Sorority Tips: 23 Big Little Reveal Ideas to Try Out

Are you prepping for the Bid Week and getting ready to take on your very own Little? Then you need some awesome Big Little reveal ideas!

Organizing activities for Bid Week, as well as the actual reveal, is no easy task. It takes hard work, excellent time management skills, and a lot of creativity. But that’s what sororities and geek life are all about, right?

What Is Big Little Reveal?

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When you get to college, you’ll pledge to a sorority in the hopes of joining them and becoming a Little. Not everyone does this, of course. But if you’re not interested in joining a sorority, you don’t really need Big Little reveal ideas, do you?

Anyway, once a sorority you’ve applied to checks if you’re a good match for them, they’ll bid on you. Once they do, that marks the start of the Bid Day. A Bid Day is essentially a huge themed party that is a celebration of new members, and that’s when the Big Little matching starts.

Who Are Bigs and Littles?

To explain the terminology, Bigs are active members of the sorority who have been members for at least a year. If you were a Little last year, you’d probably be a Big this year (if your schedule allows you to take on a Little). There are also G-Bigs, which is a Grand Big. That’s a member of a sorority who was a Big last year to a person who’s now taking on a Little.

During Bid Week, new pledges will go on “dates” with active sorority members to see who they connect with the most. It’s basically like trying to find an actual partner. However, it’s more fun, and there are no rejections. So, basically nothing like dating!

Once you go on a few dates with all members who are eligible to become Bigs, you both vote on who you’d like as your Big and Little. The sorority matches the pair according to these votes. But you won’t know the results until the big moment the week’s been building up to.

That’s, of course, the Big Little reveal.

Now, if you’re a senior sister who’s preparing for the Bid Week, you’re probably looking for Big Little reveal ideas, so let’s see which types of reveals there are and which amazing ideas you can choose from.

Why Do I Need Ideas?

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Most sororities take on new pledges twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall). That means that you and your sisters need to think of a new theme twice a year. And who wants to repeat themselves, right?

When you’re organizing a reveal, you’re creating core memories both for yourselves and your Littles. A girl is a Little only once in her life. That’s an experience she’ll carry with her for the rest of her life. So, you need to make it as memorable as possible. That’s why you need great Big Little reveal ideas!

Types of Big Little Reveals

Typically, every sorority has its own tradition, or a pool of Big Little reveal ideas that they shuffle through every Bid Week. However, it’s never a bad thing to think outside of the box and do something new and exciting. Overall, there are six or so different types of reveals:

• candle blowing reveals
• yarn reveals
• scavenger hunt reveals
• matching shirt reveals
• gift box reveals
• fandom reveals

1. Candle Blowing Reveals

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If there’s one type of Big Little reveal ideas that are always a win in everyone’s book, it’s definitely the candle-blowing reveal. It’s a traditional, simple way to surprise your Littles and build up suspension.

The reveal is pretty straightforward. A Little stands in the middle of the circle of potential Bigs, with a candle in their hand. They go around the circle to see which potential Big will blow out their candle. Of course, to make things more fun, the Big, who is a match for the Little, can wait until the Little goes a few times around the whole circle before revealing herself and blowing out the candle.

Candle blowing is a great reveal because you can combine it with lots of other Big Little reveal ideas. For example, the Big can prepare a gift for her Little that will show that they are a true match.

2. Yarn Reveals

Another amazing category of Big Little reveals is the yarn reveal. If your sorority has a house, this is an amazing way to organize your reveal. However, even if you don’t, you can still do it at a park or other communal areas.

Each Big takes a big ball of yarn that she strings around the house. The general idea is that all Bigs string their yarn throughout the entire house until it looks like a huge web (make sure the girls can still move through the house, though).

Then, give each Little one end of their Big’s ball of yarn. Their Big will, of course, hold the other end, and once the Little untangles the web all the sisters created, she’ll see which sister is her new Big.

3. Scavenger Hunt Reveals

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Organizing a scavenger hunt is one of the best Big Little reveal ideas because it can be interactive and it can be a whole-day activity. Depending on the available space and time, you can make the scavenger hunt as complicated (or simple) as you please.

Each Little will search for carefully placed clues, revealing the location of their new Big sister. Sometimes these scavenger hunts can span over the entire Bid Week, which builds up the suspense even more.

4. Matching Shirts Reveals

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Although it might seem like matching shirts are one of the simplest Big Little reveal ideas, organizing this type of a reveal is actually a great opportunity for the Littles to meet all the sisters in the sorority.

If you have a lot of active members, you can order similar shirts for everyone while getting the Big Little pairs matching shirts. Then, during the meet and greet, you can have the Littles search through the sea of similarly dressed sisters for their one perfect match.

Of course, you can make things more fun by asking the Bigs to hide or evade their Littles (at least for a little while) to make the search more interesting.

It’s important to remember to have active members who aren’t taking on Littles ready with their phones, so they can capture the reveal moment.

5. Gift Box Reveals

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Gift box reveals are by far the most popular type of Big Little reveal ideas. All the Bigs will build gift boxes that are big enough to fit them. The general idea is to give the Little a matching wrapping paper so she can search for the gift that holds her Big.

Of course, this is one of those Big Little reveal ideas that you can build on. You can keep it simple and just have your Littles unwrap their Big sister. Of course, you can also add to the idea. You could organize a scavenger hunt, for example.

6. Fandom Reveals

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During the Bid Week, potential Bigs and Littles will go out on dates and get to know each other. During those sister dates, they’ll hear about each other’s interests and see if they share any. Naturally, fandoms will come up sooner or later (probably sooner, if we’re honest).

You could match your Bigs and Littles based on their shared fandom obsessions and organize the reveals based on that. If both the Big and Little are fans of, say, Harry Potter, you could use that as a theme. This is an excellent type of reveal because it can be highly personalized. It also gives the Big Little match even more opportunities to bond over shared interests.

32 Big Little Reveal Ideas That Will Blow Your Littles’ Minds

It’s important to note that you don’t have to stick to the typical six types of Big Little reveal ideas. You can organize your reveal in any way you and your sister see fit. However, because thinking of new things gets quite difficult after a while, here are the best Big Little reveal ideas for you to choose from.

1. Postcards Reveal

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If you want to make your reveal an around-the-globe party, you can organize the reveal to be postcard-themed. Every Little gets a postcard of a specific place, and she has to go around the party to search for her matching sister.

Of course, you don’t have to stick to postcards. You can also print out photos of different places and even personalize them. For example, Bigs can print out photos of places that are important to them or their future Littles. That will make the whole experience more personal and heartwarming.

2. Care Package Reveal

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Preparing a care package for your Little can be an amazing reveal idea as well as a bonding experience. The trick is to give the Little a piece of the care package that will fit into the actual package. That’s why it’s vital that the packages for different Littles are distinct and, ideally, color-coordinated. You can also make the package themed. Go for something that’s important to your Little or something you bonded over.

3. Notebook Reveal

Note-taking is a huge part of the college experience. Although most students do it digitally nowadays, preparing matching notebooks for your Littles is still a fantastic idea. That way, she’ll have something to take with her to classes that will remind her of the fact she has a Big sister to lean on.

You can also go a step further and prepare a whole stationery package that your Little will use throughout the semester.

4. Photo Album Reveal

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Now, preparing a photo album that’s essentially a reveal of who the Big sister is can be a bit of a difficult task to pull off. However, if you take enough pictures throughout Rush Week, you’ll be able to do it.

You can organize the pictures so that they tell a story about the Little’s journey and have a big finish of photos with her chosen Big sister!

5. Party Theme Reveal

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Because a reveal can basically be one huge party where all sorority members support the new matches, you can organize a themed reveal. For example, instead of making your party one theme, you can organize different “batches” of the party that all have a specific theme.

Then, you can coordinate the themed outfits for the Littles and their chosen Big sisters and have the Littles wander through the party looking for their costume match.

Again, this is one of the best Big Little reveal ideas that allow the Littles to meet everyone and talk to as many active members as possible.

6. Group Gift Reveal

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Similar to the care package idea, a group gift can be an excellent way for your Littles to discover which sister has been chosen as their Big. By preparing a group gift for all the Littles and having them work together to solve a puzzle or a riddle hidden in the gift to find out who their Bigs are, you’re also giving them a chance to bond with each other.

7. Cheetah-Themed Reveal

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If you’re wondering why a simple matching shirt reveal is so high on our list, it’s because it’s widely popular. Although we don’t condone stereotypes, sorority girls love cheetah prints and animal prints in general. So why not use that to your advantage?

You can organize an animal print reveal that will have your Big Little matches wear matching prints. To make things harder, you can have other sisters wear similar prints on their shirts. That will make it harder for the Little to quickly pinpoint her Big in the crowd. Instead, she’ll have to work for it.

8. Unicorns and Mermaids Reveal

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Unicorns and mermaids have been gaining in popularity in recent years. Both themes are great for party planning because they allow you to work with a bright and vibrant color palette. What’s more, they offer a variety of options when it comes to the Big Little reveal.

You can prepare unicorn or mermaid-inspired costumes (or just stick to simple shirts) and then have your Littles search for their ideal match.

9. Powerpuff Girls

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Having a Powerpuff Girls reveal is a fantastic idea because not only is the theme appropriate for a sorority reveal, but it’s also empowering. Powerpuff Girls have been role models for little girls everywhere for decades, so why not use that to your advantage?

A Powerpuff Girls-themed reveal party is also a great way to either keep it simple or go big. You can order matching outfits for everyone or just stick to the basic PPG colors and have your Littles search for their Bigs based on that.

10. A Balloon Party Reveal

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Is there anything better than a balloon party? Well, yes — a balloon reveal party! If you have a sorority house, you can fill the common areas with balloons. You can opt for regular ones that will be on the ground or go for helium ones and attach strings with pictures or clues on them.

Either way, you can assign a specific color to each Little and have her search through the color-matching balloons until she finds the one that either has the name of her Big or a clue that will reveal her Big to her.

11. Hair Bow/Tie Reveal

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Getting matching accessories for your Little and yourself is a great way to reveal to them that you’ll be their mentor for the year. Although this is one of the simpler Big Little reveal ideas, it can still be an exciting reveal.

Of course, because you don’t want to make the reveal anti-climactic, it’s best if you get similar hair bows or ties for all sisters and then make the ones that are a part of a matching pair a bit different.

Making the hair bows can be a great DIY project for the entire sorority and a way for all active members to contribute to Rush Week. Some members can’t participate in many activities due to their schedules. So this can be a great way to include them while being respectful of their free time.

12. Wrapping Paper Reveal

As mentioned, some of the most traditional Big Little reveal ideas are the ones that include wrapping the Bigs into huge gift boxes and having the Littles unwrap their “presents”.

However, given that making and transporting huge boxes that can fit an entire person can be a bit of an ordeal (especially for sororities that don’t have a sorority house), you can do a gift box reveal with a twist. Instead of having the Big hide in the gift box, you can have all the sisters carry a small gift box with them. Wrap the gift boxes in different types of wrapping paper, so some sisters have matching ones.

Then, have your Littles go around and open the gift boxes until they find the one that holds their name. That’s when they’ll know they found their Big!

13. Umbrella Reveals

If you don’t have a sorority house, you’re most likely to organize the reveal party somewhere outdoors. To protect yourself and your sisters from the elements, you can make the reveal umbrella-themed. Umbrellas are a great way to have that big wow moment when the reveal happens while also shielding you from the sun or rain.

Umbrellas are a great reveal prop. You can order regular umbrellas in five or so colors and have your Littles search for sisters who have the matching color. When a potential Big opens her umbrella, it will either be empty or reveal a match.

The actual reveal can be done in a lot of ways. For example, you can fill the umbrella with confetti or glitter (although that might be hard to clean afterward). If you want to go the extra mile, you can even tie strings with pictures of the Little and Big sisters to the body of the umbrella so that they fall out when the umbrella is opened.

Of course, it’s vital that you coordinate both the search and the reveal. Make sure that you get enough colors and umbrellas so that one Little doesn’t accidentally discover another Little’s match. For example, if you have ten sisters with pink umbrellas, make sure only one of them is a Big or a Little who has a pink clue. Otherwise, you might end up with a wrong reveal.

14. Puzzle Pieces Reveal

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If you want to make the reveal more interesting for all parties, you can make the Littles search for their missing puzzle piece. This can be done in a few ways. For example, you can make cardboard puzzle pieces that go together and have the Littles search for the one that fits with theirs.

Alternatively, you can gift each Little a whole puzzle with one piece missing. The missing piece will, of course, be in their Big’s possession. The reveal happens when a Little finds the missing piece.

15. Matching Necklaces Reveal

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If you want to elevate the previous idea, you can have the Bigs wear the missing pieces of the puzzle as necklaces around their necks. You can even have them hide the necklaces as bracelets or hair ties to make things a bit more difficult.

If not, you can still use the necklace idea. Getting matching, two-part necklaces (or three-part, if you want to include the G-Big sister as well) is a great way to reveal to a Little who their new Big sister is.

If matching necklaces aren’t your thing, you can opt for the lock-and-key idea. Give all the Littles keys on a string they’ll wear around their necks while giving all Bigs necklaces with padlocks on them. Then have the Littles go around to see if the keys they have match any of the Bigs’ locks.

16. Tik Tok Dance Reveal

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Tik Tok is widely popular, and viral Tik Tok dances are all the rage now. That’s precisely why it’s a great idea to use that to your advantage and plan your whole reveal around it.

This particular reveal takes a bit of extensive planning. It requires all participating sisters to learn a specific Tik Tok dance. So it’s not something you can organize on the spot.

However, because it’s so fun and engaging, it will be worth the planning (and rehearsing). Matching the Big Little pairs by having them perform the same dance will be hilarious and an experience none of you will ever forget.

17. Matching PJs

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If you have a sorority house, you can plan a reveal slumber party. It’s basically a regular party where new pledges will have the opportunity to mingle and bond with everyone. However, the party will also go on into the night. When the right time comes, have all the sisters change into PJs. Big Little matches will wear the exact same thing, thus revealing the matches!

18. Fandom Reveals

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As we already mentioned, some of the most popular Big Little reveal ideas are fandom-themed ones. If you don’t want all your sisters to look exactly the same or have the same type of a reveal, then a fandom-themed reveal is the ideal choice for you.

Each match can have its own theme. This will make it easier for the Littles to find their Bigs. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can make each reveal personalized. As mentioned, each Big can pick a fandom both her and her future Little enjoy.

Some of the most popular fandoms are:

• Harry Potter one, which gives you plenty of options when it comes to coordinated costumes
• Stranger Things one, if you and your sisters are more of a scary-show type of a sorority
• Riverdale
• Sex Education
• Gilmore Girls, etc.

You can use this type of a reveal even if your Littles (or Bigs) aren’t really members of any fandoms. For example, pre-med girls will probably love a Grey’s Anatomy reveal. Those who are gunning for a law degree will enjoy being a part of a law-themed reveal. There are so many options to choose from — The Good Wife, Law And Order, Boston Legal, Suits, etc.

Of course, you can also stick to fandom-themed reveals that are a good fit for everyone. For example, a Mean Girls-themed reveal will probably be fun for everyone. Who hasn’t seen (and enjoyed) Mean Girls?

19. Starbucks Reveals

Look, sometimes sorority girls get a bad rap for being basic. You’ve seen the memes of swarms of sorority sisters dressed in the exact same outfits, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, and welcoming fall as if it doesn’t happen every year, right?

Well, why not embrace that? Since we have a reputation for loving Starbucks, make the reveal Starbucks-themed. Each potential Big sister can have a specific drink in her hand. The Little’s job can be to find the one with a matching order.

Alternatively, you can also play on the neverending joke of how Starbucks baristas never get any names right. You can label each drink with an almost-ineligible name that’s a play on the Littles’ names and have the Littles try to decipher them.

20. Reveal Week

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Instead of doing just one day (or a couple of hours) of activities, why not extend the reveal to a few days or a week? You can organize a scavenger hunt that lasts for the entire week. That way, you’ll engage your Littles and have them interact with all the sisters.

The hunt doesn’t have to be complicated, but if you have the time and the energy, you can also make it convoluted. You can have all the active members participate (at least by being clue holders). That way, your Littles will be busy both bonding with sisters and trying to figure out the clues.

At the end of the hunt, the Bigs will reveal themselves in an extraordinary fashion. You can combine this idea with any of the other Big Little reveal ideas we listed here.

21. Cowgirl Hats

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If you’re strapped for time, you can always organize a daisy dukes and cowgirl hats party. Matching hats are a great way to reveal a Big to a Little. Plus, they make for an excellent party accessory that both the Bigs and the Littles will probably use in the following years. If nothing else, at least they have half a Halloween costume ready for the next season!

22. Neon Shirts

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Having a neon shirt reveal is a play on the idea of the matching shirts. You can organize it just as a simple search. Alternatively, you can go the extra mile and throw a stop light party. Of course, instead of using the neon color to signal whether the sister is single or not, the bright neon shirts can signal a potential match.

This is a no-frills idea, but it’s still a great pick. You can mix it up with other ideas to create something that hasn’t been done in your sorority before.

23. Wanted Posters

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Printing out wanted posters or posters with a cutout is a great way to entertain and excite your Littles. After all, that’s what the Big Little reveal is all about. The sisters are supposed to be enthusiastic about their potential match and aim to find their Big sister as soon as possible.

Plus, wanted posters make for excellent pic props! Although pretty much all these Big Little reveal ideas give you the opportunity to take Insta-worthy shots, the wanted poster one is exceptional.