Formal? Never Heard of Her
By: Brianna Cateriano
It’s no secret that formal is one of the biggest school events at CCA. It’s a time where mass groups come together and pitch in money for party buses and limos. With all the commotion of school surrounding CCA students as well as outside pressures of extracurriculars, certain students (including myself) wait until the last minute to purchase their tickets. Usually, this isn’t a problem, as for the past two years, I have been one of many students who purchased their tickets at the door of formal, however this year, the tickets are sold out leaving myself, and many others, stranded.
Luckily, there are indeed many other ways to have the formal experience without actually attending.
A large part of the formal experience is getting ready with friends, taking photos with your date and friends, commuting to formal, and hanging out after the dance itself. To have the formal experience, you do not have to physically go inside. For example, if you were one of the many who procrastinated in buying a ticket, you can still hang out with your friends before and after the event, dressed in formal attire. During formal, you can hang out on the party bus with others who failed to purchase their tickets, explore the beautiful city of San Diego, dance to music, and plenty more.
The journey to formal is the real experience, as a part of the fun for girls happens when we go dress shopping, put on our nicest makeup, buy new heels, and straighten and curl our hair the best we know how to. For guys, it differs slightly, as their experience comes from hanging out with their dates or friends. Before meeting on the bus, many groups hang out at one person’s house, take photos, talk about the excitement of formal, then depart. The way to formal allows for friend groups to bond in a tight space as they dance and blast their favorite music on their way to formal. This is where the journey and preparation of formal excitement ends, as once you get to formal, there is nothing more to look forward to because you are at the dance itself. Formal is not the reason why girls and boys come together and spend weeks planning the bus, outfits, and other things, but they opposing do so for the experience leading up to formal, which anyone who managed to not buy their ticket, such as myself, can still participate in.
If you aren’t going to formal, think of the seemingly unfortunate situation like this: It’s not about the destination, but the journey.