FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Some Fort St. John seniors got pampered on November 23rd as part of a “Glamorous Grandma” event.
Danielle Ballantyne of Dani B. Photography hosted the event and is looking at bringing it back annually.
Ballantyne, Satomi Edel, and Catherine Dragojevich put together the event to give senior ladies a day to dress up, get their hair and makeup done, as well as have their photos taken at the Seniors Hall.
The trio put the event together in three weeks with the help of a few local businesses.
The day included food and beverages, a makeup artist, hair stylists, live music, jewellery, a rose for each senior and hourly door prizes, all located in the Christmas-decorated Senior’s Hall.
Ballantyne said the event came from a personal experience, beginning with the sudden loss of her father in 2021.
“After 51 years of marriage, seeing [my mother] just trying to find herself in a different world, where she fits,” Ballantyne said.
“My eyes were really open to how seniors are looked at and treated by people around.”
She said she felt there was a need for the senior women to know that “despite their age, they are beautiful.”
Ballantyne wanted to plan an event where they could “put on their best clothes and look and feel beautiful and come and just be pampered for a day.”
Next year, she’s hoping to acquire a TV to have “Hallmark Christmas movies” playing in the background.
By the end of the day, 18 individuals and businesses assisted in bringing the event to life, with six local businesses donating door prizes.
