The suits. The frocks. The hair-dos, the shoes, handbags and jewellery.

Getting ready for a dinner-dance can be weeks in the planning, and let’s not mention the expense.

In return, the annual staff dinner dance can be the highlight of the working year, prompting reminiscence and gossip a-plenty until the next one comes around.

Were you at any of these?

The Bucksburn and District Pipe Band celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1973 with a dinner-dance at the Royal Athenaeum in Aberdeen.

Pipe-Major David Duncan shows off the anniversary cake.

It will be the venerable band’s 75th anniversary this year.

Another Silver Jubilee dinner-dance, this time in 1979 and for The Holy Family Parish Church in Mastrick.

Following Mass in the church, the dinner-dance proceeded in the hall.

Attending the celebrations were three priests who had served the church during the intervening 25 years, Father Bernard Macdonald, Canon Duncan Stone and then-incumbent priest Father John Gowans.

Dinner-dances are often an occasion to hand out prizes and honours.

Safely on dry land, members of Aberdeen and Stonehaven Yacht Club topped their night with a fistful of trophies in 1985.

Plenty of trophies also at the annual prize-giving dinner dance of Aberdeen Amateur Athletics Club in 1964 in the Palace restaurant.

Here, James Laird is presented with the men’s points champion trophy to James Laird.

Far left is runner-up A Ballantyne, runner-up to Ladies Points champion Anne Trueman, and Mrs and Mr Alistair Wood.

Members of the Light Opera Company Pro Arte got up to high doh in 1988 as they celebrated their 20th anniversary.

Past and current members joined in a dinner-dance in the Amatola Hotel, Aberdeen.

Cutting the cake was musical director Kathleen Stuart.

And in 1989, members of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce had a night out with their partners at Airport Skean Dhu.

But let’s not forget those behind the scenes who turn out and serve the food and drink that keeps the social cogs oiled.

Here, staff at Aberdeen’s Station Hotel cooked their own meal for their dinner-dance in 1977.

Dinner in the oven then a quick change into the tuxedo and a happy evening with their colleagues.

Some evidently forgot to remove their hats.

End of training celebrations

Dinner-dances are a great way of celebrating milestones.

Here, student nurses from Foresterhill College Aberdeen are seen enjoying well-earned R&R in the Copthorne Hotel in 1987.

Even high street stores held dinner-dances in decades gone by

Here’s a scene from the Woolworths annual staff dinner-dance at the Bon Accord Hotel in 1966.

Fifth and sixth from the left in the back row are the Shand twin sisters Isabella and Annie who received gifts from the firm and staff to mark their 21 years’ service with the firm.