Sorry, it’s not exactly like the movies.
We all dream about the perfect prom night: showing up in a limo, having the biggest corsage, wearing the prettiest dress, and dancing the night away with the cutest prom date. But here’s the truth, nothing ever goes exactly as planned. Here’s 5 Things You Should Know (and what I wish I knew last year…) Before Prom.
- It doesn’t have to be, nor is it actually, a romantic event.
Me and my best friend slaying prom!
Yes, prom is cute and the perfect time to show the world that you’re totally in love or whatever, but honestly, prom isn’t really a romantic thing. Unless you find sweaty dancing and loud blaring music as your idea of a perfect date! Don’t stress about slow dancing to the perfect song or getting kissed in the limo. This is the one night where you can totally let loose (in a classy formal way of course!) with your best friends and dance until your feet hurt! You’ll have more fun embracing the party vibe and dancing the night away, than worrying about the size of your corsage or if you took enough cliche cheesy photos with your date.
- It’s not the end of the world if you don’t get asked or don’t have a date.
To be honest, a prom date is really only needed for the photos. Last year, I barely even saw my date after dinner! We split up because we had different groups of friends, but we both admitted to having a great time! I hung out with my group of friends who didn’t have dates, and loved every minute of it! We took a ton of group photos at the Photo Booth, danced a little, and fake gambled (because it was Casino Royale themed!).
Also, you can always ask your best guy friend to go with you! Who says girls can’t ask guys? It’s 2016.
Date or no date, prom is a fun night if you let it be.
- Have a schedule and be organized!
Oh how I wish I was more organized last year. Making a schedule is key to staying sane the day of prom. From the hair and makeup appointments to being ready in time for photos, I was pretty exhausted by the time prom started! The weeks before, I was also an unorganized mess. (In my offense, I was a class officer and had to plan prom so I was more worried about making the invitations and making sure the DJ receives the music list than reserving a limo, but still, I should’ve been more prepared!) Make sure you have everything planned in advance: hair and makeup appointments, photos, dinner reservations, limo ordered, etc. Don’t wait until the day of prom to figure things out.
Confession: My group didn’t have a set ride to prom! We had to go in separate cars and after prom, we wasted so much time driving around searching for a place to eat, because we forgot to check that everything would be closed! Take my advice, be organized! Prom is definitely not the night to wing it.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff.
I was incredibly stressed out the night before prom. I was freaking out over every little thing, and I blame teen high school movies! Movies give you the idea that prom is this amazing and magical night, where everything is perfect and drama doesn’t exist. But that’s not the truth. Your nails can chip before you take that perfect corsage photo (mine chipped RIGHT after my manicure), you can spill something on your dress, your group can be late to your photos appt, etc. My friend’s dress got totally stepped on and ripped, yet she still had a wonderful prom night! My advice is to take a deep breath and remember, you can’t control everything.
- Wear what you want. Even if it’s a short dress.
Okay, this is an important one. Wear what YOU want to wear to prom. Want to wear a black dress? Do it. Want to slay in a short dress? Girl, work it. There’s no rules to your prom dress, nor should you care about competing with everyone else. I got so much crap for wearing a short dress last year, but I absolutely loved my classy tea party-looking dress! (It had pockets, how could I not love it?) All that matters, is that you feel confident, cute, and comfortable in whatever you choose to rock at prom.
I hope you all have a magical and princess-y prom night! Remember to make the most of it: take a billion pictures, dance until your feet hurt, and don’t freak out if things aren’t perfect.
Xoxo,
Eliz