Hundreds of Smiles and Styles at the 2012 Boutique Day
On April 14, 2012, Simmons College was transformed into a ballroom, as over 1,500 colorful dresses were displayed for the over 430 girls attending the Belle of the Ball Boutique Day.
The invitation-only event was a daylong parade of beautiful young ladies dressed in equally gorgeous dresses. The enthusiastic volunteers came from the Junior League of Boston, the Boston Bruins Ice Girls, and Boston University, as well as other colleges, companies and organizations.
Also on hand as personal shoppers were JAM’N-94.5 morning personality, Pebbles, FOX-TV25 reporter, Tyisha Fernandes and Natalie Pietrzak, Miss Massachusetts 2012. Along with choosing the perfect gown, the girls received makeup tips, over 100 raffle prizes, shoes, purses and hair tips on the hottest styles from Dellaria and Empire Beauty Schools. Volunteer seamstresses were also available to make alterations to ensure each girl fit perfectly into her dream dress.
The 2012 Belle of the Ball was an unbelievable experience for these girls and everyone involved in making their prom dreams come true.
Here are a few of the comments about the day:
From 2012 participants:
“I’ve never felt more special than I did today”
“The person who helped me find a dress, she was extremely helpful and made it easy to find a dress”
“The dresses were great, and my personal shoppers were AWESOME”
“trying on dresses and being treated like a princess”
“there were beautiful dresses and beautiful people”
“This made me feel like ‘the rest of the girls’ for the first time in my life.”
From volunteers
“This was an amazing event! I was thrilled to be helping young girls realize their dreams.” – Lisa Maland
“I loved volunteering to help all of the girls – my friend and I helped about 15 girls for the full day, and it was so much fun to see how happy they were!” – Kristin Hatcher
“I had the best day and was so happy to see all the smiles from the girls who had these beautiful prom dresses on.” – Christine Wright
From referral partners
“The feedback from the girls we referred to Belle of the Ball was amazing. They were completely outfitted from head to toe, and grateful is an understatement. One young lady in particular felt like she got the red carpet treatment as the volunteers pampered her and made her feel like royalty. As a result of Belle of the Ball, she is able to attend her prom, beautiful and worry free.” –Sharee Gittens of Family Services of Greater Boston
“I am so excited about the prom and the girls have been elated about their choices in dresses, just this morning I had two student that came to me raving about how beautiful their dresses were. I am so happy that Belle of the Ball provided the students at Burke High School the opportunity to have their prom dreams come true! Thank You it was an absolutely pleasurable experience for all.” –Deborah A. Doherty R.N School Nurse, Burke High School, Boston