Most of the date functions or formals I’d heard of before this year were because I have friends who are in sororities. I have no experience when it comes to these things, and I didn’t even know clubs could throw their own date functions. But, JMU’s Her Campus chapter outreach team is awesome and paired up with PPGA (Planned Parenthood Generation Action) and JMU’s Spoon University chapter to have their own mini Galentine’s Day date function. Here are a few things I wish I knew before my first date function.
Here’s What You don’t need…
1. a date
I fully thought that everyone was bringing their partners or situationships, and I felt pressured to ask someone. When I got there, there were practically no couples in sight and it was Galentine’s Day galore. If you do bring someone, great! If you don’t, no one is going to care, and you’ll probably have more fun hanging out with your friends or other club members.
2. a brand new dress
I have to admit, I don’t wear dresses. Every time spring rolls around, I’ll go shopping, see a really cute dress, and think to myself, I’ll definitely wear this at some point. Wrong! I love pants and sometimes I’ll wear a skirt, but I never reach for a dress. So, don’t be afraid to pull an old dress out of your closet. It’s one date function for a single night, so you might as well wear a dress you never reach for.
Now, I didn’t follow that rule because all of my dresses are back at my parents’ house. The good news is that thrift stores exist. Think of all the girls who go to date functions and then put their dresses up for donation at local places around your city. I personally went to Plato’s Closet on the Sunday before the function, and there were a billion options to choose from. I got my dress for $11 and wore a pair of heels I already owned. It really can be that inexpensive! You just have to suffer through everything that you try on smelling like your grandma’s floral couch…
3. Heels
You probably already guessed it, but do not wear heels. Almost every single girl at the function had on a cute pair of Converse or adorable Doc Martens boots, plus a handful who wore tiny kitten heels. I made the mistake of wearing my 6-inch stomper heels (which I love since they make me super tall), and my feet are still aching a week later. You are going to be standing for a long time, and probably dancing too. There won’t be a lot of couch space, and you’ll feel like you’re dying to sit on the floor.
Whether your first date function’s coming up or you’re planning for next year, just remember to have fun! It is never that serious.