It's safe to say that this year, I was excited when he asked me to attend. I quickly learned that there are certain unsaid rules that go along with the Ball though.
1. Dates must match the Marine dress blues. That means dresses should be red, blue, black, gold, or white.
2. Don't be a skank. No cut outs, no plunging necklines, no sky-high slits. Doesn't matter if you're a double 00 or double D (or a lucky son-of-a-b*tch who's both), be modest.
3. Don't be a prom queen. No ball gowns, quinceanera dresses, or wedding gowns. You're going to meeting a lot of people, and if people can't get within five feet of your tooled, poofed, and fluffed dress, that's kind of problematic. (Also, don't wear a train. People will step on it all night despite your cautionary stink eye.)
4. Remember the Ball is not about you, it's about celebrating Marines, past and present, who have been giving their minds, bodies, and souls for our country since 1775. This means act appropriate--no drunk messes or club dancing. No one wants to have Frank as their date:
Chris wanted to make sure I knew these rules, especially the first one. So, many of our conversations went like this:
Chris: "Just remember to match my uniform."
Stephanie: "Soo how about a gold sequin dress?"
Chris: "No."
Stephanie: "But that matches!...Silver sequin dress?"
Chris: "No! Keep it simple, wear black."
Stephanie: "You want me to be a wallflower??"
If he hadn't specifically told me to wear black, I would have just told him I had already bought a black dress. Of course, since he DID say that, I told him that I bought a pink, glittery ball gown. ("Hey Chris, how hard will it be to get glitter out of dress blues?")
I flew to Virginia Saturday morning, arrived at 7am, and greeted Chris an hour later with a sour puss face and a second Starbucks in hand. We drove to Richmond, where we stayed at the Lindon Row Inn.
It was southern, with a porch and rocking chair outside every room. It was Gothic with black fountains and autumn-swept gardens. And it was historic. Edgar Allen Poe met his life-long love Elmira there. Poe's mother even died there and is rumored to still haunt the rooms.
Every room contained real antiques from the 1800s. Our room had hand-painted blue and white vases, tarnished gold lamps, and creeky floors. I loved it. For a guy who chooses minimalist modern decor, he definitely went out of his way to find something I would gush over.
It was such a perfect hotel that I felt slightly bad for my faux pink ballgown. It's an understatement to say that Chris was grateful to see me in this instead:
The first hour was cocktails, where I met all the people I've heard so much about. The little things like knowing your boyfriends friends become so meaningful in a long distance relationship. Putting faces to names is a rare treat. Altogether, there were nine bars (one with a fountain), and they were busy all night long. Later, we were shuffled into a secondary room, where dinner and the ceremony would take place. My favorite part of the ceremony was the cutting of the cake. Marines take their cake cutting seriously. (Have you ever been to a Marine wedding? They use their sword. Overkill? Perhaps. Awesome? Definitely.) For the Ball, the oldest and the youngest Marine are each invited up. The oldest Marine then cuts a piece and hands it to the youngest, symbolizing the passing down of tradition and honor from old to new.
The ceremony as a whole reflected the Marines dedication to our country and each other. While everyone was happy-go-lucky the whole night, they were also incredibly respectful. To my surprise, the ceremony began with prayer. And not a standard ceremonious one either; it was a true, individualized prayer. Throughout the night, every Marine I spoke with included me in conversation and seemed genuinely pleased to meet me. Several Marines offered to get drinks for everyone at the table, especially the girls. At the end of the night, we all got taxis, and the Marines we were with made sure us girls got the first one, accompanied by an escort Marine. Chivalrous and thoughtful. While these men and women have a well deserved reputation for being the biggest bad-asses in the world, they are also the most respectful people you will ever have the honor to meet. The Ball reminded me exactly how proud I am to be dating one of them.
Altogether, the night was wonderful. I'm so thankful I was able to attend, and with such a good looking date too. It's nice to see people who work so hard get a night to just enjoy themselves and their Corps. It was definitely worth the two year wait.
Thank you for all you do, Marines. Happy 237th birthday!
