With one month left until prom, many of you need to start checking last minute items off of your to-do list . I am here to share with you my prom checklist, and how I plan on dividing up my next four weeks!

Week 1: Prom Dress & Prom Tuxedo:

Finding your Prom dress or Prom Tuxedo can be extremely nerve racking. There’s many aspects to consider pricing, color, fit and the wow factor. It can be hard to find the right outfit for prom. For girls I recommend going to our local Prom dress store, Z Couture, to find high end dresses for a more reasonable price. They carry several brands such as, Sherri Hill, Jovani and even Faviana. If you are looking for a more affordable dress, stores such as Davids Bridal, Dillards and Promgirl.com have cheap and quick options. Remember it’s not about how much the dress costs or how skin tight it is, it’s about how you feel in the dress. The dress doesn’t make you, you make the dress.

Now for the gentlemen out there who want to look extra fly on Prom night, some good tuxedo options for Prom are Men’s Wearhouse, Nordstrom, Macy’s and the local Mike’s Formal Wear Tuxedos. A prom tradition is that the male prom member typically matched his bow tie and vest to his date. It is important to keep this in mind and bring a swatch of your dates dress to the tuxedo shop to ensure that you get a perfect match when picking out the color.

Week 2: Prom Group & Location of Prom Pictures:

Finding a prom group can sometimes be hard, especially when many of your friends are in different groups with different interests. My best advice for finding your group is to find which people you enjoy that kind of environment with the most. We all have friends that we love to study with, the ones that are always there to help quiz us over tomorrows APUSH test, we also have those friends that are perfect for when you feel like doing nothing and vegging out in front of the TV with, and last but certainly not least we have those friends that get us excited about every little thing, the ones that are overly zealous when something new is about to come there way. For me personally I gravitate towards those that make every moment feel like it’s the last. My prom group consists of those who I will most enjoy the prom and the prom related activities with. Choosing people that you are comfortable with and who have a positive attitude going into the event is crucial.

The next task is to find the location of Prom pictures. This can be hard to do when everyone’s backyard is beautiful. I recommend using someone’s house, but not just anyone’s, you should pick the house that is closer to the event itself. Well kept backyards are typically the best for pictures as they are the most aesthetically pleasing to the eye. You should also consider finding a photographer or designate a mom with a nice camera in your group, to take the pictures, this will ensure that you pictures are the best quality.

Week 3: Transportation and Dinner:

The next step to a perfect prom night is renting a car to take you through the streets of downtown Austin all the way to the Hyatt Regency for the big night. Renting a limo or a party bus is always fun because it allows for bigger groups to travel together versus having to seperate. Companies such as Big As Texas Limos, Limos of Austin and Austin Limo Rentals are great options for prom night. It can also be safer to have a limo on prom night, it can be dangerous trying to navigate downtown Austin with many people in the car.

Now for the good eats. Their are an infinite number of options for places to eat in downtown austin, but it can be quite expensive and hard to seat large groups of people on prom night. Settling for places that are near downtown, or even doing catering at someone’s house can be a great option. My prom group has made reservations at Brio Italian Bistro they have a large and elegant venue along with a set Prom menu. Every on in the group will bring $25 for a three course meal.

Week 4: The After Party

The after party has continued to be one of the most exciting parts of prom night for as long as we, our parents and their parents can remember. The most important thing about the afterparty is the theme and location. Picking the house with the most space allows for comfortable sleeping arrangement as well as a larger group. You should also make sure to have snack and beverages to keep everyone satisfied for the long night ahead. Also consider coming up with game ideas as well as  fun activities or even a movie to watch to keep everyone occupied.

Some theme ideas include Fight Night (wear your favorite boxing costume), Hippie (break out those bell- bottoms), and Olympics (get that Gold), these are some of the most popular themes and are easy to dress up. Your theme should be different from other groups because it is a cool way to show off y’all’s personality.