By Tori Couch
Photos courtesy of Grapevine-Colleyville-Southlake Moms League
A queen’s sassy greeting and a night full of sophistication and splendor await guests of “The Queen’s Ball,” the Grapevine-Colleyville-Southlake Moms League’s annual charity gala. This year’s gala will benefit Stepping Stones Foundation, a Keller-based nonprofit that helps North Texas youth in crisis with housing, food, clothing, medical care and jobs.
Inspired by the television show “Bridgerton,” the gala will bring the beauty of early 1800s Britain to life April 5 at The Bowden Event Center in Keller. It features dancers, the dance band Trey & the Tritones, a fencing duel, a raffle, live and silent auctions and a plated dinner. Local author and leadership consultant Tamika Taylor will serve as the emcee.
The Moms League’s past work with Stepping Stones and its founder Christina Bynum-Breaux left a lasting mark.
“She always says she’s not with them as a Band-Aid, she’s with them for life,” gala co-chair Meg Garman says. “So, I think that just kind of pulls on all of our heartstrings.”
Every winter, the Moms League votes on a Tarrant County-based charity to partner with for the upcoming year’s gala. The charity usually assists women and/or children. Last year’s gala raised more than $75,000 for Christ’s Haven for Children.
Garman and Katie Cassell are this year’s co-chairs. Garman spoke with 76092 about the event. Tickets are on sale through March 23 on the Moms League website.
76092: How has the Moms League worked with Stepping Stones in the past?
Garman: Among one of the arms of stepping stones, there’s a resale shop in Keller called Stepping Stones Thrift Boutique. Some of us shop there, of course, but then people will volunteer there because it’s run by volunteers. And so, not only is it a place where you and I can go and buy really cute branded clothing, but also all of [the charity’s] kids shop there for free so they can get clothes. There’s a pantry and all kinds of houseware. I have a beautiful vintage mirror hanging in my bathroom from the antique shop there. The girls get to take some time out of their day and volunteer there and meet some of these kids and see everything in action.
76092: Why did you pick Taylor as the emcee?
Garman: She’s very involved in our community and she is constantly volunteering and helping nonprofits get off the ground. She’s been a huge help to the league. But then once we picked Bridgerton for the theme, if you’ve ever watched it, the queen is really funny and sassy and she’s a big comedic piece of the show. And I knew that Tamika would fill that role perfectly. As people come in, they’re going to be introduced to her and she’s going to be politely critiquing their outfit.
76092: You mentioned fencing will be part of the entertainment. What will that look like?
Garman: There’s this wonderful company that has performers and she’ll make anything you want come to life. We had it in our head, because in the show there’s a pistol duel, but we were like, well, we’re not going to do that. But fencing was popular at the time, so we decided what could be more fun than having a little fencing duel. People choose a side as a raffle ticket item to vote for who they think will win.
76092: So the fencing is tied to the raffle?
Garman: Basically if you buy a raffle ticket, there’ll be two different teams. The winning team will draw a winner and they’ll get a raffle prize.
76092: Why the Bridgerton theme?
Garman: It’s in the cultural zeitgeist, but it’s got lots of little tie-ins. It’s fun to be cheeky with some of the marketing about spilling the tea and “dear gentle reader” from the Lady Whistledown character that narrates the show. So, it just felt like there were some kind of easy things to pull from to create a fun theme. But on top of that, Bridgerton is just beautiful. There’s beautiful music. They cover pop songs with string quartets. It’s always these gorgeous lavish balls. So, it just kind of seemed like a theme that had a lot to go off of.
76092: Are the decorations and other items used at the ball donated?
Garman: We have a storage unit where we have kept supplies for years and try to reuse as much as possible. We try to get as many things donated as possible. Then, we’re very handy and create a lot. Like for this one, we’re going to have a faux carriage photo booth that one of the husbands is building in his workshop and we’ll be painting it and adding fabric. And then, like last year, one of the women’s husbands was a welder and so he made a champagne skirt. That was a sponsorship opportunity, and we’re using it again. So, we try to absolutely minimize the overhead and do what we can to have the money go to the charity and not toward the party.