Sooo we sorority ladies have a special way to celebrate engagements inside our sororities. It might be cheesy or highly glamorized by pop-culture and Greek-the silly show with a solo cup as its graphic-but it's no less special for us classy Southern sorority gals.
It's a candlelight.
The tradition has changed its image and meaning through the years, but the excitement of mentioning it still brings tears to giddy girl's eyes. News of a candlelight makes girls run down the halls screaming, place bets on the lucky girl and sit anxiously through all of chapter until it's time at the end to start the tradition.
At some schools, this started with a pinning, lavaliere or engagement. The sorority girls circle up and pass around a flower arrangement with a long-stemmed candle in the middle.
The trick as in anything sorority related: secrecy!
Unless you can tell by the blush on her cheeks, no one knows who the candlelight is for until she blows the light out on the THIRD round. Once blown, everyone yells, claps and gathers around for her to tell the engagement story...
Today, Auburn sororities usually practice candlelights for engagements only.
In some schools and while my mother was in Auburn, sororities have a candlelight if you start dating a fraternity guy, and he pins you with his fraternity letters. Candlelights can also be called if a girl is lavaliered-fraternity boy gives girl a necklace with greek letters, another form of pinning. It's considered a sign that he's ready to be exclusive and more serious about the relationship... pre-engagement, if you will.
In this blog's particular love story, I have had two best friends/roomies have candlelights this year. Actually, they have been the only candlelights Alpha Delta Pi has had this year.
The first was Brittany Tucker. Both Gump-town natives, she and Mark have been dating since around 9th grade... Want to tell her she's getting married young? She has been committed to Mark longer than most people in blog world have been married or dream of staying married.
The second was Katie Watson soon-to-be Anderson. Jordan Anderson... gosh, that names sounds familiar. O yes, he's the RHODES SCHOLAR. The two have been dating for one year officially, but honestly, he's been in love with her for a respectable amount of time. They will be married Sept. 4, and then it's off to England! How blessed? They start their marriage together studying, traveling and learning about life and love allll by themselves in EUROPA.
I wanted to show some curious souls the delight of a candlelight... Not ABC's version, but real girls sharing their special engagements with sorority sista friends.
"I get to marry Mark Bethea!" -Brittany soon-to-be Tucker
Roomies aka 36 Mafia
ADPi seniors...
New semester, new guy and gal, but same routine... This is Katie and I after HER special surprise!
36 ladies are becoming pros at this. The Alpha Chis even took a pic throwing up the diamond while hiding in our kitchen waiting for the big moment.
Goooood job Jordan...
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