Before coming to Vienna, Balls were something that only existed in fairytales and movies set in renaissance times. I never imagined that I would ever find myself attending one unless I made it the theme for one of my theme parties that I love to throw. However, much to my overwhelming glee and excitement, balls are a huge part of the culture in Vienna. I should have thought of this being that the city has a ballroom dance named after it. The ball season here in Vienna lasts almost the whole year. There are big ones involving celebrities and the local T.V. stations will cover every moment and then there are small ones were socialites perfect their Viennese Waltz. All of them include live music, ballroom dancing, perfect etiquette and elaborate formal gowns.
My excitement and mental to-do list starting growing at the same jackrabbit speed when I found out that my wonderful boyfriend was going to take me to one of these famous galas. I instantly signed us up for ballroom dancing lessons to prevent us from embarrassment. I am almost certain the instructor was a direct descendant of one of the Von Trapp children. He was able to give us a crash course in ballroom dancing and etiquette.
With a little fancy footwork under my belt, it was then time to set out to find a dress. If I were in the US I wouldn’t really know were to start looking. However, here in Vienna, almost every clothing store carries formal gowns. Several of the shopping promenades are lined with display windows showing of the most formal attire each store has to offer. I found a wonderful dress that made me feel like a princes. Shoes were another story. I wanted something unique and elegant, that matched my dress perfectly, was close toed because of the chilly weather and have good ankle support for dancing. This tall order was not easy to fill and I am now very familiar with almost every shoe store in Vienna, but I did find some great shoes and a clutch to match.
The night of the ball had come. My boyfriend and I were dressed to the nines. I stepped out of the cab in front of Horburg Palace. It is the most famous venue for balls in Vienna. The architecture is breathtaking and the décor puts you back in time. One room was set up with sponsors selling every kind of extravagant luxury item you would have never believed existed, among them, the worlds most expensive advent calendar. It hade 25 glass tubes, each containing a different diamond. The night was filled with great food, endless Austrian wine and non-stop performances from ballerinas, opera singers, and musicians. Everything was as if it were written in a fairy tail. My favorite part of the evening was the group dance. Nearly every guest participated and it was a simple dance taught by the host in which every cycle you change partners. The dance gets faster and faster and some partners are perfecting in their timing and steps, others just laugh and spin you around, but everyone had fun.
There have only been a few events in my life that I knew while it was happening that I would remember it for the rest of my life, and this was one of those times.
The dining room at Hofburg Palace
lifeboundamericangirl 