Before French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, arrived at the White House this week for President Donald Trump's first state dinner, First Lady Melania Trump released a behind-the-scenes video of preparations leading up to the visit.
After months of preparations, @POTUS and I are looking forward to hosting our first State Dinner with France! Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this visit a success. ???????? ???????? pic.twitter.com/j7fKmUhISJ
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 23, 2018
For the White House's first state dinner, the first lady selected cream-and-gold dinnerware pieces, which included gold-rimmed wine glasses and plates. The silverware was also gold.
White floral centerpieces were prominently featured on all 13 tables in the State Dining Room, which was filled with over 2,500 stems of white sweet peas and nearly 1,000 white lilacs.
White House chef, Cristeta Comerford, was in charge of the state dinner menu and prepared a multi-course meal that started with a goat cheese gateau, tomato jam, buttermilk biscuit crumbles and young variegated lettuces; the first course was followed by a rack of lamb and Carolina gold rice jambalaya, with herbs from the South Lawn; and dessert: a nectarine tart and crème fraîche ice cream.
The dishes were paired with a series of French wines, such as a 2015 Domaine Serene Chardonnay.
Several prominent officials were invited to the dinner, including speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. No congressional Democrats made the 120-person guest list.
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