Fit For A Princess

Imagine that picture-perfect moment when your confidence is sky-high and your adrenaline is rushing -- all because you said Yes to the Dress that makes you feel like a princess. It's a truly priceless experience, however, the sad reality is that not everyone gets that prom-perfect experience due to conflicting circumstances such as finances or other factors.

Fortunately, for the Lakeland community, an organization called Fit for a Princess was created to ensure that every girl gets the opportunity to attend Prom AND feel like a princess in the process.

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This past Saturday -- February 22nd -- the second annual Fit for a Princess dress giveaway was quite the success. A whopping 27 high-school ladies attended the event and received the prom dress of their dreams from a selection of over 300 dresses donated through Southeastern University and Florida Southern.

[blockquote]Approximately 32 people volunteered during the event and countless others helped before and after.[/blockquote]

Students who benefitted from this event attended schools ranging from Kathleen High School, Lakeland Senior High, George Jenkins, Lake Gibson, and even Winter Haven High School.

[blockquote]Everyone was really positive about the whole experience. Mothers crying, saying this event meant so much their daughters was pretty amazing. The reactions on everyone's faces said what words couldn't. -says Founder and President Rachel Kelly [/blockquote]

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Basically, the event started by being greeted at the entrance. Each princess would walk down the red carpet where they checked-in.

After check in, each princess awaited their personal Stylist in the lounge. While waiting, the princesses had the opportunity to enter into a raffle and enjoy refreshments.

When the Stylist called the name of their princess, the dress hunt could truly begin! Each princess and one guest was taken to the collection of dresses to search the racks. A princess could bring 3 dresses back into the dressing room area and the hunt would continue until they found the perfect dress.

Once the dress was chosen, the princess was ready for her big reveal on stage in the lounge. Once escorted onto the stage, Miss Florida Teen 2014 Natalie Fiallo presented each girl with a gift and a "Prom Princess" sash. After her grand announcement, a follow-up photo was taken at the Photo Booth.

Once all of this was complete and the princess changed out of her dress, she was ready for "check out" where her dress was bagged and she was provided with a Swag Bag full of prom necessities like makeup, perfume, a tooth brush and more.

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[blockquote]You can plan for the event up to the smallest details, but you can never be sure how the girls that attend will respond. While the set up was what I expected, the reaction from the princesses was indescribable. Every girl left with the biggest smile on her face, and I could not have asked for anything more. -says Founder and President Rachel Kelly[/blockquote]