Make up, dresses, tears, boys, and drama? That’s right. It’s prom season. 

Hey, ladies. Due to the fact that prom is a high schooler’s equivalence to a wedding, I decided to bring up some do’s and dont’s. As a seventeen year old going to her first prom in two weeks (junior prom–woo!), I thought it’d be fun to share my own personal experiences and tips I’ve followed in hopes of making this night… well, the best it can be (I’d say spectacular, but I don’t want to be too cheesy). 

So. First of all, I’m going to explain the type of person I was going into this whole prom thing: bitter. I thought it was stupid, tacky, and a waste of money. But then I got over myself, and decided that maybe prom would be a cool experience. Plus, I’m a writer so I like to learn things through doing, and if I ever wanted to write about a dance, what better experience to thrive off from could I get than the ultimate dance itself?

I began easing up to the idea of prom. My friends convinced me to stop being such a downer, and I started looking at dresses, hairstyles, shoes, and makeup to see what I liked. Then, unexpectedly, one of my guy friends asked me to prom. It wasn’t anything like the movies! Actually, it was completely awkward. I was sitting in Dunkin Donuts, waiting for my mom to pick me up, writing poetry to pass time because I’m super corny like that. Then my guy friend walked in with a giant sign that said ‘YOU HAVE TO BE THIS TALL TO SAY NO TO PROM WITH ME’. I was totally caught off guard, and I don’t take surprises well (cough ninth grade surprise party in which I couldn’t stop shaking the entire night cough). So when I saw him, I was more like oh god rather than OHMYGOD!! Anyway, I stood under the sign and was TALLER than it. So technically, I could’ve said no. ;) But I said yes and my friend and I laughed the awkwardness off. 

The next hassle was finding a dress. My high school has a Facebook page where the girls post pictures of their prom dresses to avoid duplicates. The first dress I was looking at was taken by someone else, so I couldn’t get it. And then I went out shopping, and I found the most beautiful dress. It was purple, and had tasteful beading–I loved it. But a month after I posted the photo, a girl bought the same exact dress. At first I was upset, but I also didn’t want to turn into Promzilla so I talked it out with her. She refused to change her dress, and I told her it wasn’t a problem… and originally, I wasn’t going to change mine, but I ended up browsing anyway (not expecting to find anything). That was when I found an even prettier dress: a beautiful red one with intricate beading. Once again, I fell in love. So that was my prom dress!

So far, that is all I have figured out for my prom. Of course there’s still so much to do, but I have a check list I’m working off of. I thought I’d shared my do’s and don’ts to help other girls. Tis’ the season! 

FINDING A DATE

DON’T: THINK YOU NEED A DATE TO GO TO PROM

I originally believed you needed a date to go, but it turns out that plenty of people just go with their friends. At the end of the day, everyone is really going to hang out, dance, and have a good time. Whether you go solo or not isn’t really a concern. Plus, you can always meet someone new there without being tied down. 

DO: HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO GO WITH OR WITHOUT A DATE

Once again, dates are only minor details. The night is about YOU. Plus, as my personal experience suggests, promposals are NOT all they’re cracked up to be. :) Don’t let Instagram fool you. 

 

DON’T: BUY YOUR DRESS LAST MINUTE

I guess technically I did, but it’s much better to be prepared in advance. Finding your dress will take a huge load off your shoulders. If you’re ordering it online, you want to have it shipped months before the dance to make sure you get it in time. Also, once you get your dress you’ll probably need to deal with alterations and accessories. Knowing what you have makes it easier to work with everything else: you can now plan your makeup, nails, purse, shoes, hair pieces, etc., etc.

DO: MAKE APPOINTMENTS IN ADVANCE 

By making your appointments in advance, you are guaranteed to have perfect hair, nails, make up, and tans. Try and get the minor stuff done earlier in the week. Things like getting your nails and tan done a few days before will make the day of prom less stressful. You can worry less about bouncing between multiple appointments because you were proactive! 

DON’T: GO TOO CRAZY

Wild patterns don’t look too well in pictures, and neither does gloppy make up. Find an elegant, complimenting dress, and practice your make up beforehand! For your look, it’s probably best to stick to neutral colors while adding a hint of your dress color rather than making your entire eye bright blue. Instead, stick to tans and browns and golds that compliment your skin and eye color, and add dashes of your dress color either in your crease or the center of your eye. Also, if you’re wearing fake eyelashes you might want to stick with more natural looking ones. And lastly, if you’re getting a fake tan (I’m not) make sure you don’t turn out orange. :)

DO: FEEL CONFIDENT

If you want to tone up or start eating healthier before prom to try and get a ‘better’ body, don’t obsess over it. No matter what you’re going to look beautiful. Obviously, toning up is always a healthy idea! But don’t make this something that stresses you out. You can still have a frapuccino and you can still have ice cream–don’t let prom ruin your life. Eating healthier and doing push ups is always a great idea, but the only way you’ll feel your absolute best is if you’re confident. Love yourself no matter what. Getting healthy is always a great idea; just don’t fret it too much.

DON’T: SPEND YOUR LIFE SAVINGS ON THE PERFECT DRESS

I found BOTH my perfect dresses for under $100. Girls can spend $300, $400, even $500 dollars on prom dresses. And I guess if that’s what they really want, good for them! But there are so many great dresses that are much more affordable. Macy’s has a really great selection, and it isn’t too pricey. Your prom dress doesn’t have to be hundreds of dollars; there are so many great dresses waiting to be explored that have really great prices.

DO: ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE 

While a lot of girls are going crazy, I’m simply going with the flow and having fun. I want prom to be an experience I can look back upon and laugh about. To me, that’s having a great time with my friends and enjoying each moment, from getting asked to prom no matter how awkward it was, to finding TWO perfect dresses, and hopefully to the actual night, where I plan to take lots of pictures and laugh and smile and feel beautiful. Prom shouldn’t seem like a looming deadline–instead, look at it as a giant party you get to dress super glamorous for. :)