Five minutes smiling and my face was already hurting...

I'll admit: formal is not for everyone. There are those that dress nicely, attend the evening, have a few laughs and pile the food high on their plates. They swing their feet to the beat of the music and strum their fingers on the tables, waiting for the speeches to just end. They smile, pretend to love everyone's outfit and maybe even snap a few selfies to promote their ability to be "social" on snapchat.

Well.

This was not me.

Definitely not.

I love everything that is spontaneous e.g. going out for lunch with my best friend on the last day of term, checking out the Law Courts with her out of pure curiosity and making a poor but surprisingly super fun unpublished YouTube channel that revealed that while she can place and name most members of my family (aunties and uncles included), I don't even know the name of her first cat.

BUT. Formal is planned. Boy, every single minute of that night is drafted, edited and then finalised. And did I enjoy myself? You can bet your bottom dollar I did! Did my feet absolutely kill? Absolutely. Did it draw away from my fun? Please.

• ​The food was crap - pity for the people that were only attending for that.
• The decorations of the room were average.
• Some fake tans were...very, very fake.
• Some girls looked like walking zombies.​ NOTE: 'smoky eyes' does not mean 'paint my eyelids black so I look like I refused to die before this unforgettable event'.
• Some dresses exposed so many body parts I had to ask myself if they'd forgotten to add the accompanying undergarment.
• Some dresses didn't show enough. And no, that is not me being perverted. Girls were literally swimming in their outfits.
• HIGH FIVE to the people that took of their heels to dance. You're my inspiration.
• Also, let's give the guy that wore a kilt a big applause.
• Taking photos was fun, but they might want to hire someone that can actually frame a photo next time.

Yes, I did attend the after party. Yes, it was loud. Yes, the lights wouldn't have been so good for someone with epilepsy.

YES, I HAD THE BEST TIME. For all those party virgins out there like me, here is my advice:

STAY. You don't have to drink to have a good time (when in doubt, imagine me with my water). You don't have to be embarrassed about how good/bad you're dancing - people are too drunk to remember. You can make new best friends for the night with people you've never talked to that will probably forget you exist the moment they wake up the next day (or, in my case, later that same day).

But the best piece of advice for the whole night? Get ready. This advice is pure gold. It wouldn't be dumb to expect it engraved into my tombstone:

Wear flats to after party.