After such a fantastic night having their homecoming dinner at our place in the fall, the kids asked if we could do it all over again for prom. You know I was over the moon to do this for them! The photo credit once again goes to my sister. She is so talented and giving of her time and gifts, taking another whole night to spend with these kids and then tirelessly editing them over the coming week.
Like at homecoming they had a huge group – the final headcount was 39. I literally prayed for good weather, because our rain plan was not amazing. :-) Thankfully, we were blessed with a perfect spring night. Three heaters worked perfectly to warm the space (we sat the girls on the sides of the tables with heaters) and I used the exact same table layout as for our group of 40 at homecoming.
While we had no rain, the gusts of wind were absolutely INSANE. I had originally planned balloons to line each table but only ended up being able to use a small fraction of them. That made me SO sad, but the kids had no idea and were still thrilled with every detail.
The prom theme this year had something to do with diamonds, so I used that as the jumping off point for the decor. We rented the tables and chairs and silver table cloths.
All of the kids chip in for the dinner – food, drinks and rentals. Another mom on our team tracks the budget and collects RSVPs and money. On the day of, a crew of moms came over early in the day to set it all up. Then, after photos our “mom madness” group rushed over to do finishing touches. We hid out during the meal, being careful not to hover and to let them have their space. After their departure, the clean up began. It has worked so well and we move like a machine!
I used the 2024 letters from Senior Breakfast. You’ll see these again at Lacrosse Senior Night and then at John, Michael and Carl’s grad party. They were well worth the money and time putting them together!
I used white sequin runners on top of the silver table cloths. A few rolls of silver wrapping paper and silver satin ribbon went a long way in completing the decor in a budget friendly manner.
The balloons are called Bobo balloons. I bought a kit with the lights and sticks MONTHS ago. They took forever to arrive and are extremely labor intensive but they are absolutely stunning. They claim to be reusable, but were a mess to untangle and so I’d say one time use only.
I used my standard “pool party decor” formula. White inflatable balls and a fun float. For this, I inflated the swan from last year and added a silver ribbon.
I shared Emily’s bouquet yesterday but here are more detailed photos. It was gorgeous and we were so happy to give it to her. I would carry these for a wedding!
As for the meal, we hired a hibachi chef! The kids absolutely LOVED it! We knew they would be more interested in chatting than watching the “show” (and smelling like soy sauce) so he prepared the meal in the driveway and we served it on the porch. He started cooking much earlier than their dinner time in order to feed 40. Not having the show also made the meal a little cheaper per head. Again, this was a huge hit!
With the extreme wind, I ended up setting up dessert inside. I ordered a platter from a local place that specializes in edible cookie dough. Again, a huge hit with the teens! Since we have a couple of gluten free gals, one of the moms made brownies for that.
I set up canisters of tea and water on the island, along with a themed mocktail. They all loved that – it was pretty and quite tasty.
We rented the champagne flutes and the mocktail was 1/2 white cranberry juice with 1/2 sparkling grape juice. White rock candy swizzle sticks topped it off. It was a fun, special touch for the kids and stayed on theme.
And, finally, a few pics of the kids enjoying their dinner.
This season of life has been nothing short of amazing. Every age and stage has been my “favorite” but the teen years take the cake.
I have had and used most things on this list over and over again for all sorts of occasions.
- LED Balloons
- Balloon pump
- 3″ double faced satin ribbon (I use same red for Christmas)
- Sturdy decorative plates
- Mercury glass candle holders (I’ve had mine for years – 2 boxes – and use often)
- Bulk votive candles
- Patio heaters
- Silver satin ribbon
- Cream ribbon for prom bouquet
- White Silver Napkins Dinner | Cocktail
- Silver plastic cutlery
- Marquee Numbers: Two, Zero, Four (I did 3 foot)
- White Duct Tape for Marquee Numbers (assemble with hot glue, used to reinforce)
- Silver wrapping paper runner
- White sequin runner
- Letter dishes for mints (I spelled PROM)
- Fireworks Table Lamps
Not only has John been lucky enough to make such amazing friends, but I’ve become close to many of their parents in the process. What a ride!
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What a wonderful dinner – and so great that you could be a part of it! For most NJ proms, dinner is at the prom venue. It’s always fun to see how other areas of the country celebrate!
Shelley
Beautifully done, as always! :) From a budget perspective would love to know roughly how much something like this comes out per person to compare to dinner at a restaurant. I think the private atmosphere, and places for pictures, etc. make this really nice. And I love the hibachi idea!
As you always do, stunning event!!
Lindsey
Wow! That is an impressive celebration! (The wind was crazy in Maryland Saturday! I cannot imagine how you’d have pivoted had it rained. Meet at Benihana?’!)
Love seeing this & other gatherings. I am 2025 & 2027 mom.