The initial reactions to Piedmont’s Campus Activity Board releasing the theme for this year’s formal were a combination of excitement and confusion. Formal is one of the events Piedmont students look forward to the most.
“We thought it would be a fun idea to have the students have some input into what the theme should be,” said CAB President Marion Sloyan. “We made a poll on our Instagram and one of the comments was to have a frat formal, so we ran with it.”
Aside from the theme, this year’s formal was set apart from previous ones due to several other features not seen before. Students were permitted the opportunity to purchase alcoholic beverages at the venue, located off-campus.
“The past few years, we have had [formal] at Swanson, and last year, we did it at the art museum,” said Sloyan. “This year, we wanted to make it extra different and do it at the Cornelia Community House.”
Unless students frequently used TikTok, the concept of a “frat wedding” may have initially been a confusing theme. Thankfully, CAB posted their attire suggestions on their Instagram to match the event’s vibes.
“A frat wedding, from our description, was a social ‘wedding’ with decorations and different florals across the rooms,” said Sloyan. “We also knew we had to do something wedding-oriented, so at the door, people were able to vote for others who should get ‘married.’”
The honors of being the night’s “lucky couple” went to men’s tennis player Silas Sandles and women’s soccer player Gretchen Dedolph. The two had a dance floor unto themselves where they shared a dance as well as the spotlight. These two individuals are popularly known for their humorous, outgoing, extroverted and life-of-the-party personalities. They were very entertaining, and everybody in attendance enjoyed the moment with them.
“The reviews so far have all been very positive. People had lots of fun watching Silas and Gretchen. Some of the CAB members checked Yik Yak the next morning and CAB surprisingly had good reviews. It was so good to see we did a good job,” said Sloyan.
I have to say, having not really known what a frat wedding was, this was honestly one of my favorite formals I have attended at Piedmont. The event was hype the entire time; everybody got to dress up in their best attire, and every part of this year’s formal was fun. If you missed out on this year’s formal, you truly missed out on an unforgettable experience.
