<p>I would take the suggested dress codes found on the graduation info link on the parent page along with you when shopping as well as your best friend and cheerleader. Do any of your local department stores have a personal shopper program? If you can, shop during the day when the more experienced staff seems to be on the sales floor. This could be fun! </p>
<p>Enjoy the celebration and Congratulations KP10sMOM!!</p>
<p>For the Ball think “prom night” and you will probably get it right. As for graduation, the graduates will be in “choker whites.” You will most likely be having your photo taken with them so you will want your dress to match the formality of theirs.</p>
<p>KP13Mom, Thanks for the congratulations. I can not express how happy we are as the day approaches. For our kid like so many of the midshipmen this is the fulfillment of a dream he had since a very little boy. And how many of us truely live our dreams? </p>
<p>As far as shopping being fun, I am not a strongly feminine type when it comes to shopping, I just want to make sure what I buy works and leave it at that. </p>
<p>I must say there is this one bridal shop in the Wallingford section of Seattle and everytime we drive buy I say to myself, that is where I am going when my sons get married to look for my dress for the wedding. The dresses in the window are esquisite, but I shutter to think of what they cost. I have a way, despite being so casual and not liking to go shopping to beeline to the most expensive items. </p>
<p>KP Marineopsdad, Prom night to me means color to the gowns. Some formal events are very subdued in their color and I am wondering about this. I seriously have not been to anything requiring this sort of dress since my sister in law’s wedding nearly 22 years ago and my own wedding before that!!! Our lifestyle over the years has been quite casual to say the least. </p>
<p>I am thinking “mother of the bride” type of dresses. And that well it seems pretty matronly and makes me feel down right old. Oh S#$% I guess I am!!!</p>
<p>Thanks for the help and suggestions. </p>
<p>Anyone that has had pictures of previous formal events, I’d really appreciate seeing them.</p>
<p>If it’s that formal, wouldn’t your black&white Tux T-shirt fit in better than the flowery thing?
Don’t look at me, I’m still trying to match up my Grr-animals
[ Congrats on the Graduation thing… Still some exciting hills on the rollercoaster ride yet ]</p>
<p>The ringing of the bell will be a tremendous relief!!! I hear they have a cam on it so your son or daughter can call you up to watch!!! </p>
<p>If you are going to be in the flowery shirt, I suppose if I stick near you I won’t have to worry about what I am wearing. You will wear a black tie though?</p>
<p>Well, as you can see by my screen name, my s graduated in '06. I can hardly believe he’s been out of KP as long as he was there! I still lurk here so I’ll tell you what we wore, as I had a lot of family with me.</p>
<p>Cruise: very nice casual will work, I wore a nice dress, H wore sportscoat, but some people were not dressed as well. I wore a gown to the ball and H wore a tux, all other family wore gowns or coats and ties (H just happens to have a tux). If I did it over again, I’d wear a short cocktail dress and perhaps save money, there were women there dressed that way. We also attended the Sat. evening dinner before the ball so a gown was definitely appropriate there. Sunday baccalaureate is just church clothes.</p>
<p>As for graduation, ours was very hot, so I wore a very nice upscale silk casual pants set with capris, not long pants, that had a sleeveless top and nice flat sandals. My H wore a sportscoat but had to take it off it was so hot. I saw people there in just shirtsleeves and golf shirts too, so it was pretty much anything goes.</p>
<p>I hope that helps, it’s always better to tend to overdress than underdress. For anything else that weekend except what I mentioned nice casual was fine. Amazing how that 4-yr rollercoaster ride goes by so fast when sometimes you think it will never end! Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with you KPMom06, that’s pretty much what I did in 08, likely you answered my same question of what to wear then. And as far as the bell ringing, I still get chills when I think of it and haven’t missed one yet (since they have been on web cam in the past) Congratulations Class of 2010!</p>
You will wear a black tie though?</p>