Upon ye old castle on the hill, students came from far and wide. Many were full of Huskie spirit and regal charm for a very “Bridgerton” affair Queen Charlotte would approve of.
When the clock struck 6 p.m. Saturday, attendees gathered in Altgeld Hall for the Bridgerton Ball, dressed in their most formal attire, hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB).
The list of activities included waltzing, fencing, mask crafting and horse racing.
And, of course, no “Bridgerton” ball would be complete without the crowning of the diamond of the season.
The night was filled with many gallant occasions, and of course charcuterie and light refreshments.
The halls were full of bustling students, with nearly 400 dashing lords, elegant ladies and gentle Huskies in attendance.
Included in the affairs was a live fencing demonstration, brought to us by NIU’s very own Fencing Club.
Attendees of the ball witnessed a most valiant display as two brave nobles battled for the hand of the lovely Lady Rachel in marriage, but alas Rachel was no prize to be won so she fought for her own hand and won and chose no suitor.
This stunning turn of events was the talk of the ball and her fellow Huskies showered her with praises.
Besides the aforementioned display, one of the highlights of the ball was the fashion, with many Huskies putting on their finest attire for the event.
Nicole Paszko, a first year business management student, attended the evening with her roommate and wore a custom blue gown, made by her aunt.
“She was like I want to make you a dress, and I was like I do have this event coming up. It took her about a month of preparing,” Paszko said.
Beyond the couture, another rousing event got the Huskie spirit pumping, the horse racing.
According to Julia Janowski, head of CAB’s art and culture division, they considered a variety of options, including carriage rides and mechanical horses, but settled on the most achievable option.
“I wanted to include horse racing because that’s a huge part of it. Then I thought of doing a little race, where people can do hobby horses, the little blow up ones on a stick,” Janowski said.
Sixteen participants took part in the races, with James Lapenas, a sophomore psychology major, coming out on top.
For Lapenas the win was exhilarating and he admitted that for him, the evening was just a chance to have fun, dress up and hangout with friends.
“It was great to kind of have a little horsey and do some of the things. I had a lot of fun. The waltz was fun and then being able to dress up was kind of cool too,” Lapenas said.
After the races was the pinnacle of the evening, the diamond of the season. Huskies of all genders and identities were able to come on stage to be named diamond.
The diamond of the season is the name given to the most eligible marriage candidate for the social season, in the show chosen by Queen Charlotte herself.
While the Huskie version doesn’t require marriage, it did include a lovely gold and white tea set and tiera.
Once signed up, each student gathered on stage. Then each student or couple was announced one by one, with the best of the ball chosen by the audience cheering, but while many dashing and charming students attempted, there can be only one shining diamond.
The first ever Huskie diamond was Kayleena Lopez, a sophomore majoring in 2D illustration and design technology.
“I am actually really surprised. I’m quite literally shaking in my boots. I’m super grateful that you all thought my dress was very amazing because I was super self conscious about it,” Lopez said.
Lopez was wearing a dazzling navy blue sequence gown, from David’s Bridal’s Sweet 16 collection.
Overall it was a night of resplendent joy and jubilation.
