Q1: Who should pay for the prom?
Q2: How much is prom going to cost me?
Q3: What kind of planning should I be doing?
Q4: Where should we go after the prom?
Q5: Should I have my photo taken at the prom and how much will it cost?
Q6: Should I take a limo to the prom and how much will it cost?
Q7: Can I still go to prom if I don’t have a date?
Q8: What should I bring to the prom?
Q9: How do I pin my date’s corsage?
Q10: Do I need a boutonniere?

Q1: Who should pay for the prom? Ans: Prom isn’t the time to be thinking about equal rights or the women’s lib movement. At this event, you’re going to have to go the old-fashioned route and be the gentleman by paying for the evening. In addition to your formal wear costs, the purchase price of the prom tickets, dinner, transportation, your date’s corsage and the cost of any after-prom activities will be coming out of your pocket. Don’t wait till the last minute to begin saving. Because all of these items can add up to quite a bit of money, you’re going to want to start saving for prom night months in advance. If you can’t save up the cash, you may need to ask your parents for a loan to help you out or you may have to work an extra part-time job in order to pay for the event.

Q2: How much is prom going to cost me? Ans: This question can be answered in two words: A lot. There are a number of expenses involved when estimating how much prom is going to cost, and exactly how much the night will cost you is going to be largely determined by how lavishly you plan the evening. Dinner at a $100 per plate restaurant is going to cost a lot more than the Olive Garden, and hiring a limo for the evening is going to cost a lot more than if you decide to drive your own car. The prom tickets themselves also vary greatly from high school to high school, but the average cost of prom tickets is around $100 per couple. If you were to go all out and hire a limo for $400, spend $200 on dinner, $100 on prom tickets, $20 on a corsage, $100 on prom photos, $150 on post-prom activities, and $150 on a tuxedo you’re going to be spending a whopping $970. On the other hand, if you opt to drive yourself, spend only $75 on dinner and just $50 on prom photos, you’d only be spending $395.

Q3: What kind of planning should I be doing? Ans: There’s a whole lot of planning to do before prom, so you’d better allow yourself at least a month or two to do it. You’re going to need to purchase prom tickets, make dinner reservations, arrange for transportation and plan your post-prom activities. The nicer restaurants tend to book up during prom time, so you’re going to want to make your reservations well in advance and take down the name of the person confirming your reservations so that you don’t run into any mishaps on the big day. If you’re going to be renting a limousine, you’re going to want to handle those reservations in the same manner; call at least a month in advance and if a reservation number is not available, take down the name of the person taking your reservations. The post-prom activities can vary from school functions to private parties. Consult with your date on what she would like to do and what both your parents will allow when planning these activities.

Q4: Where should we go after the prom? Ans: Post-prom activities are as much a part of the prom tradition as the actual event is. What you do after prom will be determined by what activities are available in your area, what you and your date want to do, and what your parents and your date’s parents will allow. Many parents require that any post-prom activities attended be school sponsored events. Your prom will be one of the most memorable events of your life, and many parents and teachers want to make sure that life is a long one. Safety is the first thing to consider when planning any post-prom activities. Many schools offer post-prom parties and events that are a continuation of the prom celebration and are a great way to continue the fun of the evening without putting you or your date in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

Q5: Should I have my photo taken at the prom and how much will it cost? Ans: Prom is a memorable event, and as with any special event, photography plays a big part of the occasion. Even if photos aren’t that important to you right now, they’re probably very important to your date and they will most likely be important to you in the future when you’re an adult looking back on this special occasion. In addition to the photos that your parents are going to want to take of you, there is usually a professional photographer at the prom taking photos of the couples attending. You normally won’t be charged a sitting fee, but the portrait packages can be pricey. Package prices can range from $25 to over $200 depending on the photographer and the picture package that you choose. If you don’t want to bring an excessive amount of cash to prom, you might want to inquire beforehand if the photographer attending will accept checks or credit cards as payment.

Q6: Should I take a limo to the prom and how much will it cost? Ans: Whether or not you should take a limo to prom is a personal decision that depends on a lot of contributing factors; first and foremost being budget. Limo rentals are not cheap, and unless you’re going to be going in on it with a few friends the cost might be prohibitive. Renting a limo for the evening is likely to cost you more than $500. If you and a few of your friends split the cost, that might not be too bad, but if you’re going it alone and you don’t have money to blow, you might want to look into more cost-effective options. As an alternative, perhaps you could choose not to rent a limo for the evening and instead just hire one to take you from your date’s residence to the prom itself and arrange for friends to drop you off at the end of the evening.

Q7: Can I still go to prom if I don’t have a date? Ans: If you don’t have a date to the prom, it’s not the end of the world. If your friends are going with dates and you really don’t want to miss out on the fun, you can always go stag. You might even want to team up with some of your other friends who don’t have dates for the prom and you could all arrange to go as a group. Just make sure that you don’t develop the “fifth-wheel” syndrome and become an annoyance to your friends who are going with dates. If you’re lucky, you might meet up with a girl who was independent and adventurous enough to go to prom without a date too. It’s a night to remember for the rest of your life, and not having a date isn’t a good enough reason to miss out on it.

Q8: What should I bring to the prom? Ans: You are lucky that you are a guy, because you’ll need to bring a lot less to the prom than your date will. While she’ll be cramming as much as she can into her evening bag, you’ll be able to fit almost everything you need to bring right in your trouser pockets. You’ll want to make sure that you bring your date’s corsage to present to her when you pick her up. Make sure that you bring the name of the person who took down your dinner reservations in case you run into any problems at the restaurant. You’ll also want to bring enough money to cover the cost of dinner, prom photos, and any post-prom activities that you two will be attending. Depending on the nature of your post-prom activities, you might also want to bring a change of clothes as well. And of course, you’ll need to bring your prom tickets.

Q9: How do I pin my date’s corsage? Ans: If you’ve never pinned on a corsage before, it can be quite the intimidating experience. The last thing you want to do is stick your date with a pin and draw blood on the night that you will both remember for the rest of your lives. To pin her corsage safely and expertly, you’ll want to place the corsage about 4 inches from the tip of your date’s left shoulder. When you pin the corsage on your date, you’ll want to hold the corsage by the stem with the flowers facing you. Then push the pin into the fabric at the bottom-left corner of the corsage stem and weave the pin back out. Then push the pin through one inch and lay it over the top of the stem at an angle. You’ll then want to push the tip of the pin back into the fabric; just on the other side of the corsage stem and then weave the pin back out one more time. Make sure the pin is not sticking out at all. If you’re just too nervous to pin the corsage, don’t be afraid to ask her mother for help.

Q10: Do I need a boutonniere? Ans: As much as the idea of wearing flowers in front of all of your friends may not appeal to you, you will need to wear a boutonniere. It is traditional for your date to present you with your boutonniere rather than you purchasing it for yourself. She will probably pin the boutonniere on you, much in the same manner that you place the corsage on her. If you’re not comfortable having your date pin the boutonniere on you, you may opt to pin it on yourself. Place the boutonniere at a slight angle about four inches from the left lapel of your jacket. Then push the pin through the fabric in the same way you wove the pin when applying your date’s corsage to her dress. If you are allergic to any variety of flowers, make sure that you let your date know well in advance so that you don’t have any allergic reactions or awkward situations.

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