How to Prepare for Prom

Photo illustration by Mackenzie Morgan | VOX Staff

By Allison McWaters | VOX Staff

Run for your lives, it’s coming for us — and fast. Prom really shouldn’t be scary, but it’s a cause of anxiety to many of us teens who’ve looked forward to it all our high school years. Prom should be a time to enjoy ourselves and have fun, not stress out. You could show up in jeans and a T-shirt and get your groove on, who cares? However, many of us want to get dolled up and make a big statement — without breaking the bank.

I’ve been to prom, and I’ve helped many of my friends get ready for the ultimate dance, so I’ve learned first-hand what to expect come prom time. And I’m here to share some guidelines for surviving the buildup to what for many of us will be the biggest night of the year.

For Girls
You’ve got about a month to get ready for prom, but it’s not time to panic yet. It’s your time to look like a princess and be treated like one. So here are some easy steps to help you get prepared for your fairy-tale night.

Step 1: Find the Right Dress
You should start looking a month in advance for dresses. I’d recommend browsing online shopping sites — such as Macy’s (www.macys.com) — to figure out what styles and colors you like best. The next move, of course, is to hit the mall with your friends to try some on.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute expecting there to be a great selection left. One of my friends made the mistake of waiting until the night before prom and went dress hunting with me. We ended up running around the store for three hours trying to find a dress that fit and looked good — and we were very lucky to eventually find one.

If you’re larger in the bust and you have some extra curviness, I’d recommend a dress with an empire waist. If you’re considerably bigger in the middle, try dresses that drape off to the sides and avoid those with A-lines.

When picking a dress, flatter the nicest features of your body. Got a beautiful, long swan neck? Choose a dress that accentuates it, and accessorize with a collar or necklace that draws attention to it.

In addition, be mindful of the colors that best suit your complexion. If you’re tanned, try lavender. If you’re a blonde with fair skin and green eyes, emerald is a great color. If you have ebony skin, match it with a black dress with a really cool design in the fabric. Don’t be afraid of bright colors or something that may look over the top; just try it on and test it with your friends to make sure it looks good on you. The goal is to stand out, isn’t it?

Prom dresses can be pricey especially for a teen budget. A lot of them cost more than $200, which seems even higher since you’ll likely only wear it once. The Enchanted Closet is a cool thrift store to find beautiful dresses for cheap. You have to make an appointment (do it online at www.enchantedcloset.org/appointment) and show your school ID to get in the door. The non-profit organization is even giving out free prom dresses at Georgia State University’s Alumni Hall between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on March 24. Visit www.enchantedcloset.org for details.

Step 2: Shoes, Necklaces and Earrings, Oh My!
After you find a dress, you have to immediately find the right shoes to match it. I’m over six-feet tall, so I wear flats instead of heels. If you’re on the shorter end of the spectrum, wear the opposite — unless your date is shorter than you. In either case, I highly recommend wearing something comfortable because you’re going to be on your feet all night long and you don’t want to miss a dance because your feet are hurting.

Outlet shops are a great place to find shoes of every imaginable size and style. Catalogs, such as JCPenney or Sears, also have an excellent selection — though you have to be wary that their selection tends to be old lady-ish. But you never know until you look.

The right accessories are just as important as shoes, but if they aren’t perfect, it’s not worth having a cow over them. My suggestion is to take a little trip to Claire’s, which is at almost every mall. The store is fairly inexpensive and has a great variety of necklaces, earrings and other accessories. Don’t worry if the accessories don’t match your dress perfectly, because that’ll just make your look all the more funky and cool. Another route to go is to ask your family members if you can borrow any of their antique or costume jewelry.

Step 3: The Perfect Hair and Makeup
I believe you should trust your hair and makeup to someone other than yourself. You can go all out at a high-end salon, or simply let a talented friend or family member do it for free.

If you choose the salon route, make your appointment for the morning or early afternoon of the prom, and make it well in advance because the salons get booked up early. For my one prior prom appearance, I had my hair done at Great Clips and my up-do looked really good because I had a good stylist. I’d shy away from getting a totally new haircut because you never know how that’s going to turn out — you don’t want to feel weird on your big day. Stick with what you know will look good and make you feel comfortable.

Makeup is even more complicated, and trust with the person who’s doing it is a key issue. I think a lot of salons do great work, but they just cost too much for my budget. Whatever choice you make, be sure to let your makeup artist know your prom and accessory color scheme so they can work to match and accent it. Personally, I would stay away from anything wild and crazy, unless that’s your normal style. Your nails can be done by yourself or pretty inexpensively at a salon. This is the one time where I splurge and get fake nails — they make me feel like a goddess.

One last idea is to have a party with your girlfriends the morning of prom and do each other’s hair, makeup and nails. Why not start the festivities early?

For Guys
You are so lucky. Your job is so much simpler I can break it down into two steps.

Step 1: Rent a Tux
As for the style, it’s probably a good idea to just let your dates pick it out for you. That will make them very happy and they’ll love you forever. Tux shopping can even make for a fun, unusual date.

If they don’t want to pick it out, ask them if they prefer something flashy or conservative. If flashy, go for tails, a top hat, gloves, and — if they won’t mind — a cane. Please don’t ever go pimp; it’s tacky and I promise you’ll be made fun of by everyone at prom. If conservative, go for a black tux with a vest that matches your dates’ colors.

By the way, if you’re going stag or with friends, pick whatever tux you find groovy!

Step 2: Buy a Corsage.
Some kind of flowers are a must for prom, and a corsage is the traditional and classy way to go. Your dates will probably tell you exactly what they want, but if they don’t, be sure to find out theirs color and their flower preferences. If you’re completely clueless, just ask your local florist — it’s their job to know what’s in style.

For Both Girls and Guys
These are the topics you’ll both need to discuss before you go out. You don’t want to end the night and realize you’re both going in opposite directions, so plan events together as far ahead as possible.

Step 1: Groups vs. Couples
One of the biggest decisions you’ll have for prom is whether you’re going out by yourselves as a couple or if you’re going to go with a big group. For example, last year my date was a friend — not a beau — so we went with a big group of friends. It was a lot of fun, but this year I’m going with just my date.

If you’re in a serious romance, you might want to focus all your attention and time on just the two of you. But if you’re going with someone you don’t know well, someone you just asked out for prom, it’s probably good to go in a group because there’s safety in numbers.

Step 2: Rides and After-Prom Parties
A lot of teens save up so they can spend money on a limo to arrive at prom in style. However, limos are expensive, especially if it’s for the whole night, so usually a group will get together to split the cost. If you can’t afford a limo, you can still get together with your friends and see who can borrow the nicest car for the night. Who knows, maybe even someone’s dad could chauffeur for the evening. In any case, sharing a ride is a good idea — especially if you think anyone might wind up drinking alcohol. (We at VOX don’t condone underage drinking, but it’s always good to have a designated driver.)

After-prom parties are also a joint decision. Personally, last year I decided to skip them because I wanted to stay the entire duration of prom and I didn’t want to go some place where everyone was going to get drunk. Often, there are safe alternatives to the wild parties, but it’s something you need to decide with your date.

Step 3: Some Words About Sex
After prom, it’s pretty widely known that many couples follow up the dance by renting a hotel room and engaging in sex. But just because you’ve agreed to go to prom doesn’t mean you’ve agreed to sex. Don’t be pressured into it just because it’s an unspoken expectation.

If you don’t want to have sex, tell your date that you don’t long before the big night arrives. If your date dumps you, then you’re better off anyway. There are plenty of people out there to go to prom with.

Well, those are my tips for getting ready for prom. I’m sorry I don’t have any advice about finding a date — that’s an entirely different dilemma — but I hope these guidelines help. Good luck and have fun!

Allison is a senior at Decatur High.