Junto Boys

PROM ETIQUETTE (Kristi Vannatter, Pageantry Magazine, Spring 2003)

Your prom will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable events from your high school years. Prom is an incredible milestone in a teen's life. Therefore, every detail should be thoughtfully planned out in order to guarantee a successful and magical evening to remember for years to come.

Kristi is a good writer, but I can’t convince her to start a blog.. So, I’ll instead take a light moment away from world events and examine whether her prom advice would have provided me a better experience so many years ago.

Your Date

Under no circumstances must a date forget to bring his date a corsage. You wouldn't want your date to feel unadorned while all the other ladies are showing off their colorful blossoms.

She reminded me so often how could I forget?

Here is the foolproof way to alleviate the drawing of blood at the beginning of your date:
Always place the corsage on with the flowers on top, just like they grow. Insert the pin horizontally into the fabric of the dress, back through the fabric and slide the pin over the stem (around the middle) and then back through and out of the fabric.

This was a struggle, but no blood to report, or at least she didn’t wince.

A gentleman's boutonniere should be placed on his lapel at the buttonhole or where it should be. Holding the flower in place, insert the pin into his jacket, then up through the fabric and flower stem and back into and out of the fabric.

I remember her doing this like it was her 20th time.

You and your date should decide together how you will arrive at the prom — by car, carpooling with others, or by a car service, such as a limousine.

We went with Doug and Kriss. Doug had a muscle Camaro and I drove my muscle Firebird. My mother would later sell that car when I was in college for $500. I felt bad until my father said that mother also sold his favorite car for peanuts when he was away in the Army. It immediately turned from sadness to a bonding experience.

Dinner
It is customary to go to dinner before the grand event. However, it certainly does not have to be the most expensive restaurant in town.

Shannon talked me into the most expensive restaurant in town. I remember Doug and I shocked at the prices. We made $3 an hour at work. Doug held up a Mushroom halfway through dinner and said, “I paid $1.50 for this?”

If you decide to go to a restaurant with a group, first make a reservation and, second, try not to disturb others around you by celebrating too loudly. You can save your excitement for the dance floor.

We were a pretty rowdy group for four people. My date, Shannon was a cheerleader and could talk as loud as me.

Remember that many upscale restaurants will add on a service charge for larger parties of eight or more. Check your bill when it comes to see if the tip has already been added.

I didn’t look for this and after we left someone else mentioned that the restaurant automatically adds gratuity. I’m still seething from giving that guy a 30% tip.

Dance
This will probably be the most fun of the entire evening. However, many couples spend so much time at dinner and at the after parties, that they miss out on a lot of fun at the dance itself. Make sure you don't cut yourself short of the event that many classmates have spent countless hours to plan and organize.

The most memorable thing was switching jackets with Shane Gartley. I found his father’s credit card the next morning, and he was so pleased I called him, he thanked me until the end of the school year. I had just learned of Shane’s existence a few weeks earlier when he was so drunk on Senior skip day that someone had to wake him up from a stupor so he wouldn’t be late for work. His first words were, "I need a beer to nurse my throat."

One of the most exciting moments of prom is seeing everyone dressed up and looking glamorous and handsome.

My date was nonplussed that another girl was wearing her same bubble gum pink dress. Ironically, the other girl's escort had originally asked Shannon to the prom, but she turned him down hoping that she could convince me to take her. I think that guy became a doctor. She chose poorly.

Remember to express to everyone how pretty or attractive they look and don't forget to get your picture taken. These photos will serve as reminders of your remarkable evening for many years.

I don’t know how many subsequent girlfriends showed some sort of jealousy over these photos. I eventually had mom store them in the other room.

After-Parties
This is the part of the evening where creativity will come in handy. My senior prom year was quite memorable because we went to a friend's house where her gracious mother and father served an enormous breakfast for all of us. If no private home is offered, someone in your group may come up with some unsafe suggestions like the beach, all-night clubs, or rented hotel rooms.

We went to the unsafe beach.

Use your common sense and don't make a decision that will put you or anyone else in jeopardy. You will undoubtedly regret it later.

We didn’t drink nor did we do anything else that would have worried our parents.

Discuss your curfew with your parents and stick to it. Many parents will be reasonable to extend your curfew time later than normal for this special occasion.

My parents never gave me a curfew, but Shannon had a track meet the next morning and we were home around midnight. I was dozing in the stands as Shannon managed to win the 110 high hurdles, 330 hurdles and she even ran a leg in the mile relay.

Once again, I want to stress the importance of planning and organizing early. Both you and your date should be involved in the planning. Visualize how you want the evening to be and follow through on all plans.

I think we gave our dates a pretty decent prom in my mind, but they probably would have been happier with a bit more of Kristi's style. We were pretty haphazard right down to going to be beach which wasn't planned in advance. We had fun, but it was certainly spontaneous. I would have had just as much fun at the ballpark. I hope the girls had a good time.