Get Ready for Prom Night
At prom time of year, you may feel anxious to dance with someone or just enjoy the evening. It's really important to take steps to prepare for a spectacular night, because it only happens when you're in the last year of high school.
Contents
Steps
Before Prom
- Sign up and make your own decision whether you're going or not, in advance. Even if you don’t have a date by the deadline, you never know what might happen from now until then and even if you don't get one, you'll still have a ball.
- Consider asking someone to prom in a cute and elaborate way. Prom is the time to go all out - even if the person you are asking is a longtime girlfriend or boyfriend or simply a friend.
- Join the organizing team. If there is a "Prom Committee" to help the school prepare for this event, you may be interested in joining or even by simply giving feedback on what you'd like to see done for that day.
- Volunteer to contribute any theme songs that are appropriate for the theme of the prom. Factors to consider include upbeat dance music for the beginning of the evening, some relaxing movie for rest times and the slow, weepy stuff towards the end.
- Make plans with your date and/or friends before prom to take pictures or eat dinner, depending on your school’s plan for prom. You’ll want to take pictures together to remember this night forever!
- Get a haircut a couple days beforehand. You don't want to have any stray hairs sticking to your dress or your dates!
Getting Dressed and Preparing the Night of Prom (Girls)
- Choose your outfit well in advance. Look in thrift stores or at sales before prom season to find an awesome dress that works for you without completely breaking your budget.
- Wear your shoes around the house, especially if they are not the most comfortable. Get used to walking in them and break them in before prom, so that you will not have to deal with blisters and bloody, aching feet on the night of prom.
- Dark or simple colors are usually a safe bet, although it depends on the theme. You probably don't want to wear a hot pink dress to a haunted house themed dance, but it would be fine if the theme were neon lights.
- Make an appointment for a hairdresser well in advance. This is especially important if your school is a big one or many schools are having prom on the same weekend.
- Wash your hair. Use a good-smelling shampoo and a hair conditioner. Then use a bubble bath for your body. Before your hair dries, use a hair mask to protect it. Dry and then comb them. Later, after you've gotten everything else ready and before the prom, you can go somewhere to get your hair done professionally.
- Practice your makeup beforehand. You can get a professional to do this, but it may be unnecessary and expensive if you can make yourself up by yourself.
- Paint your nails. Choose a flattering color that matches your outfit. If you want your nails to look particularly glamorous, you can go to a nail salon and have them professionally done. At a nail salon, you also have to option to add fancy designs, which would be much more difficult to do if you painted your own nails.
- Clean your face. At first, use a face soap. Wet your fingers and massage the soap over your entire face. Wash out your face a lot of times. Use a peal-off mask to make your face look fresher. Wait about 25 minutes (or the time that is given on the mask packet), and then wash the mask off. Wax your mustache. Put some day cream on all your face and some eye cream under your eyes. Try not to use a cream that clogs up your pores.
- Plan your day. Give yourself enough time on the night of the prom to fix your hair, your makeup, and to put on your dress.
- Pack a small clutch to bring with you. Make sure you have your ticket, photo ID, some money, lip balm, and anything else you might need.
- Consider getting ready with a bunch of friends. You can help each other with hair and makeup – it’s lots of fun and will take much less time than if you tried to do it all yourself. You can even turn up together and have strength in numbers for a "wow" of an entrance!
- Get parents or friends to drive to the prom (parents usually understand to keep their distance!). Make sure you have arrangements to get home safely and take care not to get in a car with anyone who is intoxicated.
- Enter the prom with a positive, happy attitude, ready to enjoy the night and be with your friends and classmates. Remember to just have fun!
Getting Dressed and Preparing the Night of Prom (Boys)
- Rent a tuxedo in advance. This will ensure that any tux rental shops in your area still have an appropriate size and fit for you. Consider asking your date about the color of their outfit so that you can match.
- Confirm any dinner reservations you have made beforehand and check that you have money in your wallet and your ticket in a safe place.
- Pick up a corsage from the local flower shop. You should order it early so that you can ensure that the shop does not sell out.
- Take a shower and shave before getting dressed.
- Spray a light mist of cologne. Go easy! Make sure that the smell is not overpowering.
- Style your hair. Apply some sort of product - gel, mousse, hair clay, serum, pomade - to make it look shiny and soft. Go easy, though - too much will make it look greasy. A dime-sized amount should be more than enough. If you get a haircut before your date, schedule it for three or four days before the event so that you don't have little hairs in your ears or on your neck.
- Cut your nails. Trim your nails and rub lotion over your hands to make your hands look more presentable.
- Brush and floss your teeth. After you've brushed your teeth, put the toothbrush on your tongue and gently scrape it. Then floss around every tooth. This is especially important if you have braces - you don't want your date noticing any food stuck in your mouth when you first show up. Finish with mouthwash.
More Information
For more information on getting ready for prom, check out these wikiHow articles:
- Ask your date out in a cute way to ensure that your date will remember the night forever.
- Choose the right dress to stun your friends as well as your date.
- Be a Gentleman at the Prom Treat your date with respect and courtesy and still have a great time.
- Make a Prom Disaster Kit. Make a Prom disaster kit to take care of anything that might come up.
- Make your own corsage. Impress your date with a homemade corsage.
- Match Accessories With Your Prom Dress
Tips
- Relax! Don't get upset or argumentative while preparing for the prom. Sure it's important but it's not important enough to get all worked up about and then feel really worn out from the stress.
- Don't wear too many accessories—it will stand out too much and draw attention away from the rest of you.
- Ask someone else who has been to this place before, to give you the directions of how to get there. Otherwise, visit it earlier and time it. Or, just Google the directions and ask for driving time details - you won't even need to leave your house or the library.
Warnings
- Letting a parent into the ballroom can be an embarrassing moment for both you and everyone else. Best not done!
Things You'll Need
- Special dress
- Comfortable shoes
- Camera
- Accessories (handbag, jewelry, hair jewelry)
- Cellphone (you may need to call your parents or get a ride home from one of your friends!)
