This has been the summer of old school fabulous summer parties. The summer began with Natural Lands Trust’s Stardust 2015 at Stroud Preserve and last Saturday it was capped off by the simply brilliant Brandywine in White at Chadds Peak Farm.

Until this summer I thought the time of gracious and beautiful and FUN summer parties were the stuff memories of the past were made of.  Not so! Brandywine in White was so sublimely civilized, we can’t wait for next year!

As opposed to Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia this is a more bucolic and intimate setting of about 200 people as opposed to the 4500 in Philadelphia.

Brandywine in White reminds me of summer picnic dinners in England and Europe. It was just so lovely.

A bunch of us purchased a table and a service table for our food and libations. As opposed to Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia, at Brandywine in White you rent your table and chairs and you can also rent service tables. The tables come with white chairs and the tables have plain white tablecloths.  The guests bring additional white everything and food and wine. In the true en blanc tradition, guests wear all white, but at Brandwine in White you saw more ladylike and beautiful summer hats versus citified high fashion fascinators. I have to be honest I preferred the summer hats.

Guests traveled down an dirt road/driveway off the main road and as the trees parted to our right were beautiful fields and tables and people all in white.  We were greeted at the entrance and checked in, and were pointed in the direction of a second event hostess who provided us with our table location.

The tables were set up like a giant rectangle, but there was space in between each table for people to be able to move with ease.  Down the center were white poles supporting clear white lights all over the party area.

We set up next to a wonderful group of people and ended up trading some of our cheeses from iGourmet.com for some of their goodies including mushroom pinwheels. We served some luscious white wines and delightful French Rosé Wines with our picnic supper.

We knew know on other than our table and we soon met many people we enjoyed so much.  Brandywine in White guests floated from table to table visiting, snapping photos, and checking out the other white themed tablescapes.  We were “vintage en blanc“.

There was croquet and there was also dancing – and the disc jockey was the best one I had heard in years. no electric slide and overt personal commentary. He just played great music and lots of it!

We are already planning ahead to next year!

Brandywine in White was amazing and they gave donations after expenses to the Sunday Breakfast Mission in Wilmington which really needs a hand up right now.