The Enchanted Garden Ball

Feeling sleepy as I type, second year nostalgia has already set in. Last night was the Exeter Enchanted Garden Ball, an event which was undoubtedly the perfect way to finish off another university year.

The dress I wore to the ball was a surprising choice from Topshop; a lacey turquoise number fitted at the top with a flared skirt. The colour choice was obviously a wise one as both Emily and Rosie wore similar shades - we look a lot like bridesmaids here (I am the lady on the left).

Normally I am too scared to wear Topshop dresses to an event as I find that they are always so popular, but luckily last night I failed to spot anyone matching! As for the rest of my outfit, my earrings are from Accesorize and my wedges are again a trustworthy pair I bought ages ago in Faith.

The setting of the evening was in Shobrooke Park, which my hazy memory located at around half an hour's drive away from Exeter. The coach slot that we had all booked onto was at a painstakingly early 6.45, which  ended up having it's advantages as we arrived at the venue well in time to take lots of beautiful outdoor photos. I'm glad that we made the most of the scenic surroundings - the lush green grassy fields heightened my summery mood even more, especially since it was so wonderfully hot! Everyone signed these letters too upon entry, which I thought was a cute Bestival-esque touch.

Sadly, I failed to take any non-blurry snaps of the layout of the Ball, so I will try my best to paint you all a word picture of the evening. Once we were inside the 'arena' there were a series of different sized marquees, each boasting a unique theme and a range of entertainment. We spent the beginning of the night dancing away in the German tent, which had a very enthusiastic brass/folk band and, to my boyfriend's delight, served beer in a litre glass...

After that I spent most of the night floating around watching the croquet, sitting on a giant rubix cube and dancing in the 80s tent. The 80s tent weirdly didn't seem to play any 80s music, but I had a long bop in there anyway! My housemate Jojo was particularly reluctant to leave as she became very attached to the inflatable beach balls, and I think she might have actually ended up stealing one. I'll have to check.

The last thing that I wish to share is perhaps a little bit less refined. As the night wore on, we developed a highly advanced idea, which basically resulted in blagging free food. We quickly established that by lurking near the food stall, we could utilise our persuasive skills to the utmost advantage for our greedy gang. The consequence of this alcohol-fuelled bravado was that our table ended up collectively amassing approximately 7 burgers, 2 hog roasts, 4 portions of cheesy chips and a whole load of exuberance at our sneaky steal. In hindsight, I probably didn't need to eat quite such a large amount, but my hangover today was grateful for it.

A not quite so classy end to an otherwise wonderful evening!

My favourite photo of the Springers - I'll miss you all.

Lots of love, S x