Staying up all night out of excitement, decorating the house, making gifts, spending time with loved ones…sounds like I’m talking about a birthday or the holiday season, right? Well, multiply how great those days are by about 100 and you get Bid Day! One of my all-time favorite sorority events, where your sisters are the best gift you could ever ask for.

I still remember my very first Bid Day when I became a sister of Delta Phi Epsilon. During the long minutes of sitting on my bid along with all the other girls dying to open the envelopes, I remember crushing the hands of the two sitting on either side of me, Anna and Rachel – as it turns out, they were soon to be my Omicron pledge sisters. When we finally got the signal to open our bids, I remember absolutely mangling mine as I tried to get it open as quick as I could, and then tearing up as soon as I saw the purple and gold crest on the front. The rest is a blur of hugs, introductions, group photos, Bid Day tshirts, noise everywhere from chants, vuvuzelas, pots & pans, icebreakers, and fun and games at Krazy Village that night. It was honestly one of the best and most exciting days of my life.

The next year was my first time going through the recruitment process on the other side as an initiated sister, but I was still just as excited when Bid Day came around. I was living in the house that year, and went around to everyone’s rooms that morning jumping and screaming about how much I loved Bid Day, which is a lot of enthusiasm even by my standards. When our beautiful Pi class came walking down Greek Row for the first time to the sounds of our pots and pans, I lost my voice in about 5 minutes cheering for them. That year we went to Dave & Busters, where everyone had a blast bonding and playing games. I still have the glitter plastic bracelets that were my prizes, and every time I see them on my desk I smile and think back to that fabulous night.

This year was my last undergraduate Bid Day, which was bittersweet I got up extra early along with the other helpers to prep the house and get the new members’ goodie bags together. We then all met at Main Building with the rest of the sororities, and took our turn welcoming our new Rho class by cheering and hugging them as they came up the stairs. We had introductions at the house as usual, an unusual surprise occurrence of random tilty cars that just happened to be DPhiE colors, and then it was back to Dave & Busters for round 2. But the most important part of Bid Day isn’t the prizes or games, as fun and great as those always are. It’s the feeling of sisterhood and warmth at its strongest, it’s talking to girls you’ve just met as if you’ve known them all your life and reconnecting with sisters you may not get to see as often, it’s remembering everything you love about Delta Phi Epsilon and why you were drawn to this chapter in the beginning. No matter if you’re a new member or a senior, it’s impossible not to be moved by Bid Day, the most wonderful day of the year!

-Adrienne Girone