November 10 was the 239th birthday of the Marine Corps, and this year we celebrated it two Fridays in a row. The Marine Corps ball is kind of a big deal to Toby and I, since we were set up 10 years ago (eek!) to go to the 229th birthday ball together. Plus, it is always fun to dress up and go to a formal event. But it can be kind of a pain — for instance, when the ball is in the middle of the week and the cocktail hour starts less than an hour after I get off of work. And finding a formal gown (and accompanying accessories) every year can get expensive.

Marine wives have various methods for saving money on ball gowns: We re-wear dresses from years past, we borrow from friends, we scour clearance racks and outlet stores, and we use Rent the Runway like champs.

This year, I thought about wearing my dress from last year, or renting a dress for one ball and wearing an old dress for the other, but I ended up finding a dress I loved on sale at Bloomingdale’s. In fact, I loved it so much that I wore it to both balls!

I had planned to get my hair colored on the day of the first ball we were attending, but something big came up at work so I had rescheduled my appointment for the day before… and then something ELSE came up at work. So, no hair appointment for me. Instead, I put my hair in hot rollers for the first ball and made up a fishtail-y updo for the second.

I figured if I was wearing the same dress, I should at least change my hair and makeup.

The actual events were both very nice. The first was at the Sheraton near the San Diego airport, and the hotel was lovely — much nicer than what you’d expect from a hotel that close to the airport. There was a bit of confusion about how to get to the actual event, because it was in a giant tent outside (with dancing and photos in a small-ish ballroom, oddly), but we had a good time.

The second ball was on the USS Midway, which was really awesome. Cocktails were on the flight deck, and the ceremony and dinner were inside in the hangar deck. And the guest of honor was Jay Vargas, a retired Marine colonel who earned the Medal of Honor for some of his actions in Vietnam.

After the ball, we took a pedi-cab back to our hotel and dropped off some of our stuff, then hit up Karl Strauss brewery. Unfortunately, their kitchen had just closed (and the room service menu when we got back to the hotel was limited to cereal and cold sandwiches, which I hate), but we still had some beer.

Dress: Adrianna Papell (No longer available, but similar here and here) Shoes: Caparros (on sale), Clutch: Kate Spade, Earrings: Bauble Bar (similar, similar), Scarf: Purchased in Cambodia (hence the picture of Angkor Wat), Nails: Essie “Shearling Darling“