The evening of January 1st, 2012 my family donned beautiful gowns, pulled on white gloves, tied cravats, curled ringlets, glanced in the mirror one last time, then drove an hour, our dark car stifling with anticipation. We were going to a ball!
The ball consisted of English Country Dancing, such as you might see on Pride and Prejudice. This young man, one of the host family members, called the dances for us.
Sarah...the lovely hostess and inspiration behind the event!
l-r: Joshua, Micah, Jonah, Zachary
As we entered the room filled with over fifty people and shed our cloaks, we noticed handsome young men whose toes were tapping in readiness to dance...
l-r: Susanna, Mikaela, Rachel
As well as handsome young women whose tongues were filled with greetings!
For the first dance, "Hole in the Wall", fathers lined up on one side and the eldest daughters lined up on the other. I had so much fun dancing with my Daddy! In this photo, Melanie is getting prepared to dance the Duke of Kent's Waltz with Papa.
Brothers danced with sisters, fathers with daughters, mothers with sons, husbands with wives, girlfriends with girlfriends, and here I am dancing with an adorable little princess!
After several hours of stepping to the music, it was time for dinner! We ate...
...and cuddled babies...
...and talked, of course! I wish I could remember what I was saying at this juncture!
We couldn't help but dance some more then!
Here I am dancing with the dashing Caleb (the tinest suit in this photo!), a charming young man who loved to dance and asked all the older girls to be his partners!
l-r: myself, Sarah, and Mikaela
Wonderful friends, and don't they look gorgeous in their outfits?
Our family
Gentle music, sincere laughter, breathless excitement, kindred spirits, beautiful dresses--outside it was chilly and dark, but inside we were having an unforgettable, in fact, enchanting evening.
that is so cool! I've never been to a ball, I would love to sometime!
ReplyDeleteand I loved your dresses!
--Rachel
Looks like tons of fun! Dancing is so much fun! Some of our friends put on a ball on on the 30th, where we did Ceilidh Dancing (which is similar to ECD), and we all had a blast!
ReplyDeleteDuke of Kent's Waltz is my absolute favorite! All of the dresses are absolutely beautiful. I miss having Balls.
ReplyDeleteAhh - it was such a blast! I can't wait to do it again! :)
ReplyDeleteWell put, Lauren! :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks so very lovely! You all look beautiful in your dresses--and I loved seeing some familiar faces in that crowd, too! ;)
ReplyDelete