Reminiscent Debutant Days

We all have those moments when a present day occurrence reminds you of your past. This past week has reminded me of a very specific event. An event that took place back in the school days. A day of glitz and glamour, fancy attire, a three course meal with the added incentive of alcoholic beverages to the side and a partner in crime. If you haven’t guess by now, it is infact the Debs – even though the title gave it a away just a small bit!

Why was I reminiscing on these days? Well, simply because my sister’s time had come. Not only once, but twice! Two debs in a short period of time. Two days dedicated to Tara, and Tara only. All eyes on her. The rest of little importance or thought. You think going to a spa is nice, experience a debs and you’ll have a whole new idea of what it is to be pampered.

I think the pampering side is more so for girls, who spend months preparing for this special occasion. Boys can just throw on a suit, get a haircut, splash on some aftershave and they’re ready to roll. This, obviously, is not the case for girls. Even before the actual day arrives, they have to search for dresses, but not just any dress. Colour, style, appearance, every little nook and cranny has to be intensely filtered out until the perfect dress is found. In comparison to boys, who either buy a suit in one day of searching or just use one that’s been hanging up in the wardrobe at home for generations. I’m not a fashion expert but most suits are fairly run of the mill, unless you’re going awfully extravagant. I can really only think of three colours we could go for – black, navy and grey. Im sure the fashion experts will extremely disagree with my theory on suits, sorry in advance. You have to remember we are only 17-18 year olds at the time! Whereas dresses vary so much and finding the right one can be very hard.

The dress is an important part, but don’t forget about the hair, makeup, nails, shoes and other small things a man like me will clearly be unaware of. I’m by no means a guru on girls preparing for events like this. The only reason I have any bit of information on this is because I have a sister. I’m really breaking into my feminine side here! Everything has to be on point though, this I know. It’s a very emotional day for girls, and if one small thing goes wrong then chaos reigns. Panic comes to the fore and everything that should go right, inevitably goes wrong. Luckily for Tara, nothing too dramatic happened.

As you can clearly see, I was trying my best not to upstage here with my long, baggy Hollister top – which has now been unfortunately ripped up and eaten by my dog – but I think she managed to hold on to upstage us! It was my favourite top too, but let’s not get into that. Things could get a bit emotional.  Her makeup, hair, nails and appearance were bang on. I don’t know much about Inglot makeup but apparently it’s a thing now. Her morning was spent getting this makeup done, along with hair and nails as well. Both were booked appointments and presumably cost money but they were certainly worth it. I’d nearly get into the makeup business myself after finding out how many appointments these makeup artists got! it was a lot, and not just for one day either. Think of all the Debs in Ireland each year, all the money!

The day in itself is great, with family and friends all coming around to see the model herself. It’s literally like a fashion show. Everyone has their cameras out, while Tara is modelling off her dress and getting in photos with everyone in sight. I usually take the photos, but I was forced to get into one or two, which was to be expected. My parents took great joy in seeing their little girl all grown up and looking like a princess from a Disney movie. Not only my parents, but my grandparents. It must be great for them to also see their grandchildren growing up. Grandad is 94 years old now, so I can imagine he cherishes these moments even more!

The plus side for me, apart from getting to practice my photography skills, is the endless amounts of cakes, buns and savoury treats that I can devour. It’s not everyday I get to break my diet, so special occasions like this are a treat for me!

As for the second debs, I wasn’t as involved  in that because it didn’t actually take place in our house. She went to the guys house, which I think is bizarre seeing as the guy is meant to collect the girl. Common courtesy no? Apparently not with this young chap! Either Way, she looked fabulous again with all the effort and fine details spot on as per. I didn’t manage to get a photo, but thankfully Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook. Personally, the blue dress isn’t quite as fabulous as the white dress, but still superb all the same.

It really did bring me back to the times where I was grooming myself up for my own debs. It’s a milestone in a person’s life, especially in your teenage years. The first proper time you get to experience an occasion like this. You get to celebrate it with your friends and family, which makes it all the more enjoyable. I actually missed my last debs through sickness, so being reminded of how fun a day it is brought back sad memories. I can’t complain though, I had gone to 4 previous debs before that.

Overall, it was a lovely occasion and one that will be missed. That’s officially the last debs in our household, with all three children out of secondary school. It’s safe to say we are all growing up very fast. It only felt like yesterday that I was putting on the suit myself.

Getting to reminisce about the past is always lovely. Especially when it’s good memories! Have you been reminiscing about anything in your life lately? Let me know in the comments below!

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