As members of sororities and fraternities, we are fortunate enough to benefit in multiple ways through simply being affiliated with our respective organizations. Though the social aspect of Greek life is not always the number one benefit of being a member of an organization, I like to look at it as an added bonus, in addition to our organization's philanthropic work and chapter unity.

Functions have been one of my favorite parts of being a member of Greek life, especially when they encourage members to think outside the box in terms of a theme. This past weekend, my sorority hosted a $5 Prom function where we all wore tacky '80s prom dresses and had a fun night at Jillian’s in our out of the ordinary attire. We generally only have one themed function throughout the year, but it is nice to have a something that is a little different than our usual cocktail or Oyster Roast.

The $5 Prom theme had me thinking about different possible themes that could be fun for our Greek organizations when it comes to planning functions. Other sororities around campus have also recently had some fun function themes, so I decided to compile a list to help out social chairs for future functions.

'80s Prom, $5 Prom.

Just as my sorority has done, this theme is pretty classic when it comes to themed functions. Poofy sleeves, big, crimped hair, bright makeup, Converse and lots of sparkle were just a few commonly seen things on the dance floor of this makeshift prom. It is also a decently easy theme for boys to join in on, as well, as tacky blazers and bright colored pants are typically an easy find at the multiple Goodwills around the area.

#TBT

Throwback Thursday themed functions are broad and allow for a lot of creativity when it comes to costumes. It could be anything from a tangible object -- think beanie baby -- to a flapper back in the roaring twenties. This theme could go as far to incorporate different decades, or even have dates dress up as your favorite characters from a '90s TV show. The possibilities are endless with this theme, and it is fun to see what everyone comes up with.

Throw Down for Your Hometown

There is something unique about every place that members of an organization are from. Whether it is a popular sports team, or maybe a food that the state is famous for, this theme is all about representing your hometown to the best of your ability. Not to mention, you might find out a lot about members of your organization --who knew someone traveled all the way from the west coast and is representing California in a sea of Carolinians? Throw down for your hometown gives members a sense of hometown pride.

Dynamic Duos

This theme could be taken in a multiple number of ways. Whether it is a famous celebrity pair, like Brad and Angelina, or maybe something a little more out of the ordinary, such as night and day. Dates can get creative with this theme as the broad themes always leave plenty of room for creativity.

Rhyming Pairs

I have never heard of an organization choosing this theme at South Carolina, but I have friends from other schools who have had a lot of fun with it. Again, creativity brews when it comes to rhyming and it is fun to come up with something funny or classic. Again, this theme could be anything from two people’s rhyming names, to objects and everything in between.

When it comes to sorority functions, I am definitely a big fan of the semi-formal and cocktail attires, but for one function a year, it is fun to change it up and do something a little different. Depending on the organization you belong to, some may have more themed functions than others, so for those social chairs who are looking for some new themed function ideas, hopefully, some of these will spark your creative juices.