GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER: This week’s state visit to the Beltway by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte is shaping as much as be a momentous and potentially precarious one. Although France is America’s oldest ally, the French leader and President Joe Biden aren’t completely in synch on among the problems with the day — specifically regarding their countries’ policies about China, climate change, and the war in Ukraine. The top of the Macrons’ three-day stay is Thursday’s night state dinner — the primary to be hosted by the Bidens and the primary one within the White House’s history to be held in the course of the holiday season.

Breaking bread amid such pageantry can be a unique variety of test — one in hospitality — and presumably a welcome change of pace from the more taxing issues at hand. 300 to 400 guests were invited to tug up a seat within the candlelit pavilion on the South Lawn. That greenery was also recently the location of one other Biden-hosted milestone: the president’s granddaughter Naomi’s wedding. Musician Jon Batiste was expected to perform on the state dinner. Fellow musician John Legend was also in the group along with his wife Chrissy Teigen, and other notables like Jennifer Garner, her daughter Violet Affleck, Baz Luhrmann, Anna Wintour, Tim Cook, Laurene Powell Jobs and ABC’s Robin Roberts.

Abiding by the usual dress code for state dinners, Presidents Biden and Macron each turned out in traditional tuxes. Their wives also kept things very formal. FLOTUS wore an off-the-shoulder custom hand-beaded navy crepe floral gown from Oscar de la Renta and Brigitte Macron looked sleek in an all-white high-neck, long-sleeved evening gown.

Discussion concerning the state visit and dinner got underway this past summer, in accordance with a White House pool report. Having celebrated the president’s 80^th birthday on Nov. 20, unveiled the “We The People” holiday décor on Monday and held the official Christmas tree lighting Wednesday night, there was no shortage of festivities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as of late. The menu alone was months within the making, and the primary lady chosen the American wines — a Newton unfiltered Chardonnay “Napa Valley,” 2018 (a la LVMH), an Anakota Cabernet Sauvignon “Knights Valley,” 2019, and Roederer Estate Brut Rose. Attendees were expected to be served butter-poached Maine lobster and calottes of beef. The tables also may have “French-forged Champagne vessels,” in accordance with White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo, based on a pool report.

The red, white and blue color scheme is suitable given each countries’ national flags, and is supposed to symbolize the shared values of liberty, democracy, equality and fellowship. As one other signal of the alliance, the menus have been imprinted with a picture of the Statue of Liberty, a present from France to the U.S. One other likeness of that torch-bearing landmark in Recent York Harbor was planned as a backdrop for President Biden’s toast, in the course of the state dinner.

Like every little thing else, the floral décor has been chosen with great care. Iris, France’s national flower, was to be in the combo, as were American Beauty roses, which were bred in France and first shipped Stateside greater than a century ago. As one other hint of solidarity, piano roses were chosen to reflect President Macron’s love of the piano.

Personal presentation is all the time de rigeur for such world leaders and their respective spouses. For a photo-op and outing earlier Thursday, the primary lady wore a wholly Millennial pink ensemble including heels and gloves, whereas her French counterpart was more classically understated in a hunter green dress with a black-shouldered tweed jacket and black heels. While the 2 presidents held bilateral meetings, their wives engaged in some cultural diplomacy, making a go through Planet Word, which is generally known as the museum “where language involves life.”