Lavalier?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ealymc

Oh, that's just boring... someone has to earn the right for her to wear his letters... it's pretty common for her to also be very up-to-date on our fraternity's history or things of importance. She's becoming someone special to the organization, so it's taken kind of seriously by all involved parties...

Then again, I could be way off. I had never heard of "the lavaliere" before this post and looked it up. Just my interpretation.

What you are talking about has NOTHING to do with lavaliering.

Lavaliers are for girlfriends. Just because you're lavaliered doesn't mean you wear his letter sweatshirts, jackets etc.

I don't know why you spouted off on something you never heard of before this post.

[ealymc]

Nothing better to do at work. Duly noted.

[ealymc]

Originally Posted by 33girl

What you are talking about has NOTHING to do with lavaliering.

Lavaliers are for girlfriends. Just because you're lavaliered doesn't mean you wear his letter sweatshirts, jackets etc.

I don't know why you spouted off on something you never heard of before this post.

Still waiting on the true definition, 33girl.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by ealymc

Still waiting on the true definition, 33girl.

Lavaliering is a sign of commitment to your girlfriend - it's the step that comes before pinning, engagement and marriage.

To the OP - your girlfriend is probably hoping her man will step up and show that he feels strongly about her in this fashion. I think she wants that more than the actual piece of jewelry.

Some schools just don't do it very often. If there aren't a lot of people in committed relationships, it probably won't catch on, Greek school or not. It's not something you just do to everyone you date.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Lavaliering is a sign of commitment to your girlfriend - it's the step that comes before pinning, engagement and marriage.

At our school, it typically was not a public event. The fraternity guy would ask the equivalent of "going steady" with the woman. He would give her a lavalier on a necklace.

In our house, the girl would slip a note in the president's box telling requesting a candle-passing. It was always a secret as to who left the note. If the candle went around once and she blew it out, she was lavaliered. If it went around twice, she was pinned. If it went around three times, she was engaged.

Only after the candle passing would the boyfriend and his brothers come over to serenade and bring her flowers. If the Fraternity and the boyfriend did anything else within their house, I don't remember it.

[SWTXBelle]

I wish we still had the tradition, mentioned in our history, of having a box of candy delivered to the house to announce a pinning or engagement. Apparently a 5 lb. box meant a pinning, and a 10 pounder was used to announce an engagement. Then the candle passing would "out" the lucky pinnee/engagee. Yummmm . . .chocolate.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I wish we still had the tradition, mentioned in our history, of having a box of candy delivered to the house to announce a pinning or engagement. Apparently a 5 lb. box meant a pinning, and a 10 pounder was used to announce an engagement. Then the candle passing would "out" the lucky pinnee/engagee. Yummmm . . .chocolate.

Sounds familiar. The Phi Mus at Ohio State had three candy dishes in the formal living room. Filling one with chocolate was a laveliere, filling two was a pinning and filling three was an engagements. Oh, how I would long for engagements.

[PhrozenGod01]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

I wish we still had the tradition, mentioned in our history, of having a box of candy delivered to the house to announce a pinning or engagement. Apparently a 5 lb. box meant a pinning, and a 10 pounder was used to announce an engagement. Then the candle passing would "out" the lucky pinnee/engagee. Yummmm . . .chocolate.

Wow, that's a lot of chocolate. I bet at some schools and chapters, that number grows as the years go by. In 2023 some poor soul is going to wonder why he needs to procure a wagon-load of Godiva truffles for his girlfriend...

[SWTXBelle]

It gets better, PhrozenGod. In some of the descriptions from the 40s and 50s the chocolates were in the guy's fraternity colors, or there was an elaborate spread in the sorority and fraternity colors - and remember, 5 or 10 lbs. isn't that much when you are talking about a whole chapter!
But I like your image of a guy schleping Godiva truffles . . .

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Lavaliers are for girlfriends. Just because you're lavaliered doesn't mean you wear his letter sweatshirts, jackets etc.

My school was pretty lax. We all wore different fraternity letters -- particularly during Greek Week or Homecoming -- whether we were lavaliered, pinned or not.

Lavaliers and letters are not dependent upon one another.