Prom is a memorable night in any teen’s life, but Illinois teen Aubrey Headon decided to make her prom night even more special by honoring the families of Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Aubrey’s prom dress paid tribute to fallen Marines, and both the sentiment and the dress couldn’t have been more beautiful.
She found the perfect prom dress with a royal blue halter neckline, embellished top and flowing blue skirt. But Aubrey knew the dress wasn’t quite complete. So, she spent the next three weeks making it absolutely perfect.
She decided to honor fallen Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (known also as “Darkhorse”) by adding ribbons with their names on them to the skirt of the dress.
“She found the dress and it took three weeks to make ribbons and attach them,” Cass Headon, Aubrey’s mother, told WUSA9.
You can see how the dress turned out in this photo at home from Aubrey’s mom’s Facebook page:
Remembering fallen soldiers and giving to the veteran community is important to the high schooler, in part because of her grandfather’s service as a Marine. Aubrey’s compassion for servicemen and servicewomen only deepened when she met a mother who’d lost a Marine son.
“It all started when I met one of the Gold Star moms, Gretchen Catherwood,” Aubrey told Yahoo Lifestyle. “She started the Darkhorse Lodge to help combat veterans. I do a fundraiser every year to donate to the lodge.”
Aubrey’s fundraising and tributes have meant a lot to Catherwood over the years.
“Aubrey has been an important part of our lives for five years. She honors our son and his brothers every chance she gets,” Catherwood said. “She is a very special young lady.”
Aubrey’s efforts are so appreciated that she received an award from the American Legion Auxiliary for serving veteran communities, according to an update on her mom’s Facebook page:
Of course, she wore her prom dress to receive the award:
And part of the reason she works so hard to remember these servicemen is so that people can see what their sacrifice was for — so that life could go on, teens could attend prom and things would keep moving forward.
“I wanted to wear this tribute dress [to] my senior prom so the memories of the guys who fell in Afghanistan for our right to live how we do and do what we do every day is carried on,” the teen told Yahoo Lifestyle. “I don’t want them to fade into nothing.”
We must say, her hair and makeup also look gorgeous.
She ensured her prom would be a night to remember, indeed!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
