One dinner. Months of planning.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join the ranks of other leaders, from Queen Elizabeth to Indira Gandhi to Mikhail Gorbachev who have been feted at a White House state dinner.

“A lot of planning has to go into these events, which is why they are comparatively rare,” an historian with the White House Historical Association told the Star.

The invites are done in careful calligraphy. The centrepiece floral arrangements are overseen by the White House floral designer. The china settings selected — there are seven to choose from for a full state dinner.

The meal, planned by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and executive pastry chef Susan Morrison, will run four or five courses and feature a personal touch to acknowledge the visiting leader.

Washington is preparing to roll out the red carpet for Trudeau and wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau to fete a Canadian leader in a way that hasn’t been done for almost two decades.

Thursday’s state dinner at the White House — a chic and relatively rare event — promises to grab the spotlight when Trudeau visits with U.S. President Barack Obama.

But it’s the symbolism of the state dinner and the substance of Trudeau’s Oval Office meeting with Obama scheduled for earlier that day that together signal the president’s interest in making the visit a success, observers say.

“It’s really clear that the president has invested in this visit,” said Paul Frazer, a former Canadian ambassador who now works as a consultant in Washington.

“He wants this to be a success for the prime minister and for Canada-U.S. relations,” he said.

In a town well-accustomed to the trappings of power and influence, these dinners still stand out. “They are not held very often so they are stand-out events from the usual receptions and other events that can take place at the White House,” the association historian said.

The venue for this dinner will be the East Room. There will be members of Congress, cabinet members from both countries, the respective ambassadors — Bruce Heyman, the U.S. ambassador in Ottawa and David MacNaughton, Canada’s newly installed diplomat in Washington. There’s likely to be a sprinkling of celebrities.

The Canadian delegation gets 20 tickets. That delegation will include Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion; International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland; Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan; Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Hunter Tootoo, minister of fisheries, oceans and the Coast Guard.

Before dinner, each leader will offer a toast to his counterpart and praise relations between the two countries. After dinner, there’s entertainment, perhaps even some dancing.

Jean Chretien was the last prime minister to enjoy a state dinner in 1997, then hosted by U.S. President Bill Clinton.

According to the White House Historical Association, the White House was decorated that night with live cherry trees. Centrepieces of amaryllis, tulips and roses decorated the tables. The dinner, served on Reagan china, featured fiddlehead fern, herb-crusted lamb with artichokes and spring vegetables, and maple-cured salmon. Dessert was raspberry and chocolate truffle ring mold, the association said.

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Entertainment was provided by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.

Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was the guest of honour at three state dinners – in 1969, with President Richard Nixon as host; in 1974 with President Gerald Ford; and again in 1977 with President Jimmy Carter.