Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Hey all,

so to give you some background on my problem, I've got senior prom coming up (high school, btw, just so we're all clear). You see, I DID ask a girl to come with me AND she said yes, however today she told me that she thought it would be awkward because we didn't know each other extremely well (contextually, we had been friendly, although not really friends, for the past 4 years) and I although I offered her numerous chances to hang out seem didn't seem particularly keen on it. Regardless, I've got 6 days to find a prom date before tickets stop being sold if I want to go. My questions are, is it worth going to prom with a stranger? Is it worth going to prom at all? and regardless of your last two answers should I go???

Of course the real problem is my only friends who are girls have dates/boyfriends :/

Not the biggest life issue I guess, but any input is appreciated!

[LordBucket]

My date for the senior prom canceled on me. I went alone. Though in my case it was kind of mandatory because I was on the prom committee. I obviously wasn't going to not go. It was...not awful, but it wasn't like other dances where there were singles and groups. Pretty much exclusively couples and nobody spiked the punch, so there wasn't a lot to do.

Is it worth going to prom at all?

...well, looking back even if it's not something I particularly enjoyed at the time, I am glad I went. It's kind of one of those 'life events' sort of things that you'd probably regret for the rest of your life if you missed. Not, crying in tears jumping off bridges degrees of miss...but, yeah, I'd say it's worth going.

Also, in my case, I did get asked to someone else's prom a few years later and enjoyed that immensely. Having gone to one previously took away all the stress for doing another one because I knew what to expect.

is it worth going to prom with a stranger?

Can't speak from experience. But one option: at my school only juniors, seniors and their dates were allowed. It might be possible to find a freshman or sophomore who desperately wants to go, but can't unless you ask her.

should I go???

Up to you. But as someone who was canceled on too, yes...I would advise going. If you end up going alone don't expect to have the time of your life while you watch all the other couples dancing together. But go.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

hm, thanks for the friendly advice!

[DJ]

I regret going to my prom. The drinks were warm, the music sucked, and it cost too much.

[Karlito]

I regret going to my prom. The drinks were warm, the music sucked, and it cost too much.

I'll echo these sentiments, but note that I quite enjoyed dressing in fancy clothes, going out to eat, and hanging with friends afterward.

[Yoink]

Seems like it's something you might regret missing if you don't go, even if only because it's a large milestone in life. *shrug*

[LordBucket]

the music sucked

True story: when we chose our DJ, we asked him about his repertoire and explained in no uncertain terms that it was a formal event and that there was to be no rap. The entire ASB team, all in agreement talking to this guy...no rap. He said that would be no problem.

Sure enough, he played a bunch of rap.

[Yoink]

Okay, if that was the case I would regret going to such an event.

[TamerVirus]

Ah Prom, the dance in life that means very little in the grand scheme of things... I don't know how much dosh your school is dishing out for this occasion but if its alot, then it might be worth it to go for the experience anyway. In my case I did take a girl I liked, but in retrospective its clear that she only agreed to go with me because I was footing the cost of her ticket. So maybe thats like taking a stranger? Anyway its a good time to hang out with friends, take snazzy pictures and such, and maybe get an awkward slowdance with the person you took. In the end, its up to you

[sneakey pete]

No date, went anyway, was boring, but also awkward and depressing (at the time).

Now I don't care really. I didn't speak to anyone from that school more than 12 months after graduation anyway. Your situation may vary.

[GlyphGryph]

Seems like it's something you might regret missing if you don't go, even if only because it's a large milestone in life. *shrug*

Oddly enough, this mostly seems to be the opinion of people who actually went. Everyone I know who skipped it doesn't seem to regret anything at all.

* GlyphGryph shrugs

I forget what I did instead, but I like dancing and dances and didn't bother going because it seemed like it would be halfway between a boring drag and a drama-fest. (Which, from secondhand accounts, was a pretty accurate assessment).

Now, breaking into the abandoned insane asylum that same year, that was something I would have regretted missing! Another crappy school dance, to mention a stupid expensive one? Not so much.

Roughly 1 in every 4 student skips prom, and to be honest I've never really heard anyone complaining about it except for the (every few) people who REALLY wanted to go but couldn't because of some other obligation. So it comes down to how badly you want to go, I guess. I have heard a bunch of people complain their prom was terrible, though!

Of course, the average student also manages to spend $807 frickin' dollars on prom night, so... yeah. I think that's counting the people who don't go. It seems like saving the money and spending it on a REALLY fancy but significantly more personal date with someone you like would be a better investment, to be honest.

Also, most of the big cities in the US at least throw "adult proms" pretty regularly, which I've heard are far better than any high school prom.

[LordBucket]

the average student also manages to spend $807 frickin' dollars on prom night

It doesn't need to be that expensive. I suspect the people renting limos for 12 hours straight and staying in hotels are bringing up the averages.

$80 tux. $100 for two tickets. $60 bouquet. $20 corsage. $60 for pictures. If you go as a group and rent a limo, you can very easily keep the costs under $100/person. $100 for meals and a couple bottles of champagne for the limo. People are underaged, so it's not like you're buying $12 martinis. We're only at $520 here, and even that's higher than it needs to be. $400 for prom is doable. Less if you have your own car.

I wonder if that average student figure is actually average couple.

EDIT:
Apparently the source of the $800+ number is a survey conducted by Visa. They do it every year and they're now claiming average cost is $978. I think they're inflating the numbers to encourage people to spend. Certainly there are people who do spend that much, but I'm guessing a more realistic average is probably more like $300. If you're going to prom, you're probably 17 or 18. So have your parents take pictures and play chauffeur. They do feed you at the event, so you don't even have to pay for that if you don't want to. Tickets plus tux plus boutonniere: $200. $250 would give you a nice dinner too.

[Vector]

You need to factor in the female dress, hair, makeup, shoes, etc. costs in that as well, LordBucket. That's going to blow up the average.

[LordBucket]

You need to factor in the female dress, hair, makeup, shoes, etc. costs

Sure, but that $520 figure I first estimated assumed your date was buying dinner, pictures, your bouquet and your ticket. That gives you $270 to work with before you break even on expenses. According to promgirl.com, dresses typically range from $100 to $400, and google tells me that the "average" prom dress is $170-$180. So let's say $200 for the dress plus a $20 corsage. Add $100 for hair and makeup, and another $30 for a nice french manicure. Shoes might add another $50, but I think your feet will thank you if you wear flats and hide them under your dress rather than wear spiked heels for 6+ hours. It's better for dancing and pictures if you're not taller than your date, anyway. Even with the shoes, that's $400, plus another $100 for your share of the limo. Doesn't need to cost you any more than it costs your date.

If you want to keep it cheap, get a $100 dress, $20 corsage, wear flats and have a makeup and hair pre-party with the other girls. Then either talk your date out of a limo, or get a cheap one. Checking limo.com I see 3 hour rentals for as low as $130. Split that with your date, have your parents drop you off, meet at the prom then have the limo pick you up, and that gives you three hours of being chauffeured to dinner and afterparties. Total cost: $185. Or $120 plus gas if either of you have your own car. Maybe +$50 if you're buying your own ticket. Etiquette there might have changed since I last did prom.

[Vector]

Okay, that makes sense--I missed a few steps. Thanks for your clarification :]