Some might say that Prom is one of the best nights of high school, so it is only right to be prepared for such an amazing night. We, Quinn Enright and Grace Griffin, set out to see if some of the juniors, who will be attending their very first prom on April 5th, are ready for such a night.
First we spoke with Tiana Mallawaaratchy, a current junior at Academic Magnet High School. We asked her a series of questions to gain a sense of her prom plans. And right from the start, we could tell she was the prepared type. When asked whether or not she had a dress for the night, Tiana responded that she had purchased her gorgeous gown in January. She recounted that, “I wanted to get one before the prom craze started”. She did however decline to submit a picture of said dress, so we will all have to wait for the grand reveal the evening of prom. When asked what her plans were for before prom, Tiana replied that she is so lucky to have friends that are quite on top of the planning, so we may have to do a post prom interview to see how those marvelous sounding plans went. In my opinion, getting ready with your friends is one of the best parts of the evening. A true definition of girlhood. One thing she mentioned about their plans was the chance to take pictures downtown. I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to take pictures than the fountain at Waterfront Park and I just know those pictures will be something to hold onto for years to come.
When asked about her plans for after prom, Tiana mentioned that her friends were planning to have a sleepover. But as many can relate, she said that if she happens to get too tired from all the festivities of prom, she may end up crashing in her own bed for the night. One thing their group is still deciding is how to get to prom. This is something every friend group must decide for prom night: party bus, carpool, or a parent driver. But one thing Tiana’s group has decided is that they would all like to ride together. I can contest that pre-prom karaoke is always fun. But the thing Tiana looks forward to the most for prom night is taking loads of pictures. As she says, “I love taking pictures so I am really excited to get 100s of pretty pictures!” And I couldn’t agree more. When compared to semi formal, Tiana suspects that prom might be even more fun due to the reduced number of people in attendance and the beauty that is Founders Hall. Having not seen it myself, I will have to trust her at her word that it will be a gorgeous location for this year’s prom. Quinn and I, Grace, decided that we should end our interview with a fun question: If there was one snack at prom, what would you want it to be? For Tiana, that snack would probably be cookies. Of course, Tiana is not the only one we interviewed. We were also privileged to be able to ask questions to another junior getting ready for her first prom, Izzy Robinson.
As one of Tiana’s closest friends, Izzy also shares her excitement at attending prom for the first time! Some students go all out for prom and secure their dresses months in advance, and while Izzy is certainly well-prepared, she shares that she only ordered her dress a couple of weeks ago. We feel this is the perfect timing to order a prom dress. If you order it too early, you might go crazy waiting for the day you can wear it. If you order it too late, you run the risk of shipping issues or not leaving yourself enough time to get the dress tailored if necessary. But Izzy’s strategic plan will pay off. Ordering your dress about two months before prom is the way to go. Speaking of dresses, Izzy shares that she wants her dress to remain a secret and I 100% agree. Telling a few of your closest friends might be beneficial for those seeking input on which dress they should wear, but dresses should remain a mystery until the big night. And with the dilemma of choosing a dress to wear for the big night, Izzy shares that she is especially fortunate to have had her dream dress picked out for years now. She even tried to explore her options and hunt for THE dress, but none compared to this dress. Oh how excited are we to find out what it will be!
But the dress is only one gear in the prom machine. There are so many moving parts that go into the day of prom, from taking pictures to finding something fun to do afterwards. For Izzy, this means all of her friends joining together in one house to get ready. Doing your hair and makeup and getting ready with your friends is a sacred part of prom. This same group of friends is then planning on carpooling downtown to take prom pictures and maybe also grabbing a bite to eat. Their post-prom plans include maybe making a pit stop at Waffle House (arguably the best place to eat after a school function) and then all sleeping over in one house. As far as transportation goes, Izzy shares that while they might be cutting it close, they still have not ruled out the possibility of getting a party bus. However, this option can be pretty costly and Tiana might also be able to drive them. Either way they can’t go wrong – so long as they get to enjoy the ride together they will have the best time.
The thing Izzy is most looking forward to at prom is being able to see all her classmates dressed to the nines and getting to dance with her best friends. While she’s at the dance, Izzy says there is only one important thing she is looking for: lots and lots of water. I couldn’t agree more, Izzy. This dynamic duo will definitely have an amazing time at prom. Be on the lookout for these two having the time of their lives at AMHS prom on April 5th!
