green basket-weave border. As I recall it is a copy of historic White House china from an early period.
Very festive and historic as well.
Just found this report:
Glassware will be red. According to the WH, the centerpieces "are composed of flowers that are evocative of the classic American garden: hyrdrangea, garden roses, and sweet peas in a rich palette of deep plum, purple, and fuchsia."
http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/11/24/first-lady-unveils-state-dinner-tidbits/
Forgive the spamming but there is so much out there:
The tables will be set with china, all from the White House's historic collection:
-Service Plates- Eisenhower administration- 1955 New Castle, PA Castleton China – US government purchase, 1955.
-Service Plates- Clinton State China Service- 2000 Trenton NJ Lenox – Gift of the White House Historical Association, 2000 – commissioned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the White House.
-Dinner Plates- George W Bush State China Service 2008-2009 Kinston, NC Lenox, Inc. Gift of the White House Acquisition Trust, 2009.
Source: White House State Dinner: The Menu, Entertainment, and Decor
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/11/white-house-state-dinner-the-menu-entertainment-and-decor.html
Uncanny coincidence?
The green and gold colours chosen for the place setting looks almost like a complete replica of Gursharan Kaur's sari! Lovely! Great planning is what I call it. Hats off to Mrs.O, Desire Roberts and team...
Let the games begin!
Wow, thanks Mrs. T for keeping us in the loop!
Re my post up the thread at 4:53, no, the goblets are not red as reported (somewhere). A wider photo shows that they are deep amethist. Seems more logical with the deep purple in the centerpieces.
Thanks Mrs T, I love this site. And thanks to the bloggers for the links and info.
I'm suprised not to see Oprah on the guest list but pleased as punch that one of my favourite actors, Blair Underwood will be there. He's so under rated as an actor.
Absolutely loving the menu. There sure is something for everyone to enjoy. The soup and the green curry sounds really nice.
I also know that Jennifer Hudson is going to knock them dead tonight with her performance.
It's coming up to midnight over here, I'm crushed that I won't see the dinner pictures until tomorrow morning.
Good night everyone.
Based on what I have read online tonight, I can guarantee you that Michelle will DEFINITELY be wearing purple tonight. Definitely. Her gown will match the floral arrangements and they are absolutely beautiful.
I can't lie. I'm jealous, I wish I was there.
Very sparkly bright gold (lame? sequins?) strapless gown with chiffon shawl.
Her gown is very bright. Could be silver and gold. Very simple. No necklace. A very good look.
Sorenon? He makes the best strapless gowns.
Mrs. Kaur is in black. The prime minister is in a dark grey suit with his blue Sikh turban.