Love Prom

One of the best pieces of advice we’ve heard for teens considering going to their proms is to avoid prom extremes. While it could be one of the best nights of your high school life, the truth is that prom is just one night. Finding a balance between excitement and anticipation, and over-the-top obsessions is key to avoiding what could amount to a huge, expensive letdown. Some examples of avoiding prom extremes include: Asking vs. Promposing Instagram may have you convinced that in order to be valid, a simple, “Will you go to prom with me?” could never suffice. In fact, however, most people don’t order custom, “Will you?” pizzas, hire skywriters, plan balloon rides (He can’t say no suspended 500 feet above the ground, right? Wrong.), choreograph stage productions, hire a flash mob or do most of the things you see online. Most people simply as a friend face-to-face if they will go to prom with them – and a whole lot of people say yes. It’s silly to break the bank, and downright ridiculous to risk breaking a bone over a dance. And just because he or she doesn’t plan an epic promposal, doesn’t mean he or she […]

It’s a common misconception that homeschooled kids miss out on all of the best social experiences common to a school-based education experience. In fact, the face of modern homeschooling has changed significantly. There are a variety of reasons a family might choose to homeschool. Some prefer maintaining control over a curriculum for religious or idealistic purposes. Some feel that the quality of education in a homeschool setting is higher than what is available at private or public schools. Others have behavioral, emotional or social concerns, live too remotely to make school easily accessible or travel so often that it doesn’t make sense to enroll and withdraw students constantly. Rather than tackle an entire curriculum, there are many families these days who join homeschool groups, organizations or academies that work together flexibly to help extend the opportunities for students to share learning experiences and social gatherings. Some of these groups even host annual homeschool proms! What does a homeschool prom look like? While many homeschool groups are more socially conservative than the average public school and may have stricter modesty guidelines, there are others that are welcoming to all students from the local homeschool community and their dates. You’ll find tuxedoes, […]

What’s one of the “worst” things you can imagine happening at prom? Spilling red sports drink on your white tux? Breaking a heel? Finding out that you had broccoli in your teeth the whole time during pictures? A Tale of Two (or Three, or Four, or … ) Dresses Warning: If you live in the kind of town that only has one or two sources for prom dresses, do not buy your dress there unless it is a boutique that will warn you if it has knowingly sold your dress to another prom-goer. This isn’t random advice. Back in the day, one happy prom guest spent hours at the only mall within an hour of her home and gleamingly left with a flattering full-length black velvet sheath with white lace embellishment at the top. It looked great, felt great and was just expensive enough to stretch the budget and feel luxurious, but not so expensive that it would break the bank. It was the perfect prom dress. And she wasn’t the only one who thought so … as evidenced by the EIGHT other girls wearing the Exact. Same. Dress. No joke. A minimum of nine (that the writer can remember, […]

Continuing with our sage advice, we present to you, 10 things you should never do at prom (you’re welcome). Never… Take wild photos that you will regret. The internet does not forget anything, and your future employers know this. “Losing that 6-figure salary because I thought that photo at prom would be funny is awesome,” said no one, ever. Embarrass Your Friends or Your Date. Requires no explanation, but here’s a reminder anyway: Karma will get you. Worry if someone else is wearing the same prom dress. Once upon a time, a certain blog writer attended a certain prom wearing a certain dress – the exact same dress as at least seven other girls wore. No kidding. There is still video. The thing is, she looked amazing in the dress, and her date could not have cared less. So, now it’s referred to as the “Year of the black velvet dress with the white lace collar,” and we have a good laugh. The only people for whom it was permanently scarring are the people who would not allow themselves to get over it that night. Take a picture with your dress twins and MOVE on. Sit or stand on the […]

We took an informal poll recently and asked those who had been to prom for their top ten lists. We started with the top ten things you should never do before prom, and here is what they had to say: Get sunburned or tan. Not only is it just unhealthy, but unsightly tan lines can absolutely ruin the impression you could have made with your gorgeous prom dress, and peeling while wearing a tux is just a no. Now is not the time to try tanning in a salon or getting a spray tan, either. Anything you do differently with your skin can have unexpected, and often not attractive consequences. Get a new haircut right before prom. The day on which you will take some of your most enduring photos of your youth is not the one you want to remember because the stylist misheard “just take a little off the ends,” as “cut it all, this may be the end!” If you can afford to do a run-through, give yourself a few weeks, at least, and more if you’re experimenting with something more drastic. Or, save the totally new ‘do for after prom. Eat a big or exotic meal. Maybe […]

Apps are the perfect complement to pre- and post-prom party planning! There are so many out there designed to help you make the hard stuff easier. You will go through enough choosing your prom dress, getting your hair and makeup done, and keeping all the necessary details straight at prom. Why not make your associated partiers easier and more fun? Here are just a few of the thousands of apps available that could help you plan your pre-prom and after-party fun. Evite Create and send e-invites to your pre- and post-prom parties with apps like Evite. Online invitations are less expensive than printed versions, easier to manage in terms of sending and RSVP tracking, and are environmentally responsible. OpenTable If your prom is not a dinner event, use OpenTable to find someplace really cool to take your date before the big event. Alternatively, parents, use OpenTable to make a reservation at a restaurant where you can all kick back and relax knowing that most of your prom drama is over! Speaking of food, why not use an app to help with catering your pre-prom party or after party? Many restaurants have apps that fuel the catering side of their businesses, […]