Masquerade Wedding Ball

To whom ever may be able to help...
I am getting married October 30th, 2010. We want to have the reception be a very formal & modern masquerade ball. I have been going over the idea for about 3 years (when he proposed to me). We didn`t get a very enthusiastic response from family and friends and kind of discarded the idea, but we finally decided on a wedding date and it just seems to go hand in hand. So here we are once again, my father would rather it be traditional, so this is where it gets harry. We want it to be a masked ball, but modern. No costumes, dress would be more like black tie to ballroom style dress...but with masks...NOT Mardigra. When we`ve told people (again) of our plan we`re getting the same response and finally someone said, " I think people just don`t know what you mean." How would I address the dress code to my guests? And for the menu? Should we go Italian since that`s where masquerades began? Or just any really formal food (I`m thinking it should be elegant since the dress code is so formal). So many questions, I could go on and on. PLEASE HELP ME!