Greetings from the Ton
Err...I mean hello from Chicago.
Lady Whistledown said: "It doesn't matter where you are, as long as one has fun."
(She never said that)
If you're not a watcher of Bridgerton, please enjoy these pretty pictures I took at a very fun event.
But if you ARE a Bridgerton fan, you're in for a TREAT.
Let's start with my friend Mavis sending me a Tik Tok of a ball that was Bridgerton themed. I was SHOOK. She told me there was one coming to Chicago and I Googled it so fast.
I found this link: X
Then I saw that General Admission was $56 for a 90 minute show. UHHH NO THANKS.
Then we insert my friend Faiza in here. Faiza and I are good friends and she knew that I wanted to go to this ball so bad. SO SHE BOUGHT ME TICKETS AS A GIFT. Her and I were set to go to the Queen's Ball on May 11th, 2022.
I was stressing out about buying a dress and jewelry and long gloves. I talked myself out of buying an $80 dress on Amazon because I needed to use common sense: I will most likely never wear that dress again. I found a Nasty Gal dress in my closet and turned it into an afternoon tea time dress, fit for Miss Bridgerton. I did buy long white gloves on Amazon and a white ribbon and it really added to the dress. I already had a string of tacky pearls and I shortened it into a necklace.
So very 1813
Faiza picked me up at 7 pm as the Bridgerton Ball started at 9 pm. The parking was SUPER close to the building. If you pay for Valet parking and you're capable of walking 1 minute to and from the building, you're wasting $25.
They also only take card for parking unless you have exactly $15 (or $25 for Valet). It's very card based inside too. I wouldn't bring cash unless you want to leave a cash tip for the bartenders.
Faiza and I took some pre-pictures in the parking lot as we were about 45 minutes early. The email they send you says they'll let you in 30 minutes early. THEY LIE. They let you in 15 minutes early.
We waited as one of the first people there and we got to see the queen's guests all come line up AKA our fellow Ball go-ers. Some wore plain dresses from Target, some wore prom dresses. I was afraid my dress was too plain, but I felt really good in it. It doesn't matter what you wear to this; you're there to have fun.
We were let inside and you see this little board first:
You scan your ticket OR they can look up your name if you have a hard time finding your ticket on your phone.
The first thing you see is a coat check (it was 90 in Chicago that day...) then you see a hall full of hanging twinkling lights. Me and Faiza took a quick selfie.
In that hall are 2 merch stands and a picture taking spot. I HIGHLY suggest not buying merch in the main room and to wait until you leave to do so. The stands in the hall will be there when you go and you won't have to hold merch the whole time.
The hall you wait in to go into the main area (the twinkling lights hall) had our first photo op of the night.
You will have a ton of photo opportunities, so prepare those poses and smiles! Save your mega watt for the Queen, though ;) You'll have to bow a lot and I was told your right foot goes in front of your left foot. That could be 100% incorrect, but I did it all night.
We finally got let into the main room through a tunnel of purple Wisteria flowers, hanging from the ceiling. I got a quick video of it, but not a great one because they usher you fast inside the main room.
When you enter, you get a Lady Whistledown paper.
BIG HINT: If you want something to do, there is a game with clues on the back of Society Papers. It's circled in black!
From there, you can take so many pictures before the queen arrives.
The picture at the beginning of this post was so much fun. You sit on a stool, take your picture, you get led to a touchscreen easel, sign your name and then a QR Code pops up for you to download it to your phone.
I'm a little bitter that I forgot to take my glasses off for it, but oh well!
Then you can sit on the Queen's throne (Faiza has that picture somewhere...), go take a picture in the "rain" AKA hanging crystals, and take some selfies in the cute mirrors.
There's also 2 bars in the big room. The alcoholic drinks? $16!!! And more if you give a tip!!! They definitely don't stiff you with the alcohol in it (I got a Birds of a Featherington with gin) but save your money.It's a small glass (it does look big in the picture below. It's just the angle.) A sprite costs $6. A glass bottle of water also costs $6 and that bottle is BIG. The water is worth the 6 bucks,
There's also a merch stand IN the room, but like I said, save it for the hallway when you leave.
They also have costumes from the cast. I love a good Penelope. She's a plus size icon AND a writer. No one knew if these were actually used in the show, but it was still neat!
Then you hear music. Violins are playing Ariana Grande. The cast members in white wigs line up at the red curtains. Then....
OUT COMES THE QUEEN!!
She walks the red carpet up to her seated throne. It's so much fun to see the elegance they made this woman have. People will start getting picked by ladies in wigs and men in top hats to go bow to the queen. The announcer is backstage and sees everyone bow to the queen and makes cute remarks like "what a wonderful bow" and "the perfect hand twirl."
Then I went up unescorted, by myself. I was smiling so wide. I bowed, waited for the announcer remark, and...
IT WAS DEAD SILENT. I GOT CRICKETS.
I laughed about it but younger Megan would have been so hurt. I went up a second time with a girl I met there and all be it, I was the only person the announcer STILL didn't say anything about!! (LOL)
Then, when the queen left, we went into the next room (which I didn't know they had!). THE BALLROOM!
We all gathered at the side of a checkered dance floor and watched a really fun dance performance. One girl was dressed (and looked like!) Daphne from Season 1 and another guy looked like The Duke.
But you'll never guess who Daphne asked to dance before she danced with the Duke.
ME
That's right, the announcer can laugh at THAT! Maria (the Daphne lookalike) took my gloved hand an pulled me on the dance floor. I acted very un-1800s. I followed her waltz very badly and we talked a bit. I told her I was so nervous and then when she goes "should I dance with that man over there?" meaning her co-character, The Duke, I literally said to her "yes! I dare you."
Girl.... WHAT
Girl.... WHAT
She was trying to stay in character but I heard her chuckle. Then the performers did a beautiful and intimate dance. It was so cute to watch.
Then it was our turn to dance! I did NOT keep up as it is super fast but I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Even the people next to us were having a blast. Then, once again, I got pulled up on the stage and the middle to dance with a performer! I shook my shoulders and dropped it as low as I could. It was awesome. I was so out of my comfort zone, but that was a good thing!
The Queen came out, picked her Diamond of the Ball (a drag queen who looked SPECTACULAR) and then it was done. All of a sudden, Single Ladies by Beyonce started playing and all the guests started shaking their booty's on the dance floor! They played some more recent songs to dance to, but Faiza and I were too hot and decided to leave.
We bought our merch on the way out (I bought a tumbler and a tote bag). Merch is obviously expensive, so keep that in mind, too.
After leaving, I put my hair up and we found a cute Boba place to get a late night snack on our drive home.
That was it. The end.
Was it worth the $56?
YES. 100 times over, YES.
I do have to say, save your money: don't buy VIP. The "seating area" isn't even used because we're all dancing. All the real difference is the glass of champagne you get.
It's also SUPER hot in there, so wear setting spray on top of your makeup! We didn't even have that big of a crowd, but I was dripping sweat because the lack of AC.
During this Queen's Ball, I was smiling the whole 90 minutes. I had a blast and it was so worth the experience.
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND HAVE A 'BALL'!