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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 12, 2001)
Pinning tradition carries on ■The ceremony remains one of anticipation to members of the greek system. BY CASEY JOHNSON Depending on who you speak with and what fraternity or sorori ty he or she is in, one will find dif ferent opinions on what the greek tradition of being pinned means. Whether it is a reason to party, a symbol of what a couple means to each other or a legitimate proposition of marriage, pinning is definitely a tradition within the greek system. Although there may be varia tions in the actual ceremonies, the tradition of being pinned is basi cally the same for most greeks. For a pinning ceremony, fra ternity members go to the sorority of the girl being pinned and sing traditional sorority/ fraternity songs followed by speeches about what the other person means to them After the ceremony, there is a party at a bar or restaurant Marisa Ramsey, a junior advertising major and a Pi Beta Phi sorority member, said her pin ning ceremony was more than just a tradition to her. > “Its like an engagement to an engagement, so if you do it, you are pretty much serious about making further commitments,” she said. Ramsey also said the event was important to her because of all of the family and friends involved in it “It’s not something that you just keep within the greek system,” she said. “You invite all of your friends, whether they are greek or not.” While the pinning may be over in one day of ceremony and party ing, that day is often anticipated for months. Nick Dolan, a sophomore agri cultural education major and member of Farmhouse Fraternity, said in his house, each class tried to predict who will be pinned next, while those who might be pinned tried to trick the guessers. “There may be several mem bers that are in a serious relation ship, and everyone tries to guess which member it will be,” Dolan said. But the tradition is not always taken as light-hearted fun. Some people are serious about it Jeff Guenin, who pinned Ramsey and is a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, said although being pinned rarely leads to marriage, he hoped they would be an exception to the rule. “Hopefully we will break that mold and see it through,” he said. Guenin said he believed the main reason pinnings didn’t trans late into marriage was because of the temporary atmosphere of col lege. “People just go separate ways, and a relationship is something you have to work on from both sides, especially in college,” he said. Suzanne Minarick, a junior business management and pre medicine major and president of Delta Gamma Sorority, said although houses interpreted the ceremony differently, the original purpose of the tradition could still be dive. “I think that the origind intent of the pinning is that if a guy is going to give a girl his fraternity pin, it’s kind of like (he’s) saying that this girl means more to me than my fraternity,” she sdd. “It's like (he’s) willing to share (his) fraternity with her a little bit” Grooms having more say in plans BY LINDSEY BAKER So the day is fast approach ing, and while the bride franti cally tries to finalize flowet arrangements, the groom jus't sits back on the couch with a cold one, right? Not so. Though wedding arrange ments now are usually made by both the bride and groom, Jane Bedient, manager of Randall’s Formal Wear, said there were a few things the groom should attendjto. "The groom should get the tux threie to four months prior (to the wddding),” Bedient said. "Have the gentlemen all meas ured and completed anywhere from three weeks to a month before the wedding.” This differs, she said, from the bride’s planning for brides maids, which usually calls for dresses to be ordered six to eight weeks before nuptials. ‘There are no rules anymore. It just depends on the bride and groom. It's basically what the bride and groom want to do and how they want to divide it up. w Shirley Grine former wedding consultant Bedient also said the groom traditionally handled payments or donations to clergy and musi cians, as well as the rehearsal dinner and honeymoon plan ning. Jeremy Lybarger, recent groom and manager of the downtown Best Styles Please see GROOM on 5 Proposals memorable, whether planned or not BY KATIE CUMMINS UNL senior psychology major Judy O’Brien almost ruined the surprise proposal planned by her boyfriend. He had secretly planned to fly to Lincoln and propose to her, but she found out about the secret flight before ne could surprise her, she said. O’Brien said she just assumed the surprise visit was her birthday gift, so she was shocked when he ended up giv ing her an engagement ring for her birthday, O’Brien said. For couples, the proposal process can be easy or difficult, quick or prolonged or joyful or heartbreaking. Whichever way, it is an event that will always be remembered in the minds of those involved. Proposing to someone is the first step in the process of get ting married. If all goes well, it begins the engagement period. Most people attempt to sur prise their loved one with a pro posal, but sometimes, the secret gets let out beforehand. When junior psychology 7f was one of the happiest days of my life, but 1 was kind of mad his sisters told me about it before it happened." Jessica Pauli UNL junior psychology major major Jessica Pauli attended a wedding with her boyfriend, she had been told by his sister that he was planning on pro posing soon, Pauli said. Even though the thought was in the back of her mind, she said she was still surprised when he got down on one knee while they were dancing at the reception and proposed to her. "It was one of the happiest days of my life, but I was kind of mad his sister told me about it before it happened,” she said. 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