Johnny Cash canceled at the last minute on President Ford’s Social Secretary Maria Downs, while bad weather upended one of President George W. Bush’s state dinners so much that Social Secretary Catherine Fenton worried there would be empty seats.
Even with all the planning, state dinners are still high-stress society events. Former White House aides revealed to Yeas & Nays some of their frenzied moments, while advising what Michelle Obama and current Social Secretary Desiree Rogers can do to keep those moments to a minimum Tuesday night.
Laura Bush’s Chief of Staff Anita McBride said having an experienced staff was key, and it had to make the dinner look effortless. She recalled a reciprocal dinner (a state dinner, but abroad) held for the queen of England when the ambassador’s dog started barking right as the queen was to begin her toast.
“[Fenton] just scooped that dog right up in her arms and walked right out of the room,” McBride said, commending Bush’s social secretary.
Downs recommended paying close attention to both the guest list and the seating chart.
“You want to make sure you invite people who make for an interesting evening,” she said.
And you don’t have to honor all of their requests. When a married Henry Kissinger asked Downs to put attractive women at his side, she smartly responded: “If I have beautiful women and I know what they look like, I’m going to put them on the president’s table,” Downs told Yeas & Nays.
And one last word of advice from the experts: Even though it’s formal, make the White House as inviting as possible. “Just do everything you can to please your guests and make them feel at home,” Downs said.
