Wedding Dress? Tuxedo? Sure. Marriage? Optional -- It's the Eternity Ball

Dress as fancy as you want, and don't worry about upstaging anyone.

​Formalwear is life's cruel joke. Men usually rent tuxedos rather than owning them, and it's almost always for weddings -- where the fellas are under someone else's aesthetic direction and end up looking like a member of a high-school choir circa 1983. Women, meanwhile, spend small fortunes on wedding dresses that transform them into the most stunning creatures on the planet, but they wear the garments only once, stashing them in the attic or eventually giving them to thrift stores.

Tonight is your chance to celebrate Valentine's Day like it was your own wedding -- whether you're married or not -- at the The Eternity Ball. You won't have to match a color scheme worthy of a Reno Wal-Mart, and you'll be helping the Greater Bay Area Make-a-Wish Foundation.

_G2 / Flickr

Was this you? You get a second chance to do it right.

​Wear the tux that makes you look like a million bux. Resurrect your own wedding dress, or go to a thrift store and rescue one from being used in a Halloween costume. Anyone can be a bride, groom, or member of the wedding party while supporting a good cause: The Make-a-Wish Foundation helps grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Organizers created the ball to be like a giant wedding reception. The emcee is comedian Jeff Applebaum, whose scrappy New York City attitude is balanced by a genuine sentimentality appropriate for V-Day. Other entertainers include DJ "Freestyle" Franco, Apple Z, and Left of Centre. Couples who want to either get married or renew their vows in a private chapel at the event can pay a bit more to do so. The official dress code is black tie, and wedding and bridesmaid dresses are strongly encouraged. The ticket price includes cocktails from a hosted bar, wine, dinner, dessert, dancing, a certificate for free jewelry for women, and a tuxedo rental for men.

Samantha Jade Royds / Flickr

Don't tell that wedding dress "You only live once." Bring it back out.

​The Eternity Ball starts at 6:30 p.m. at Fort Mason, Festival Pavilion (Marina at Buchanan), S.F. Admission is $100-$500.