Planning for sorority recruitment requires a lot of time and effort, so it’s best to get started as soon as possible. One of the most important events you’ll need to plan for is bid day, when you finally give bids to the potential new members who have impressed you and your sisters the most. See if you and your chapter can make these top 10 bid day themes come to life.

1. Love

What do young sorority ladies love more than love? If you are throwing a bid day that coincides with or is close to Valentine’s Day, make that your theme. Think lots of flowers, chocolates, and balloons decorated with your Greek letters and colors. Bid day is a day of love after all — love shown between current members, for your sorority, and for the new sisters who you want to join your chapter.

2. Musical Chairs and Childhood Games

One thing that you will learn with time is that people always have an inner child. No matter how much older you get, you still have a little girl inside wanting to just have fun and be free. Remember all those childhood games you played in school and with your peers? Turn your bid day theme into “return to kid” fun outdoors. Possible games to play:

• Musical Chairs
• Red Light Green Light (or use your two sorority colors instead)
• Hide and Go Seek
• Double Dutch (and regular jump rope)

3. Throwback Bid Day Theme

What is your favorite decade? The twenties? The 50s? Maybe the seventies or the 90s? Create a bid day theme designed around a decade in time that was exciting and inspirational for you and your sisters. Plan out the sorority gifts, outfits, decorations, food choices, and other details that will make it as authentic as possible.

4. What’s Your Favorite Sitcom?

What are your favorite sitcoms? Surely you can think of a few off the top of your head. The Office. Arrested Development. Gossip Girls. Seinfeld. Try to pick one that most if not all of your potential new members are familiar with. Ask everyone, or just your current chapter members, to dress up as the characters and play the role. It will be humorous and show the new girls just how much effort you will put forward to give them a nice day.

5. Beautifying Bid Day

Besides shopping, the next best thing is getting a luxurious mani and pedi at your favorite salon. Rent out a nail salon for a few hours and invite your girls there for an afternoon or evening of pampering to celebrate bid day. That way, when you present your new group of members to the campus they’ll be looking fresh and clean! Make sure the entire salon is decorated with your sorority colors, banners, symbols, balloons, and party favors.

6. Sorority Mascot or Symbol Theme

When you’re throwing a bid day party, you want to get your new initiates more familiar with the symbols and colors of the sorority. So make sure that your venue is completely adorned with everything to identify your Greek group. That includes colorful sorority flags, banners, images of your mascot, customized tumbler cups at the refreshment table, rush t-shirts, and party favors. Be sure to set a table of items from your chapter’s history, such as photo albums, wooden paddles, and paraphernalia from decades ago.

7. Cocktail Hour—Time to Dress Up!

One thing you can create for bid day is a special cocktail hour at your chapter house where everyone must wear their cutest cocktail dress to the event. But encourage them to add accoutrements to the outfit, such as boa scarves and colorful jewelry (preferably in your sorority colors) to make things more interesting. Keep it light. Serve deliciously creative hors d’oeuvres. For example, if your sorority mascot is a teddy bear, you might have a spinach dip served in a dish shaped like a bear for dipping.

8. Tea Party Anyone?

Surely you are impressed with the sophistication and luxury of having a lovely tea party with good company. Tea parties date back hundreds of years for a reason — it’s a simple way to unwind with friends, family, or just acquaintances and have an intimate conversation. A bid day tea party is a perfect way to sit down with your new candidates, congratulate them, and get to know them on a deeper level.

9. Halloween (Thriller)

Do you remember the first time you saw Michael Jackson in his music video for Thriller? Pull together some of the most talented members of your chapter and hold sessions where you all learn the thriller dance for Halloween. Halloween commonly falls around bid day time in the fall, so perfect!

10. Miss “Sorority Queen”

Hold a Miss Universe style presentation at your upcoming bid day, where you and your sorority sisters dress up as contestants. You might find elaborate gowns to rent at a costume store. Have someone act as the host to ask humorous questions. The true winners will be the bid day recipients who will eventually be brought up on stage to receive their prize (the bid) and recognition.

Being in a sorority in college is likely to be one of the best times of your life, and your bid recipients will soon find that out. Make their bid day special with these top 10 bid day themes, which will help them to get to know more about your organization and the personality of the chapter.