Christ Church Guest Dinners take place at the start and end of every term (so that’s two per term, times three terms). Guest Dinner is a back tie dinner in Hall where where we ballot for a pair of tickets, one for ourselves, and one for a guest - hence the name! We have to ballot as the event is so popular, and then, if we get tickets, we can invite a friend / family member from home - or even take a friend from college - to come with us. Having a black tie dress code is great fun, as it’s an excellent excuse to dress up (which most people I know love!) but it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, as it’s not full on floor length dress type black tie. (Also, some sale items in Oxford, say, at Zara, are absolute black tie bargains.) I’ve also noticed that at Christ Church, everyone can still show their individuality through black tie - there’s so many different sorts of people here, and so outfit spotting can be great fun! Our Guest Dinners take place in Hall, but are without gowns, and are four courses long, with wine served throughout the evening, alongside a drinks reception in the Ante Hall. The food is always en pointe, as Hall really pulls out the stops for Guest Dinners. As usual in Hall, there are vegetarian, vegan, and dietary requirement options available. Our Guest Dinners can seem a little pricey, at around £25 for Christ Church members, and slightly more for Guests, but in Oxford, this is around the standard price to pay for a fairly low-key meal out, and I always find events in college so much more fun and relaxed (as college really does feel like home), so this is definitely worth it! So, overall, this is a really fun, relaxed evening in my fantastic home with my friends and great food, and is definitely a really great part of life at Oxford / Christ Church! Also, there’s plenty of opportunity for prinking before hand with your friends, and for going out afterwards (a Christ Church favourite club for Friday nights is Emporium), if that’s your thing!
Keep your eyes peeled for the next post, where we'll see Rose's night in photos....