Prepping for Prom

Prepping for Prom

By Emily Burke

Sentry Staff Reporter

“The journey is half the fun.” Almost everyone has heard this expression at least once, especially around prom season. Yes, there is pressure on students to devise an elaborate “promposal” and to order a corsage or a boutonniere and an outfit. However, this chaotic journey can certainly turn out to be the most memorable part of the experience.

Sophomore Annie Sible is one of the few lucky students who gets to go through the prom experience as a sophomore. She shared some advice for other first-time prom attendees about dodging procrastination. If planned in advance, prom preparation can be stress-free.

“To get ready for prom, do have your hair done, your makeup done and your nails done. Buy your dress as early as you can,” said Sible.

Other students agonize over whether it is better to go with friends or a date, but this decision should not be a source of stress.

“It’s definitely ok to go with friends. Both [options] are good but you would still have the same amount of fun if you went with a date as if you went with friends,” said Sible.

Senior Grace Greenwood, who attended prom last year as a junior, also had an opinion on the friends versus date debate.

“If you make sure that you enjoy whatever group of people you’re with, whether it be a date and a group of other people with dates or a date and some friends or just friends, if you like the people you’re going with, you’re going to have fun,” said Greenwood.

Grace Greenwood asked Mike Popalardo to Prom. Photo by Mary Cowden
Grace Greenwood asked Mike Poppalardo to Prom.
Photo by Mary Cowden

All of these “do’s and don’t’s” aside, prom is supposed to be a fun opportunity to celebrate the end of four years of hard work. Greenwood looks forward to a relaxed night of fun with her classmates and friends.

“Don’t be too nervous, just remember that it’s about more than just the pictures. It’s about having fun. I’m excited to spend time with my friends when we’re all dressed up and everyone’s really excited to do something. It is one of the last times you see people and I think a lot of drama gets pushed aside,” said Greenwood.

For some, it might be hard to relax and enjoy the night when one is constantly worrying about how their hair looks, or how much their feet hurt from those ridiculously high heels. Greenwood had some simple suggestions to stop those problems before they start.

“Do wear your hair up. It gets really hot, that’s what I learned last year. Make sure that your shoes are comfortable. Don’t wear really tall heels that you can’t walk around in because there’s more walking than expected,” said Greenwood.

Although Greenwood knows that pictures and creative Instagrams are not the most important parts of prom, she did propose some easy ways to get unique and fun pictures. It might not be possible to go to prom with every friend in your group, a great compromise would be meeting somewhere to take pictures before actually arriving at the dance.

“We went to the Lincoln Memorial last year. What was really cool about taking pictures at the monuments was that there were a lot of other Yorktown people there. We got to run into a bunch of our other friends and take pictures. That was really awesome,” said Greenwood.

Actually asking someone to prom can also end up as one of the most unforgettable moments of the event. Whether the “promposal” is simple or elaborate, it represents the beginning of one of the most exciting experiences of high school. No matter how one decides to “prompose,” it should be special. Greenwood advises students not to worry about making a big deal about asking someone to prom. It might be more reasonable to plan a grand public gesture if the pair is already dating, but if one is not sure that the person will accept, it may not be the best idea to put them on the spot.

“I think that promposals are adorable, but not necessary as long as the [person] is genuine,” said Greenwood.

Senior Logan Robinson would agree that a “promposal” should be thoughtful.  Robinson is now well known around school for asking his date to prom during the filming of the daily announcements.

“I actually wanted [to do] something small, but I think she wanted something big. It was in between because when I asked her at the time on Monday it was small because it was just in the room, and then the next day it was on TV,” said Robinson.

The balance between the simple and the unexpected that made Robinson’s “promposal” so special is something that can be used as an approach to prom as a whole. To make prom a night to remember, one must prepare in advance, but it is also important not to overthink the event. Do plan ahead and plan thoughtfully, but don’t forget that prom is one of the last opportunities to spend time with classmates, so don’t forget to seize the moment.

 

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