A chance to dress up, dance and forget about the mountain of homework, assignments and exams, school formals are the highlight of the social calendar for most students in their senior years of high school. Merrimu Receptions is a leading Melbourne school formal venue, with many of Melbourne’s finest schools choosing our stunning grounds for sophisticated and stylish year 12 formal events. Here’s our tips for choosing the right outfit for your event and making your night memorable for the right reasons.

Choose Classic over Trendy

When picking a dress, it’s important to choose a classic silhouette that suits your body shape, height and complexion. Don’t just go for the latest on-trend style or design. If you are pear-shaped, try to show off your upper body with an off-the-shoulder dress or a design that accentuates your waist.

Floor length ball gowns might be better suited to taller girls, while shorter ladies might want to choose a style that elongates your figure. Whatever you dress you choose, it’s important you feel comfortable so that you can wear it with confidence and remember to leave the super short hemlines and plunging necklines at home – attire should be elegant and sophisticated

Wear Comfortable Shoes

One of the most important pieces of advice we can give is to select footwear that will allow you to dance the night away. Nothing will ruin your night more than having to sit down the whole time because your feet are in pain. A formal is about mingling, dancing and enjoying a fun night in a beautiful venue so steer clear of stilettos, and opt for thicker heels, wedges or even stylish jewelled flats. If you have your heart set on wearing sky high heels, remember is to pack a pair of foldable flats in your bag for later on in the night.

Keep Make-Up Youthful

Let your natural features speak for themselves and to adopt ‘a less is more’ approach. One way to ruin your photos is to cake on heavy make-up so go easy on the illuminator and heavy concealer and instead choose lightweight, matte finish foundation to cover any blemishes and add a pop of colour on your lips or accentuate your eyes with a smokey eyeliner. Make-up should enhance the natural beauty of your face so ensure its complements your skin tone and draws attention to your best features.

Don’t Break the Budget

You’re a student, not a millionaire and chance are you may not even wear the dress again so don’t go spending thousands on designer evening wear. Chain stores and department stores have a great range of affordable and elegant formal dresses, the most important thing is the dress suits you, not the price tag. Same goes for shoes and accessories.

Tips to Ensure You Have a Memorable Night

  • Plan in advance – Start looking at dresses, accessories, shoes and hairstyles early to avoid a last minute panic. You may even be able to pick up a dress on sale.
  • Don’t go overboard with accessories – choose simple earrings and delicate necklaces over sequins, glitter and head pieces.
  • Take photos – capture the night, school formal venues are usually beautiful buildings that will create a stunning backdrop for your images.
  • Don’t stress- a formal is meant to be an enjoyable and happy occasion, have fun!

Merrimu is the quintessential school formal venue in Melbourne. A majestic, heritage inspired building with lavish ballrooms, stylish décor and manicured English gardens, there’s no better location for an occasion such as the all-important school formal. If you are looking for an amazing Melbourne school formal venue contact the experienced team at Merrimu to discuss packages or book a tour of our award-winning venue. Call us today on (03) 9568 1811.

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