Stepping out of the mundane world and into the ethereal glow of the Fae Ball this past weekend was nothing short of breathtaking. There is something profoundly magical about being in a room filled with people who have fully embraced their inner magic—wings shimmering under the lights, elegant horns adorned with jewels, and fabrics that looked spun from moonlight itself.
But for me, the true heart of any fantasy ball isn’t just the music or the dancing; it’s the sense of community. And nothing embodies that community spirit quite like the Trinket Trade.
If you aren’t familiar with the tradition, the trinket trade is exactly what it sounds like: guests bring small, often handmade treasures to exchange with one another throughout the night. It’s an incredible way to break the ice, make new friends, and leave with a pocketful of physical memories.
This year, J truly outdid himself. He spent hours carefully crafting a set of stunning, intricate hairpins specifically for the ball. Each one was a beautifully hand-carved masterpiece of wood and whimsy, looking as though it had been shaped straight from the branches of an enchanted forest. We only brought four of these special pieces across the veil into the fae realm with us, meaning we had to find exactly the right fae folk to bestow them upon.
For our own part, we decided on a loose Hades and Persephone theme for the evening. I wore a flowing, light purple gown with delicate lace details, while J’s look was a fantastic nod to the character Mollymauk Tealeaf, complete with his iconic ram horns.
I made sure to bring my camera to capture the exact moment these handmade treasures found their new owners. Here are the four beautiful souls we traded with:
1. The Ethereal Elf
Our very first trade of the night! This magical moment actually started when she approached us first, kindly offering us a fantastic D20 dice as a trinket. Looking absolutely radiant in a delicate white lace gown with a beautifully intricate silver circlet resting on her brow and pointed elfin ears, she looked like she had just stepped out of a high fantasy novel. To match her incredible offering, J picked out the absolute fanciest hairpin he had made—a stunning carved wooden piece featuring an elven knotwork motif. It matched her graceful aesthetic so perfectly it was almost serendipitous.
2. The Name-Stealing Witch
As the night went on, we made our second trade. Though they had the rustic appearance of a forest dweller—complete with iridescent wings, a lovely leather horn headpiece, and a woven basket overflowing with greenery—they were actually a name-stealing witch! They were accompanied by a lovely companion, and we made sure to guard our true names carefully during the trade. Even with a pair of fangs and a penchant for thievery, their smile was incredibly warm.
3. The Twilight Courtier
For our third trade, we crossed paths with this incredibly elegant guest. They looked like royalty from a twilight court, wearing a striking purple corset draped in delicate gold shoulder chains. Topped off with a gorgeous purple floral crown and pointed elven ears, handing over the next handmade hairpin to them felt like a formal exchange between fairy realms.
4. The Scholarly Mage
Our final hairpin of the night went to a fascinating guest who called out to J as a kindred spirit! It was an instant connection—they immediately bonded over their shared choice of headwear. This guest wore magnificent, curling blue ram horns adorned with tiny dangling trinkets, while J was sporting his own set of ram horns as a nod to one of his favorite characters, Mollymauk Tealeaf. Dressed in a sweeping black cloak with a glowing potion bottle resting at their waist, this mage’s energy was both magical and mysterious. Giving away the last of J’s wooden creations to a fellow horned wanderer was bittersweet, but seeing the joy on their face made it entirely worth it.
While the aesthetics were pure fantasy, the music brought its own unexpected nostalgia. There wasn’t actually much slow dancing music; instead, the upbeat tracks reminded me so much of the high school dances we went to when J and I first started dating. Jumping around to those songs in our elaborate costumes brought back such wonderful memories and gave the night a really fun, carefree energy!
Of course, jumping around like teenagers eventually reminded us that we aren’t actually as young as we used to be. Arthritis soon firmly put us in our place! We had to sneak off for a quiet, moonlit cool-down to rest our weary joints before heading back inside for another round of dancing. And let me tell you, while the magic might have carried us through Saturday night, it took a hearty dose of Platinum Robaxacet on Sunday morning just to get us moving enough to tackle the farm chores!
By the time the final song played and we had to cross back over the threshold into the regular world, our hearts (and our trinket pouches) were incredibly full. A massive thank you to everyone who traded with us, danced with us, and made the night so unforgettable.
I’m already counting down the days until the next ball. Until then, keep an eye out for the magic in the everyday—and if you see someone wearing a beautifully carved wooden hairpin, you just might be looking at a creature of the Fae. ✨