Prom night is a big deal! For seniors, it’s one of the last big parties students get to enjoy with their friends from school. It’s a sending-off of sorts. For Juniors (and invited guests), it’s just a fun time — but important nonetheless! If you want to throw a party that won’t soon be forgotten, here are seven tips to organize prom night at your school.
Advertise around school with eye-catching posters
You spent all this time and energy to plan an incredible prom night for your school, and you want people to enjoy your hard work! Make sure everyone in school knows exactly when and where prom is being held with eye-catching posters plastered around school.
Of course, you’re still busy putting the finishing touches on the party and likely don’t have time to design posters from scratch. And remember, your posters are a representation of your prom. If they’re boring, your prom will look boring, and nobody will want to go!
The best way to get professional-level poster layouts without taking time out of your already-busy schedule is to use free prom poster templates from websites like PosterMyWall. Just look through the designs, choose the best one for your prom’s style, customize the information, and you’re ready to hang around school.
Assemble your team
Planning a killer prom night isn’t a solo activity. You need a team to make the magic happen. So the first step to organizing prom at your school is to assemble a creative and hardworking team.
The best teams are diverse, so make sure you get at least a few students, school staffers, and parents on board. Each will bring a unique perspective and ability to the organizational process, making the party that much better!
Once you have a team, divvy out the responsibilities so there’s not too much on any one person. Planning a prom is a big job! Think about the strengths of each member of your team and assign roles accordingly.
Pick the right date and venue
Schools host a lot of activities. Between sports games, competitions, clubs, and assemblies, it’s essential to pick the perfect date for your prom so it doesn’t conflict with any other school activities. That way, all the students will be able to attend without worrying about choosing between prom and their other responsibilities.
Take some time to really scour the school event schedule to choose the right day for your prom night. It also doesn’t hurt to look at local event calendars to avoid town or city events like concerts, county fairs, or parades.
The venue is also an important consideration. You want a place that’s fancy, fun, and large enough to host all the attendees, but it also can’t be so far away that it’s difficult for people to get to. Many students still rely on others for rides, and it’s not easy to convince someone to give up their entire night to drive them back and forth to prom.
Choose an awesome theme
The theme sets the tone for the entire party — and helps your prom committee with other planning decisions. For example, if you know the theme is “underwater,” you can start thinking of how to make a paper ribbon waterfall, get a bubble machine, and other creative ideas.
But it’s not easy to get everyone to agree on a single theme. Everyone has their opinions! One of the best ways to narrow down the theme is to have your prom committee choose their three to five favorite theme ideas and have the entire senior class vote on their favorite. The top choice becomes the official theme.
Select the right menu
What’s a party without great food!? Your menu is an essential part of a great prom experience. Not only does it need to be tasty, but the menu will need to do a few other things, as well:
- Make attendees feel like they’re having a classy night out
- Match the theme (ideally)
- Consider those with allergies and food restrictions
Some venues have a kitchen on site. It never hurts to ask what kind of food they offer to see if it might fit your theme (and budget). Just remember to have at least a few additional food options for people with dietary restrictions, like a gluten-free or vegetarian plate option.
It’s all about the decorations
A great prom is all about the atmosphere. And nothing creates a fun atmosphere as well as decorations! You want attendees to walk through the door and be wowed by the incredible and creative decorations you and your committee picked to fill every inch of the space.
Decorations will depend on a few factors:
- Venue limitations
- Your prom’s theme
- Budget
Think about the theme the senior class picked and brainstorm ideas with your committee about how you can bring the theme to life. Think about lighting, colors, tablecloths, centerpieces, and entrance decorations to create a fun and classy environment.
Making some of the decorations yourself is a great way to save some money, but make sure they still look classy! You want prom to be a night students will remember forever — and not because of the duct taped centerpieces…
Everyone likes party favors
Prom attendees need more than just the memories to take home. Party favors give prom goers something tangible they can look at to remember the amazingness of your prom night forever.
You can hand out party favors at different times to really amp up excitement. For example, you can hand out some pre-prom party favors students can use during prom, like glow sticks or party poppers. After-prom party favors could be something like a t-shirt or mug to commemorate the occasion.
Whatever party favors you choose, just make sure they match the theme!
Make prom a night to remember
Prom is almost like the final kickoff for many students’ high school careers. It’s basically the start of the next chapter of their lives! Because it’s such a big occasion, it’s important to make it a night they’ll remember forever.
The best way to organize your prom is to announce it with plenty of eye-catching flyers hung around the school, assemble your all-star team, choose the right time and venue, select a fun theme, choose an inclusive menu, decorate the venue, and leave them with some party favors. Finish high school with a bang, and organize a prom students will never forget!