Ask any sorority sister and she'll say: you can't put a price on good times, great memories and spring formals. For the next few Fridays, tanning beds will have customers filling up their entire waiting room. Nail salons will find themselves having up to one-hour waits with every pedicure chair and nail station full. "It's the memories we make, not the money that we've spent," said Jenny Zuniga, Kappa Kappa Gamma member and senior in Spanish. Jenna Roth, junior in communication disorders and social chair of Kappa Kappa Gamma, planned to hold the sororities' Sapphire Ball, a biennial event, in Montgomery at the Capital City Club. "With it only being 45 minutes away without a time change, we are able to leave at a later time which will allow more time to get prepared after class ends," Roth said.
Zeta Tau Alpha's social chair Taylor Dean arranged to have their White Violet formal, also biennial, in Montgomery's Renaissance Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. "Freshmen, sophomores and juniors wear white," Dean said. "Then the seniors wear turquoise." Most sororities seem to take the safe approach by traveling to the familiar Montgomery, but some venture out of state to find their venue. Delta Gamma's president Annie Foster, junior in political science, said this year they are traveling to LaGrange's Rivermill Event Centre for their formal.
Jennifer Burak, social chair of Sigma Kappa, said she decided that Atlanta's 755 Club at Turner Field would be a memorable location, although pricey. "I wanted to do something awesome and different, even if it meant giving up a couple socials," Burak said.
Not only will her members be able to experience the stadium's elite club, but the empty, well-lit ballpark will also provide perfect picture opportunities. By traveling to Atlanta, many sisters may not have time to take pictures beforehand. Roth said pictures always become a priority with her members, rather than leaving on time to enjoy the location longer. After finding the venue, the biggest concern for social chairs is budgeting.
Sigma Kappa's unique formal is costing more than $21,000, but is budgeted through dues and can also be paid by inactives who want to go. "(The cost) is a couple thousand over what we usually spend on a spring formal, but it will be worth it," Burak said.
In comparison, Kappa Kappa Gamma's formal is going to cost close to $17,500. But even though Sigma Kappa's price is higher, the food was not included with the venue. The cost was also included in dues and inactives participating. No matter where a sorority decides to travel, in accordance with most bylaws given by headquarters, all members must travel on a bus to get to their destination, which can increase the cost significantly.
Sigma Kappa is having 350 people attend, including members and their dates, which is a basic estimate for sororities. Zeta is only expecting 200, but many members change their minds at the last minute. Roth's usual minimum purchase of buses for events is $5,000 and the farther away, the more costly it gets. Bands are another important aspect of formals. This year, Zeta paid $6,000 for local favorite Az-Izz. After all of the money is spent and the night comes to end, Zuniga said the memories created make it worthwhile for the members of each sorority. "I still look back at my pictures from old formals," Zuniga said. "I've loved each and every one of them."
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