What I Did At Work Today

The Essential Things to Know About an All-American Prom

According to most American students, senior prom is the quintessential end to the high school experience.  Girls dream of being crowned prom queen from a young age and, in many places, prom shuts the entire community down.  As the years have gone on, Prom has become a bigger and more grandiose affair that has been glorified on popular American TV shows like The OC. This feature focuses on a high school in Orange Count, CA, where Prom is practically a city holiday.  Here are the main points included in a typical All-American Prom.

Pre-Prom Planning

Getting Asked to Prom – Over the years, people have gotten rather creative with their ways of asking people to prom.  It is no longer appropriate to just ask someone one on one.  Instead, the gesture must be very grand and theatrical.  This could include serenading, decorating a room with rose petals and balloons, or cakes decorated with “will you go to prom with me?”  Here are some of my favourite stories.  First, the boy created a puzzle and in each classroom the girl was given a piece of the puzzle.  At the end of the day, she had all the pieces of the puzzle and all together, the pieces created the word “PROM?”.  In another story, a boy had a note delivered to his girlfriend that said “I’d be a lucky duck if I could take you to prom.”  At lunch, he sent three friends, one at a time, to his girlfriend and they each asked her, with a small bouquet of flowers, if they were her lucky ducky.  She, of course, said no because she was waiting for her boyfriend.  All of a sudden, her boyfriend appeared dressed in a duck costume with a large bouquet of flowers and asked her to prom. 

Prom Group – Once girls start getting asked to the dance by the boys, groups of friends started getting together to organize their “Prom Group.”  The prom group consists of a group of students who will all get together before the prom, take pictures, have dinner together, and take the limo together to the prom.  The groups range in size from 4-50 people.  Often times, this is the best way for friends to get together to take pictures before they head off to the prom and so that all of the parents can see the kids together.  The group will often gather at one of the student’s homes, a park, or in the case of this Orange County, CA high school, the beach.

Pictures – Prom pre-party pictures are the easiest way for the student to get the most pictures with the greatest combination of people before the dance even starts.  It allows for couples to take pictures with couples, friends to take pictures with friends, and most importantly, for mass chaos to endure. 

Dinner – Once everyone has taken pictures with everyone, the group heads off to dinner.  There are two options for dinner: catered at someone’s home or out at a restaurant.  Usually, it is easiest if the meal is catered at somebody’s house because the groups are often too big to make a reservation.  The most common cuisine at dinner is Italian.

Limo/Special Cars – The prom groups usually arrange the number of people based on the amount of people can fit in the limo or special car they choose to take to the dance.  Some smaller groups will choose to take speciality vintage cars.  More commonly, students will choose to form large groups and take party buses or stretch limos.  The large limos can often fit 35-50 people.  The limos and buses are a lot of fun because they often include room to move around in and dance to the mix CD you choose to bring to soundtrack your ride to the dance.

Getting Ready for Prom

Dresses –For months before the prom, girls look for their dresses.  Everybody’s taste differs; some people like long dresses, other like short dresses.  Some people like strapless dresses, other like sleeved dresses. The best part about a prom is that everyone is required to get dressed up and look their best, showing off how nice everyone can look when they clean themselves up.

Tuxedos – The boys must follow the directions of the girl when it comes to their tuxedos.  Usually, the boy will wait for the girl to pick her dress before he goes to rent his tuxedo.  Once she has picked her dress, he can than coordinate his tie and vest color with her dress. Shown below, most boys wear black tuxedos, while other boys think it is appropriate to wear white.  They will regret this in 20 years when they look back at their prom photos.

Make Up – On the day of prom, most girls will go and get their make up done by a professional.  On the day of prom, the shopping malls and department stores are full with young girls getting their make up done at the make up counters of MAC or Clinique or Chanel.  Girls will often spend hefty amounts of money on their hair and makeup in order to look best on this special day.

Corsage/Boutonniere – One of the few elements that has stayed customary throughout the many years that prom has been around.  It is very customary for the girl to buy the boy a boutonniere and the guy to buy the girl a corsage.  The flower decoration is worn the entire night by both parties and adds a nice flair to the outfit.  Like the tuxedo, the couple usually waits to pick out the flowers until after the girl has chosen her dress... but white is always a favourite.

At Prom

Theme – Every high school doesn’t differently.  Some do basic themes that are only necessary for the name of the dance and others go for an over the top theme that can be echoed throughout the entire dance.  One example is shown below.  The high school chose to do a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory themed prom.  The invitations to the dance included a large Wonka Bar, the students voted for Prom King and Queen with pieces of candy, and there was even Willy Wonk and Oompa Loompa impersonators at the dance.  Everything that night was sweet and magical.  Another theme was Midnight Masquerade.  It is not appropriate for people to dress up for the students to dress in theme, but more as a guideline for decorations.

Location – Prom can be held at any location, ranging from hotels to museums.  It all just depends on finding a location that can hold the amount of people attending and is available the night of the dance.  This California high school has had their Prom at the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, and the Long Beach Convention Center.

DJ – The DJ is one of the most important elements of a successful prom because, after all, it is a dance!  The school hires the DJ and often pays a large amount of money to ensure they have the best.  Prior to the dance, the school will ask the students to write down song requests for the dance.  Most commonly, this list consists of the top 100 hits.  Unlike depicted in classic prom movies, there is no longer a dance for the prom king and queen.  The night is more about everyone having a good time together as a senior class.

Photos – Although the students will have already taken hundreds of pictures at their pre-prom parties, the dance will also have the option for dates and groups to take pictures infront of a custom background that goes with the theme of the dance.  The couples can choose to do any pose they wish, although the classic prom pose is often the favourite of the night.

Prom King and Queen - The most traditional aspect of prom that has not changed at all over the years is the idea of crowning a prom king and queen.  The way it works at this high school is that the seniors nominate students for prom court.  The five girls and the five boys with the most votes are announced as the prom court.  The night of prom, everyone votes when they first arrive at the dance and about half way through, the winners are announced.  Recently, high schools have allowed for a prom prince and princess to be awarded as well. This honor is done the same way but for the junior class instead of the senior.

How the Tradition Continues

Sorority/Fraternity Formals – The tradition continues past high school and into the university level.  Sorority and Fraternity organizations on university campuses hold both a winter and spring formal, which is almost equivalent to the insanity of prom.  In each instance, the member of the organization invites someone to come with them to the formal.  The event is held at the end of the term so that the members can celebrate a successful term together and have a good time dancing the night away.  This opportunity also lets the members relive the fun they had with prom in high school with all of their university friends.