Frazy-Bear: One Grand Graduation Ball

Once upon a time, I had a lovely mother, with a taste for the romantic, and fantastic. She was completely loving and kind, and when she was forced to miss both my graduation from BYU, and Sarah's graduation from High school, she decided to throw a silly ball in the back yard to celebrate instead!

A very worthwhile trade-off, in my opinion.

She set about nearly two months in advance, buying any dress from DI that looked remotely suitable, including wedding dresses and deep purple victorian gowns. She also called our musician friends and set up various decorations left over from the weddings thrown a few summers back--believe me those supplies were plentiful, having had three siblings married two summers back. They also found a gigantic box of actually nice looking jewelry at a garage sale for $8. EIGHT DOLLARS. All of the girl's jewels you see were pulled from that one box. (Also I think I may have found a real diamond in the box, but aside from the certificate of authenticity found with it, I have yet to confirm that)

Anyway I was minimally involved in the planning, but my mamma and her sister did 98% of the work. Her party planning is truly on point.

With pictures from an old medieval calendar, she sent out the invitations to our cousins that lived nearby, and they began fitting into and claiming gowns. This is where the first miracle occurred. Each dress FIT SOMEONE. There were maybe two dresses left over, but everyone at the party was able to simply arrive, pick a dress and dance comfortably in it. I seriously have no idea how this happened.

But wait a minute you say--you selfish girl, you are wearing the Cinderella dress!

Yes, that's right, I was just enough involved in the planning process that I said, "I want to wear the Cinderella dress. Imma find it." So I searched the internet until I found a Cosrea shop on etsy, where I was able to buy the dress for $50 cheap. Totally worth it, especially since I am now considering using it as my wedding dress.

Only half kidding.

Anyway, she ended up hiring the Willey string quartet, FINEST quartet you could hire in all of Utah, inviting some gentlemen from the BYU Ballroom team to dance with, and POOF! A Ball! It was totally 100% magical.

I have included a barrage of pictures below--courtesy of Skipstone Photography--you can basically re-live the whole night with us!

Please enjoy, The Twelve Dancing Princesses Ball

Sarah, Kelly and Jessica, the last three unmarried girls in the Frazier house

We called it a coming out party, in honor of our deep love of old BBC movies, so these three were the honored girls of the evening.. Also I had to pin up my dress because I kept stepping on it while I was dancing.

The princesses and the visiting gentlemen from the Ballroom team

The Willey String Quartet plus Kevin Swan--they played two hours of Viennese waltzes and it was AMAZING. If there was any doubt that I was going to hire them for my wedding, it is now gone.

My babe sister Sarah! Stylish, blonde, elegant, sweet tempered, and an extremely talented singer! This girl is perfection, I live in fear of the day some modeling agency tries to snatch her up and I have to beat them away.

Cousin Greta--another total babe! She was one of two girls that fit that tiiiny dress--That Swedish ancestry is really doing great things for this family. She is also a talented musician, majoring in Violin performance at BYU-I!

Me and one of the fabulous dancers! They made the dance totally legit

My best friend and her husband really classing it up. Is that a pocket watch Christopher?! Heck to the yes.

Kara was the darling among the visiting Gentlemen. She is also on the Ballroom team with them, and was actually the one to find and invite them! And it was no wonder they loved her so, that pink dress with her rich dark hair was STUNNING.

A waltz in the warm summer night air

Sarah was also a hit with the gentlemen! Look at that lovely swish!

Haha, I guess she saw the camera

Aww, dancing cousins William and Greta:)

Milling about:)

David and Miriam showing their skillz!

Ryan and Bonnie? Toooooo cuuuuute

Kendall's only here for the food

Gentlemen are nice, but really, we were just as happy to run around in circles swishing our skirts

Sarah and Kelly stop for a spot of refreshment

Ah, Ingrid and Greta--such beauties!!

Princesses Kara, Greta and Jessica

All twelve dancing princesses (are there more than twelve? Ha, oops)

Aunt Helen jumps into the picture

Ingrid has perfected the fine art of skirt twirling

Kara and Greta stealing the show!

The cutest couple award goes to these newly weds! William told me his legitimate diet goal was not to weigh twice as much as his wife. Reportedly, it is very difficult for him.