The perfect ball

Supplied

LIFE'S A BALL: Students from Epsom Girls Grammar School pose in all their finery.

You shall go to the Ball - Part 1

You shall go to the Ball - Part 2

You shall go to the Ball - Part 3

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For many young adults their first school ball is a rite of passage.

A group of students from Epsom Girls Grammar School took Stuff.co.nz along on their journey to plan the perfect night.

Imogen Maddock says for many people the ball is the most important night of Sixth Form.

"It's a chance to get really dressed up and look ladylike."

She says that preparations for the ball - buying a dress, shoes and then having hair and makeup done - can cost thousands of dollars.

"I think the ball has become about spending a lot of money - with the perfect dress and the perfect make up."

She picked up her dress from an opshop for $135.

"There's no way I was going to spend thousands of dollars on a dress I'm going to wear once - that's ridiculous."

Bridget Dolan says that for some of her peers, the planning and preparation for the ball becomes almost an obsession.

"There are some groups who talk about the ball every second of every day.

"We were not that extremely obsessed with it - which is good to not have it as the focus of your life. Because there are other things."

The night begins at the pre-ball - where friends and family members gather at one house before the big event.

"It's a chance for your parents to meet other parents as well as size people up!"

"If you have a good start to the night then the rest of the night will fall into place."

*Click on the three videos on the left to follow the girls on their quest for the perfect ball.

- © Fairfax NZ News