Short Girl Problems: My Size 14 Tulle Dress at the Hilton Hawaiian Village

So we went to the Marine Corps Ball.The whole trip just blended together.

Hilton Hawaiian Village. Big hotel. Very fancy.

He wore his dress blues. He looks good in them. I look at him the whole night. I don't try to hide it.

We took pictures by the flags. American flag on one side, Marine Corps flag on the other. Everyone takes the same photo. Some wives had long trains on their dresses. A couple of them tripped going up to the front. I felt bad but I also laughed a little. Not out loud. Just inside.

There was a painting in the hallway. Water lilies maybe. I made him stop and take photos of me there. Probably took ten or fifteen minutes. He waited without complaining. I appreciated that.

The dress. I looked for weeks. I'm 5'0" and 158 pounds. That combination makes formal dress shopping hard. Most things are either too long or fit wrong in the wrong places. I found this one online. Size 14. Black tulle. V-neck.

The sleeves are these mesh cape things. They go over my arms. I didn't buy it for that reason but I realized later it covered my forearm tattoo. That worked out. I don't always want it showing in photos.

The sparkle dress has sequins and leaf-shaped embroidery. When light hit it, you could see them. Not too flashy. The waist hit where it was supposed to. The skirt was loose enough that I didn't feel squeezed. I could eat dinner. That's important.

I wore heels. Four inches maybe. I've had them for years. The hem still touched the ground. All night I kept stepping on it. During the slow songs I stepped on it a few times. My husband asked if I was okay. I said yes. I almost tripped once but caught myself.

Women came up to me during the night. Wives I think, some girlfriends, a few older women. They asked about the dress. I told them where I got it. They said nice things. I was glad.

The best part though. Watching him with his unit. He's himself around them. I don't see that side of him at home the same way. I liked seeing that.

I look at the photos on my phone. The hallway ones didn't come out great. Bad lighting. The flag ones are better. I'll print them eventually. I say that every year. I have a frame somewhere but I don't remember the size.

If you're short and want a dress like this, just know it'll drag. Even with heels. Get it hemmed.