I echo much of the same shared here when it comes to frills. The first two years or so I was on "the other side" of recruitment we also had "Open Houses" too, which elaborate decorations and separate themes were put up the night before Open House...and we had matching outfits for Open Houses as well. We utilized our back yard and downstairs study as much as possible for Open Houses. One was a casino theme and another was a general college theme. Then to decorate the house and get ready after Open Houses were always a chore.
Dyeable shoes to match the jewel-toned dresses were an absolute and we were 100% matching from head to toe each day.
Ice sculpture and "champagne" (pink punch) fountain for preference and we had a whole theme set around "Coca Cola" and was the only chapter to serve Coke on tour day, which was called "Coke Day" in the house.
Big banners to hang and outside decor to make sure looked just right. Preference was so awesome with each house bathed in some kind of candle light. Tri Delts had a candle ceremony around a wishing well and a balloon to let go with a wish; DGs would set their anchor in front of their house on fire (it was really neat); Pi Phis did kind of a wishing ceremony with burning a piece of paper...it may have been arrow shaped...we did a "fireside" and on the hill right across the house we would spell out our letters in luminaria. Of course it was the bursting with soft songs for each house and tears galore! So hard for the Rho Chis to not cry at their own houses if they happened to have to take a group there for preference
The PKA house was one of our neighbors...I will never forget sophomore rush coming out of the house for our first preference round, in our big preference dresses and candle light ablaze and all of a sudden in their courtyard you could hear the loud whir of their lawnmower. LOL!! Memories.