Ah, the May Ball. I dreamt of that night since before I crossed the pond and arrived in dear ol' Cambridge. Reading the blogs of previous DJ Scholars. Looking up photos on Google. Pouring over Wikipedia hoping that they got their facts straight and May Balls were just as awesome as it was making them out to be. Okay, I was a bit obsessed. I was (am) a bit obsessed about Cambridge top to bottom. But the May Ball. It's sort of every girl's fantasy. Gorgeous gowns. Men in tuxes. Fountains of champagne. String quartets. Cupcake towers. Can it get any better? Maybe if it was free...but we won't get into that. Time Magazine voted St. John's May Ball the 7th best party in the world, right after the Oscars. With that accreditation, I don't mind handing over a bit of cash.
Since it's been almost two months since the May Ball, I'll do my best to recapture the details of the night. But hopefully my pictures can fill in the gaps.
The day started very early as my friend K and I bustled over to the Grand Arcade to get out makeup done at the Bobbi Brown counter at John Lewis. Though it was ten o'clock in the morning and we both had to go to supervisions with full evening wear makeup, we were glad not to have to pay for it. I did fork out a bit of cash and get some cute lipstick.
The day was actually marvelously productive, but you probably don't want to hear me ramble on about how much of my novel I got written, the word counts, the brilliant lines that poured forth from my pen as I sat sipping a cup of tea in a little cafe called Sticky Beaks. Instead, on to the May Ball.
K came over to get ready and, as you might imagine when two girls get together in one en suite room to prep for a glamorous event, it was an insane flurry of makeup, bobby pins, hairspray, high heels, pearl necklaces, and stick-on bras. Yes, it comes to that.
Not surprisingly, we headed out late, but were able to find our group in the crowd. We had so many people that we were a bit scattered around the line, but I got to meet up with my three dates.
THREE DATES? Yes, reader, three dates. Well, "dates", I should say. When you buy a very expensive ticket to the St. John's May Ball, you have to buy a pair. So I had a friend on mine on my ticket. Then I was allocated a second pair and put two other friends on that ticket. So, three dates. Am I a lucky girl or what? Check out these gents.
The wait to get in wasn't as awful as I thought it was going to be. I chatted with friends and looked over the awesome booklet that you received when you were checked in. It told you all about the different courts, what performers were where, and where all the good food was. Each of John's courts had a different theme with matching entertainment and treats.
Once we passed through the Fellows' Garden we entered the Backs where the May Ball began. We were each greeted with a glass of champagne and a skewer of fresh strawberries. Yummy! The Back were full of people and the college was all lit up. My heart was doing laps between my throat and stomach. I could not BELIEVE I was actually there. I had passed through this part of college at least five times a week, but in one night the entire college was transformed.
We worked our way into New Court where we attacked the table of cupcakes and then waited in line for steak frites. Projected lights danced on the white stone. Friends came by passing us more glasses of champagne. I kept bumping into different friends who had been there earlier than us. "Have you been into Chapel Court yet? It's kabuki themed!" "Did you go into the Buttery? They're doing massages!"
We didn't have time for kabukis or massages because the fireworks began. Every single guest packed into the spacious Backs and we all turned our faces skyward. "I heard Trinity's weren't that great," someone nearby said. Trinity (our rival, you'll remember) has their May Ball the day before us. Rumor has it that John's sets aside extra money just in case Trinity's fireworks are better than the ones we have planned. I didn't get to see Trinity's fireworks, but man, how could they be better? Ours were extraordinary, synchronized to some amazing tracks, including Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" and Carmen's "Habanera". I don't think I took a breath the whole time.
After the fireworks we crossed Wren Bridge to head into Third Court. The river rippled with punts as people packed into to watch the fireworks and ogle the ball. I waved hello to them. How many wished they could be here? I was certainly blessed to be one of the lucky few.
Third Court was popular for it's cocktail bar, so I left K and A to get drinks while I waited forever in line for the bathroom. Once there, I realized that I had lost that gorgeous (and remember...expensive) lipstick I had purchased that morning. Distraught, I found K and told her the sad news. She sat me down at a table and told me to cheer up by giving me this:
I have great friends.
Someone A and I lost K. This is typical of the May Ball. You lose people, you find new people, you lose them and then find the people you originally came with. Since the whole place is contained, you never lose anyone for long. So A and I headed into Chapel Court to find him a beer. John's punts were being used to serve drinks and we were relieved to find two lonely beers left in a punt. We snatched them up and helped ourselves to some Japanese noodles.
Second Court boasted an amazing little disco. I must have popped int there at least five times over the course of the night. The music was great and everything was blue-tinted. I danced until I couldn't breathe, then stepped outside to explore the ball some more.
Halfway through the night I finally made it all the way to First Court. I munched on a peach, feeling healthy, then indulged into some chambered and champagne. Back into Second Court for more dancing and some chips (fries). All the way to New Court again where I watched the headliner Magnetic Man with my friend G. We decided not to join the moshpit since moshing isn't so great in a long dress and heels. Then back to the Backs again for donuts hot out of the fryer and some catching up with my original group.
At this point I was a bit exhausted so K and I went into Hall and enjoyed some cheese and crackers while we sat and listened to a swing band. I was feeling in the dancing mood, so I texted my friend T to come swing dance with me. He showed up, and we showed off our dance moves solo on the floor, in front of a huge audience. I felt like I was on top of the world. After two dances with him and one with his friend, I showed off my OTHER dance moves back in the disco tent. There's no stopping me!
Day was breaking. We followed our noses to the waffle tent where they were serving breakfast. At four in the morning I finally gave up. I got a blazer and I swapped my heels for my TOMS. Still, I was quite proud of how long I lasted.
My friend S encouraged me to get the REAL traditional English breakfast which consisted of a cup of tea, a glass of Pimm's and lemonade, and a bacon and ketchup sandwich. How I refrained from vomiting is still up for debate.
As the sun rose over John's we gathered in New Court to hear the very tired, very hungover Gentlemen of St. John's (our choir) sing for us. I slowly sipped my Pimm's and checked my watch. It was 6:30am.
The last leg finally came. We gathered out on the Backs for our Survivors' Photograph. The photographer shouted instructions from his cherry picker. None of us could hear, so we just tilted our heads back and grinned. Finally he came down and we cheered. As we watched through the Backs towards our houses, I took one last look at the sun peeking over the top of the college.
My first May Ball. I collapsed in bed at 7am, almost twelve hours after I started.
Success.
Ah, the May Ball. I dreamt of that night since before I crossed the pond and arrived in dear ol' Cambridge. Reading the blogs of previous DJ Scholars. Looking up photos on Google. Pouring over Wikipedia hoping that they got their facts straight and May Balls were just as awesome as it was making them out to be. Okay, I was a bit obsessed. I was (am) a bit obsessed about Cambridge top to bottom. But the May Ball. It's sort of every girl's fantasy. Gorgeous gowns. Men in tuxes. Fountains of champagne. String quartets. Cupcake towers. Can it get any better? Maybe if it was free...but we won't get into that. Time Magazine voted St. John's May Ball the 7th best party in the world, right after the Oscars. With that accreditation, I don't mind handing over a bit of cash.
Since it's been almost two months since the May Ball, I'll do my best to recapture the details of the night. But hopefully my pictures can fill in the gaps.
The day started very early as my friend K and I bustled over to the Grand Arcade to get out makeup done at the Bobbi Brown counter at John Lewis. Though it was ten o'clock in the morning and we both had to go to supervisions with full evening wear makeup, we were glad not to have to pay for it. I did fork out a bit of cash and get some cute lipstick.
The day was actually marvelously productive, but you probably don't want to hear me ramble on about how much of my novel I got written, the word counts, the brilliant lines that poured forth from my pen as I sat sipping a cup of tea in a little cafe called Sticky Beaks. Instead, on to the May Ball.
K came over to get ready and, as you might imagine when two girls get together in one en suite room to prep for a glamorous event, it was an insane flurry of makeup, bobby pins, hairspray, high heels, pearl necklaces, and stick-on bras. Yes, it comes to that.
Not surprisingly, we headed out late, but were able to find our group in the crowd. We had so many people that we were a bit scattered around the line, but I got to meet up with my three dates.
THREE DATES? Yes, reader, three dates. Well, "dates", I should say. When you buy a very expensive ticket to the St. John's May Ball, you have to buy a pair. So I had a friend on mine on my ticket. Then I was allocated a second pair and put two other friends on that ticket. So, three dates. Am I a lucky girl or what? Check out these gents.
The wait to get in wasn't as awful as I thought it was going to be. I chatted with friends and looked over the awesome booklet that you received when you were checked in. It told you all about the different courts, what performers were where, and where all the good food was. Each of John's courts had a different theme with matching entertainment and treats.
Once we passed through the Fellows' Garden we entered the Backs where the May Ball began. We were each greeted with a glass of champagne and a skewer of fresh strawberries. Yummy! The Back were full of people and the college was all lit up. My heart was doing laps between my throat and stomach. I could not BELIEVE I was actually there. I had passed through this part of college at least five times a week, but in one night the entire college was transformed.
We worked our way into New Court where we attacked the table of cupcakes and then waited in line for steak frites. Projected lights danced on the white stone. Friends came by passing us more glasses of champagne. I kept bumping into different friends who had been there earlier than us. "Have you been into Chapel Court yet? It's kabuki themed!" "Did you go into the Buttery? They're doing massages!"
We didn't have time for kabukis or massages because the fireworks began. Every single guest packed into the spacious Backs and we all turned our faces skyward. "I heard Trinity's weren't that great," someone nearby said. Trinity (our rival, you'll remember) has their May Ball the day before us. Rumor has it that John's sets aside extra money just in case Trinity's fireworks are better than the ones we have planned. I didn't get to see Trinity's fireworks, but man, how could they be better? Ours were extraordinary, synchronized to some amazing tracks, including Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" and Carmen's "Habanera". I don't think I took a breath the whole time.
After the fireworks we crossed Wren Bridge to head into Third Court. The river rippled with punts as people packed into to watch the fireworks and ogle the ball. I waved hello to them. How many wished they could be here? I was certainly blessed to be one of the lucky few.
Third Court was popular for it's cocktail bar, so I left K and A to get drinks while I waited forever in line for the bathroom. Once there, I realized that I had lost that gorgeous (and remember...expensive) lipstick I had purchased that morning. Distraught, I found K and told her the sad news. She sat me down at a table and told me to cheer up by giving me this:
I have great friends.
Someone A and I lost K. This is typical of the May Ball. You lose people, you find new people, you lose them and then find the people you originally came with. Since the whole place is contained, you never lose anyone for long. So A and I headed into Chapel Court to find him a beer. John's punts were being used to serve drinks and we were relieved to find two lonely beers left in a punt. We snatched them up and helped ourselves to some Japanese noodles.
Second Court boasted an amazing little disco. I must have popped int there at least five times over the course of the night. The music was great and everything was blue-tinted. I danced until I couldn't breathe, then stepped outside to explore the ball some more.
Halfway through the night I finally made it all the way to First Court. I munched on a peach, feeling healthy, then indulged into some chambered and champagne. Back into Second Court for more dancing and some chips (fries). All the way to New Court again where I watched the headliner Magnetic Man with my friend G. We decided not to join the moshpit since moshing isn't so great in a long dress and heels. Then back to the Backs again for donuts hot out of the fryer and some catching up with my original group.
At this point I was a bit exhausted so K and I went into Hall and enjoyed some cheese and crackers while we sat and listened to a swing band. I was feeling in the dancing mood, so I texted my friend T to come swing dance with me. He showed up, and we showed off our dance moves solo on the floor, in front of a huge audience. I felt like I was on top of the world. After two dances with him and one with his friend, I showed off my OTHER dance moves back in the disco tent. There's no stopping me!
Day was breaking. We followed our noses to the waffle tent where they were serving breakfast. At four in the morning I finally gave up. I got a blazer and I swapped my heels for my TOMS. Still, I was quite proud of how long I lasted.
My friend S encouraged me to get the REAL traditional English breakfast which consisted of a cup of tea, a glass of Pimm's and lemonade, and a bacon and ketchup sandwich. How I refrained from vomiting is still up for debate.
As the sun rose over John's we gathered in New Court to hear the very tired, very hungover Gentlemen of St. John's (our choir) sing for us. I slowly sipped my Pimm's and checked my watch. It was 6:30am.
The last leg finally came. We gathered out on the Backs for our Survivors' Photograph. The photographer shouted instructions from his cherry picker. None of us could hear, so we just tilted our heads back and grinned. Finally he came down and we cheered. As we watched through the Backs towards our houses, I took one last look at the sun peeking over the top of the college.
My first May Ball. I collapsed in bed at 7am, almost twelve hours after I started.
Success.
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