As the week closes in on prom, high school junior and seniors prepare for the big night. Many students have been thinking about prom since they entered the school freshman year. This week can appear stressful as students add last minute items onto their checklist. There are many different things that students may do to prepare for prom and your checklist may look different then the person next to you. To help relieve the pressure of prom, I have put together a list of what you may need.

First things first, you want to buy or rent your outfit.

The first thing I would recommend for getting ready is to pick out an outfit that you can work everything else around. If you have a theme or color in mind, this can affect everything else. You may want to start shopping early due to high supply but if you haven’t purchased anything yet, no need to panic. Many prom and bridal shops in the area still have a high supply and are open for business. I recommended trying out these shops!

• Boulevard Bride
• David’s Bridal
• Mimi’s Prom
• Savvi

Prom shoes and jewelry

Next, I would search for the shoes you would like to wear with your dress. If you decide to wear heels, you might need them in order to decide how much you need to alter a dress that’s too long (if you chose to make alterations). Whether you decide on heels or sneakers, it is good to make the purchase sooner rather than later to make sure they match the rest of your look. You may want to decide if you would like to go with silver or gold jewelry. Your jewelry can spice up a look and add more dimension. 

Purchase tickets

Next, I would order tickets! Most events sell the prom tickets for cheaper the earlier you get them.

Appointments

If you would like your hair or makeup done professionally, you may need to make appointments ahead as the salon will be busy on prom days.  Area salons will be in high demand on prom day as students need their needs met. If you would like to get your nails done before the event, I would also recommend making an appointment one of the days before the dance to ensure the salon will have time. For those who would like a spray tan it would be best to make an appointment for two days before the dance. 

Make plans

If you plan to go to the dance with friends or a date, it is a good idea to sit down and find time to make a plan. If you decide to get photos together you must find a time and place to meet with everyone. If you would like to get dinner you may need to book reservations in advance due to restaurants getting busy with other prom parties. It is also important to make after prom plans if you have any. Make sure that your friends are safe and that a guardian knows where you are at. 

Order a boutonniere or corsage

If you are planning on exchanging a boutonniere or corsage with your date/friends, it is important that you have it ordered so it can be ready for pick up whenever you need it. 

Trial runs

If you are doing your own hair and make up for prom, it may be good to practice some trial runs. You may not like the color of something you were interested in using and this will eliminate being unhappy with the finished look. It also just helps to get some practice in to make sure everything goes smoothly for you on prom day.