The Masquerade

On December 31, 2005, individuals and groups of characters began to arrive at the much-anticipated Masquerade that Kendra and I, along with a number of our family members and friends, had been planning and preparing for for months. The specified theme was “Fairy Tales and Love Stories” and everyone was instructed to come as any character from any fairy tale or love story. It was exciting to see the creativity in the costumes and masks as the guests walked through the doors! We ended up with between 90 and 100 participating guests and a number of others who stopped in throughout the evening to observe the proceedings first-hand. Although not everything went according to our plans, the evening included many fun and memorable moments:

A daytime view of the room where the Masquerade would be held later that night.

Prince Charming and his cowboy friend.

A pirate, several hunters and a hobbit await the grand opening of the Masquerade Hall.

A self-proclaimed "motorcyclist in love with the Lord."

Little Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood deliver their basket of goodies in the kitchen.

Professor Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle and their entourage.

The characters from "Love Comes Softly" go all out for the occasion and arrive, appropriately, in a horse-drawn carriage!

Most of the Seven Dwarves can be seen seated around this table, convincingly portraying their dwarvish personalities. Shakespeare can be seen in the background, giving instructions to the guests.

The wife of Pilate can be seen to the side while Cyrus and Prestyn pose for a picture (I can't remember their specific characters.)

Inigo Montoya and Westley engage in a lively duel.

Lady DeWinter, Queen Guenevere, a lady-in-waiting, and Clara pose for a group shot.


Queen Guenevere and King Arthur (attired in authentic chain mail, the shirt portion of which alone weighed forty pounds!)

There were many other amazingly creative costumes and characters represented, but I was unable to capture them with my camera. However, this is a pretty good sampling of the types of characters who attended the Masquerade. It was a fun endeavor and I am glad for all who participated and put in considerable effort so that such an event was possible.