Attending Jamie’s Battalion’s Military Ball

Last Thursday was a little bit fancy, a little bit celebratory, and just a little bit crazy.

We woke up celebrating Hadley’s 3rd birthday as a family before scrambling to get her off to preschool for the day. We were set to receive our babysitter at 4:30 and then promptly head to Jamie’s battalion’s military ball.

I’d been feeling a little anxious about leaving Sadie with a sitter for 6ish hours (to include bedtime) since she’s my “velcro baby” and doesn’t take a bottle well, but we adore our babysitter so much and knew that she’d be able to handle the potential challenge of getting Sadie to eat and eventually getting her to sleep.

Making a long story short, our sitter ended up having a pretty serious medical issue right before we needed to leave (thankfully she is on the road to being a-okay!), so I called my neighbor at work to explain what was going on. She got home as soon as she could, scooped up my kids and the bag that Jamie and I had thrown together, and assured me that she had everything under control. We had a 30 minute drive to the ball, so I used that time to text her all of the instructions for feeding, bedtime, etc. that I didn’t have to time to jot down at home.

A glass of wine at the ball settled my frazzled nerves a little bit, and we were able to enjoy our night with friends, food, and entertainment (the “grog” was very amusing to watch!). My neighbor texted me videos and pictures constantly assuring me that the kids were having a blast together and that she was handling the chaos well (she has two kids of her own).

I’m immensely grateful for her! She helped make the second half of Hadley’s birthday really special and fun.

My favorite part of military balls (and one of my favorite parts of the military in general) is getting to dress up! I teamed up with David’s Bridal in June to showcase their gorgeous new date night dresses, and during that process I was floored at their stunning selection of formal gowns. As soon as I heard that we would have a ball in November, I knew that I’d look on David’s Bridal website for my dress.

I fell hard for this dress when I first saw it back in June and actually talked in a previous post about how I had my eye on it for a future ball. I was so thrilled to finally get my hands on it in person last month and couldn’t wait to wear it aside my handsome soldier.

Everything about this dress is my favorite thing ever. It’s feminine from head to toe, and the intricate lace details were so much more beautiful in person. The sweetheart neckline, the capped sleeves, the v-cut back – it all just made me so happy!

Though I loved this dress from the first time I saw it in June, I still looked at several other options. I just couldn’t get this dress out of my head though. Before I ordered it I took all of my measurements and matched them up with their size recommendation chart, and the dress ended up fitting like a glove (except for a bit of length I had to get cut off because my shorty legs!)

Have you ever browsed David’s Bridal website for cocktail and formal dresses? Holy moly. They have quite the selection of designers, styles, and price ranges. You can shop in-store or online, though I’ve personally found that some David’s Bridal stores only carry a fraction of their gorgeous formal gowns in-store. Don’t let ordering online keep you from taking the plunge though! Just be sure to carefully take your measurements and match them with each dress’s size recommendation chart. It’s very helpful!

(Military) Discount time!

David’s Bridal is now offering a 10% off discount to all service members, their significant others, and their bridal parties (you’ll have some happy girlfriends!) This discount is on top of any of their existing discounts, and a valid military ID or DD214 is all that’s needed to receive this new deal!

Note: If your bridesmaids would like the discount, please make sure the person purchasing the dresses is the military ID holder.

Exclusions: David’s Bridal’s Military Discount is valid on in-store purchases at US stores only and is not transferrable to immediate or extended family members or friends. All purchases must be made by a military member, spouse or significant other who is able to present a valid Military ID or DD214 at checkout and may not be designated to a third party. Military Discount will be applied after all other valid discounts, coupons or special offers are applied. Military Discount cannot be used for alteration services, shipping services, or purchases of David’s Bridal gift cards. Military Discount is not valid for online purchases and is subject to change.

Big thanks to David’s Bridal for providing this dress in exchange for this post. My opinion of their beautiful dresses is 100% my own. They’ve made a loyal costumer out of me for my formalwear needs!