[kathykd2005]

Thank you, SydneyK! The possibilities truly are endless with a theme like this. Actually, the CDC liked it the most of all the events we had when she visited that year.

Instead of a red carpet, we had a "green carpet" and the dress was semiformal-formal. We had table settings with long-stemmed white roses in them and we also did video montages. I toyed with the idea of an ice sculpture, but that was a bit too much for our budget. The concept of a chandelier being rented also arose, but again, we ran into budget restrictions. We scattered diamonds, emeralds, and pearls across the tables, and also included white candles (which I don't know if you'd want to do, because of risk management issues, etc). KD golden stars were hung from the ceiling, with three stars above the podium ("with three stars up above--there's a KD crest for every girl that's best..."), and we served movie-inspired snacks, a bit more upscale.

We gave out awards in the exact same manner SydneyK suggested, too. Our only problem was some ladies not taking it seriously enough, but that can be avoided through more rehearsals. As much as we hate to say it, you really do need to "sell" who your chapter is to get the PNMs to want to join your sisterhood. If you have members that are not memorizing their lines or laughing at what you are trying to do, it's not going to be effective.

Ultimately, the positive effect of this style party is also a more intimate atmosphere to discuss with new members what your sisterhood is about, in a smaller-group setting. One reason I switched 3rd Event to the Sisterhood Awards from KDTV was that for KDTV, the PNMs sat in an "audience" style manner, and they didn't get to TALK to us as much as we wanted them to.

Dependent upon the personality of your chapter, this could work very well for you. However, you could face some opposition if any of the ladies don't want to wear dresses. Luckily, that argument could be subverted by offering the option of tux-style attire, too. Message me if you want to bounce any ideas off of me or ask any questions about the event.