Doesn’t it feel like every sorority or fraternity decides to hold their date parties within two days of one another?
Every time you see on the calendar that you have a date party coming up, you talk to your friends in first one, then two, then three, then seven other Greek organizations and discover that they ALL have date parties either the same night as your highly anticipated event or at least during the same weekend. Date party season is absolutely real and necessitates a few different requirements.
1. Make sure you have more than one black or date party acceptable dress. Seriously, scrambling to try to find a dress the day of the big event is so stressful (especially for a planner like me) and is just an added detail that is so unnecessary. Also, there is the chance that your date party is not the only you will be attending during this short time frame, so have some ideas in mind just in case some spur of the moment plans are made.
2. Make sure you have one or more acceptable date to take to said date party. Whether that date is a girlfriend, boyfriend, prior roommate, or just a reliable set up, make sure you have someone in mind to take, because scrambling to find that perfect (or even mildly acceptable) date on the day of is even worse than scrambling to find a dress.
3. Make sure said acceptable date does not have a date party or prior date party invitation on the same night as you require their presence. During this busy time of semi formaling and formaling, it is likely that people will be double booked so make sure to make your reservations early. Date parties have a bad reputation for being stressful and more trouble than they are worth. People complain about having to find dates, complain about making plans, complain about buying clothes and beverages and other necessary items. It’s true, a good date party does take a little organization. That being said, looking back I can say that I have never had a truly “bad” date party experience. No matter who I took or what I wore, I always seem to have a good time, or at least a good story, and all my friends do too. Rarely do people come out of date parties with only negative events to report.
Ultimately, date parties are a great opportunity to do whatever you want. Use it as an excuse to get dressed up or get set up with a hot soccer player or reconnect with your roommate from last year while you giggle at everyone else’s drunken dance moves and maybe contribute a few of your own. At the end of the day, every crisis becomes a story and every stressful date search just leaves you with more resources to use next semester when you are (shockingly) lacking a date, dress, or the perfect pair of colorful heels.
