i've had the time of my life (again)

Prom can easily be a victim of its own hype, but I, for one, was not disappointed back in the day. I put on my black baby doll-cut dress (it was surprisingly tasteful for the '90s, I swear!), went out for an unusually nice meal that I think involved quail, and then proceeded to dance the night away.

And my second prom roughly eight years later was just as magical. No, I didn’t start dating some obscenely younger-than-me teenager. Instead, a friend of mine decided we should all relive the memories, so he threw a tongue-in-cheek prom that was just as memorable as my first.

Here’s what my friend did — take the bits you like and adjust everything else to create the prom you wish you had.

• Choose a theme. My friend went with “Enchantment Under the Influence” and had alcohol-themed décor — especially apropos for all those supposedly dry proms out there.

• Polaroids that capture the memories make perfect party favors. My friend made little stickers to tape to the bottom of the photos to commemorate the night. (Those stickers were especially helpful to those with foggy memories.)

• Create an awesome iPod playlist that combines favorite songs from the year of your original prom along with current dance favorites. My friend booked DJs (two friends wearing peach tuxedos) and rented a parquet dance floor for an authentic prom feel.

• Decorate with streamers and balloons — you absolutely cannot be too cheesy when it comes to decorating.

• You must have a photo station. For the background, my friend went with shiny silver and blue streamers and columns with a giant martini glass placed on one as a nod to the theme (see photo above).

• Whip up some punch and spike it. It’s expected. But, naturally, have some non-spiked options as well.

• Proms don’t always have food, but if you're serving cocktails, you should set out some foods that will absorb that alcohol.

• Cover a wall in a huge sheet of white paper, and write “Thanks for the Memories” or “Class of '08” along the top. Place markers nearby so people can write and draw sentiments just like we did in yearbooks years ago.

• Buy crowns (ridiculously cheap ones are fine) because no prom is complete without the crowd voting for a prom king and queen. (Whether or not you stuff the ballot box with your name is up to you….)

Comments

I had a prom party years ago and it goes down in history as the most fun party I've ever had--100 people in prom wear (ladies can wear bridesmaid dresses if they don't have their prom dress anymore), king and queen elections (complete with crowns and sashes), balloons and streamers, all 1987-themed music (from the year I graduated), slow-dancing (how come nobody does that except at high school dances and weddings?), and yes, the must-have Polaroids and a photo station.... (P.S. Another prom party I later went to gave away carnation corsages to all the guys when they arrived, and they had to find someone to pin them on--a nice touch.) The best was when the cops showed up (I guess we were a little, uh, loud) and asked if it was a prom party and what high school I went to. I told them Conestoga (my alma mater), though I was a good 8 years out of high school at that point and 150 miles away, and they glanced around and said, "All right, well, keep it down," and left.

A couple music venues across the country organize 80s Proms. It's a cool event to invite friends to without having to throw the party yourself.

I think the police should show up at all fake proms always. It could only add to the evening.

Once again, another great idea for a theme party.... Just as good as the Grilled Cheese Cookoff. Thanks again!

Good Point!