This from the Wellesley Cotillion Parents Committee:

As you probably know by now, The Wellesley Cotillion will be held this coming Saturday evening, January 7, 2017 from 7:30-10:30pm at BU’s Metcalf Hall Ballroom. Our new venue is the spacious, second floor of Boston University’s George Sherman Union Building, located at 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

What you might not know is that The Wellesley Cotillion is run entirely by a committee of parents. Why do we parents volunteer our time and agree to these long hours? It’s simple — because we want to give our sons and daughters and their guests the experience of a formal, winter dance. Attendance at Cotillion is a rare privilege. We parents have planned for months and months to make this an elegant evening for all who attend. This is our party, and we have lovingly crafted it for our sons and daughters, their friends, their classmates, and everyone’s guests.

Because we are the party planners – we get to decide on all the little details AND we get to make and enforce the rules. We hope you understand that we CAN and WILL send anyone home that doesn’t follow our rules. To send a guest home, we don’t need to prove they are drunk, or high, or under the influence of drugs. We don’t need to ask a guest to pass a breathalyzer test. We don’t want to host that kind of party. This is an elegant affair. A chance to get dressed up, to be treated with respect, and to have a memorable evening with friends. If we don’t like the way a guest is behaving, we will send them home. It’s as simple as that. Come and enjoy yourself, but do so respectfully.

This is going to be one heck of a party. The DJ and the dance floor are fantastic. The ballroom is spectacular. The lounge area features an entire wall of windows and another wall of glass. The light show will dazzle. This night is not for anyone who thinks it’s ok to get sloppy drunk, to vomit on the armchairs, or to bring vaping products to our party. This is an elegant affair and we parents expect that all guests will cooperate with and respect our Cotillion rules. Anyone that can’t abide by our rules will get sent home. Sad for all involved. But good for those that have come to enjoy our elegant evening.

A final recap of the details:

DROP-OFF: Cotillion guests should be dropped off at the Wellesley High School (WHS) front doors between 6:30-6:50pm. Parents ARE NOT allowed inside WHS. Police will be on site to help move traffic efficiently. We hope to have the first bus on the road by 6:50pm.

SELF-PARKING: If necessary, guests may drive themselves to WHS and leave their car in the parking lot. Please be aware that Wellesley Police have been hired to monitor the parking lot throughout the event and especially at the end of the night when guests return to their cars.

ZERO TOLERANCE: Yes! There is a Zero Tolerance Policy for alcohol, drugs, smoking products, and/or BAD or inelegant behavior. Anyone suspected of being under the influence of or in the possession of drugs, smoking materials, or alcohol will be detained and their parent/guardian will be called immediately to come and pick them up. We don’t need proof and we don’t need witnesses. We can and will send guests home that are behaving badly. This holds true at Wellesley High School and at Boston University. There is NO REFUND for anyone who is sent home.

SECURITY: Wellesley Police, BU Security, WHS Supervisors, and Parent Volunteers will all work together to provide a safe, respectful, party environment for all guests.

REGISTRATION: Every guest must REGISTER and PAY in advance through the Cotillion Website. Don’t come to Wellesley High School unless you’ve bought a ticket online. You can’t pay on the evening of the event. There is no “Ticket” to bring to WHS. At the check-in table, guests will receive their bus ticket/index card. This index card is proof of your pre-registration and will be needed to board a bus. HANG ON to your pre-printed Index Card as you wind your way through the WHS Cafeteria and head for the waiting buses!

COTILLION BUSES: ALL Guests MUST ride TO and FROM Cotillion on one of the chartered motor coach buses provided by the Cotillion Committee. Buses will depart from WHS. Buses are NOT Pre-Assigned. Guests will board buses in groups of 45-50 people. Stay close to your friends if you’d like to ride on a bus together. Bathrooms will be locked on buses so plan accordingly. On the way home, one bus will drop guests off at The Boys & Girls Club of Warren Street in Roxbury. All other buses will return to WHS.

BAGS POLICY: Bags and Backpacks will NOT be allowed at Cotillion nor on buses. Bags should be dropped at your post-party destination ahead of time. One exception to this policy is small, evening-style bags. We will allow guests to carry evening bags but they will be searched at check-in tables. Large bags and backpacks may be checked at the desk outside the WHS Office and retrieved at the end of the night.

BLACK TIE: This is not only a dress code – this is also a code of conduct. Guests should behave in a way appropriate to this formal evening, both on and off the dance floor, as well as to and from Cotillion on the luxury buses.

JACKETS and SHOES: Overcoats and winter jackets should not be necessary as the buses will provide door-to-door service. Guests wearing a coat or tuxedo jacket are encouraged to write their name on a blank, white index card and slip that card into an inside pocket of their jacket. Evening bags may also be labeled in a similar fashion. Index cards and Sharpie markers will be available on tables in the WHS Cafeteria. Guests are also encouraged to label the bottom or inside of their shoes, especially if they plan to take them off for dancing.

RECEIVING LINE: When buses unload at Cotillion, Bus Chaperones will escort their group of guests into the venue, up the stairs, and straight to one of several Receiving Lines. Here, every guest is expected to greet a few Cotillion Committee Members and Parent Volunteers in a short, traditional receiving line.

Here’s what might be expected at a Receiving Line:

Student/Guest – Say your name to the parent, shake her/his hand. If you have a date, you might also choose to introduce your date to the parent.

Parent – Will say a few words of welcome.

Student/Guest – Say a few words of closing (“thank you” is appropriate) and move on to the next parent in line.

COAT CHECK: After guests finish at one of the receiving lines, they should proceed to Coat Check to drop-off any personal items. After that, it’s straight on to the party!

FOOD and BEVERAGES: Guests may NOT bring their own food or beverages to WHS or the Cotillion. (Gum and mints are OK but please DO NOT spit out your gum on the dance floor. That is totally inelegant – not to mention disgusting.) Drinks and snacks will be served at Cotillion. We have guarantees in place that we will NOT run out of water this year.

DOCTORS and NURSES: Parents have volunteered their medical expertise at WHS and at the Cotillion. They will discreetly provide care for any guest that needs assistance. Guests can ask any Adult Volunteer where they can find a Doctor or Nurse.

RETURN HOME: Buses will begin to depart Cotillion at 10:30pm. Guests who will be picked up by parent/guardians should text their ride once their bus has left Boston to provide an estimated pick-up time – typically about 30 minutes later.

PICK-UP: Parent/guardians should wait in a parking spot in the WHS Parking Lot. Please do not park or wait ANYWHERE along the curb as this area will be enforced as a “live” pick-up-only zone. Guests will exit from the front door of WHS and cars may approach the pick-up zone only when the returning Cotillion guest is on the curb.

Wellesley students, please share this information with your date.

The Wellesley Cotillion website has the most current information: www.wellesleycotillion.org

Tickets may be purchased through Thursday, January 5th at midnight.

We look forward to an amazing Cotillion!