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A couple months ago a good friend asked me if I’d like to help plan a Charity Gala. The Rockford Symphony Orchestra Golden Ball to be exact! Most charity events start planning a year out but we had four short months to throw the party of a lifetime. From scratch! I was of course up to the challenge. It was such a fun opportunity to work with some awesome ladies in the community, work hard for a great cause, and start lifelong friendships!
The theme of our first Charity Gala was Art Deco! If you’re planning a Charity Gala and are looking for a theme you have to try Art Deco. It was glamorous and so many people participated by dressing in the theme. It was so fun being transported back in time. It was like going to a party hosted by Jay Gatsby and you happened to be his party planner! Pretty cool.
If I’m being honest I was a little hesitant {for maybe 3 seconds} about going all in on the theme. I knew I wanted to dress the part but I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to transform my hair. Can I just say I’m so happy I decided to include my hair in the theme because it just wouldn’t have had the same effect!
Dress: NHA KHANH | Necklace: RJ Graziano | Shawl: Adrienne Landau
c/o Rent The Runway
I really looked high and low for a great dress and I nailed it with Rent The Runway. They had so many options that would fit perfectly for the Art Deco theme it was hard to decide. This NHA KHANH dress was always in the back of my mind though, so I knew I had to pick this one! I decided to take it over the top and get my nails done with gold glitter nail polish. I mean it is called the Golden Ball, so I kind of had to! This charity gala was the night before we went to Maui so two days before I got a spray tan because I’m not a big fan of sitting in the sun but I wanted to look good in my swimsuit so spray tan it was!
Even looking at these pictures makes me feel a little odd. I mean I know that’s me, but it doesn’t look or feel like me, ya know! Have you ever felt that way before? I was actually stunned by the compliments I got. I wasn’t expecting to get any but people I don’t even know went out of their way to tell me how much they loved my whole ensemble.
When I was about 8 there was a Father Daughter dance at church and it was Luau themed. I showed up in a Luau getup from head to toe. To say I dressed the part is an understatement! I peeked in the door and no one else was dressed up. I was horrified! Of the 9 or 10 girls my age there were only 3 that I felt comfortable being around. The others just weren’t very nice, super clique, and one or two were kind of bullies. It’s worth knowing that of the 3 that were nice only one was there, ha, so I refused to go in. My dad said to me, “Hilary it’s always better to be overdressed than under dressed.” I still refused to go in, started crying because I was embarrassed and we went home. While it didn’t go as planned I’ve never forgotten what my dad said, and now that I’m older they really are words I live by. So I’m glad I took his advice once again and “overdressed”
As my husband and I were leaving a really nice guy stopped me and said that I was without a doubt the best dressed of the night. There were well over 350 other people there. I’m not telling you this because I have a big head about it, I’m telling you because I think going all in has it’s definite advantages! So go big or go home … and don’t go home!
Even the back was amazing!
