Students plan and prepare for a night of dancing and fun using different methods

For many seniors, prom is an event that is very exciting. All students prepare for this day for different amounts of time; some take a while and some take shorter amounts of time.

Walking through aisles with dresses on every side, junior Cressida Rodriguez looked hard to find the perfect dress, hopeful of no troubles.

“Picking the dress was my first step, and it was a very smooth process for me,” Rodriguez said. “I found the perfect dress that had absolutely everything I wanted and with a bonus of no problems. It was honestly a surprise I even bought my dress from there because I was out one night with my mom and we stopped by the store just to look and ended up buying the perfect dress there the next day.  I knew my dress was for me because as soon as I tried it on it fit perfectly and needed no altering and it is also the perfect color.”

Everyone has a different experience with dress shopping. Some people have an easier time and some have a harder time.

“Shopping takes forever and finding the dress makes everything else fall behind easily,” senior Kylee Dinwiddie said. “Once you have that, you can base everything else off it and go ahead with the smaller things. I’m excited to see everyone so dressed up and seeing everyone’s beautiful dresses.”

At Bowie, prom is only for seniors, unless an underclassman or non-Bowie student is invited by a senior as a date. This means that finding the perfect dress is essential for prom because it is a once in a lifetime event for many students.

“I think that prom is a really special occasion, so I’d want to make sure everything goes according to plan,” senior Emma Dinwiddie said. “It’s something that only happens once in your life, like a minor version of a wedding.”

It is also important to make that everything need to make a successful prom is covered when it comes to getting ready for prom such as making sure manicures, hair-dos and skin care are done.

“As a girl you have to think about your entire appearance,” Rodriguez said. “It starts with the new fresh nails and some people even go the extra mile to get their hair done. For me the only thing I have left is to get my nails done which should be very exciting. The hard part is planning the nail appointment on time for your nails not to start growing out.”

Since prom is such a big occasion for many, students plan on pampering themselves before the event and having a full day of fun on the day of prom.

“I’ll probably do my nails and a facial the night before at Face to Face Spa, and Golden Nails, while I get my hair and makeup done a few hours before,” Emma said. “I will be getting my nails done, a facial, and having a personal stylist help me with my hair and makeup.”

Since prom needs a lot of planning, students make sure that not just outfits, but all other accessories and preparation are good quality and reliable.

“I always go to T&S nails to get my nails and eyebrows done,” Rodriguez said. “I go to T&S because they are not overpriced and are very friendly. To get my hair done I go to Urban Betty because they are one of the best hair salons in Austin. I also got my dress at the Barton Creek mall at the fairly new dress shop: Camille La Vie. I love how they are both the best quality and also are very friendly to their customers.”

Once the bases are covered when it comes to getting ready, finding a group is also essential to having a fun prom night.

“I’m going with my boyfriend, so that was an easy one for me,” Kylee said. “But it’s important to get a group. That’s what makes prom fun. I know if I didn’t have a group together I’d probably just not go because I wouldn’t want to just go alone. We’ve gotten together as a really fun group to go with. I’m really excited to be able to be with them. My boyfriend is also in college, so him coming to town for this means a lot to me and I’m grateful to have the time with him. It’ll be a great memory.”

Although there is so much to do when it comes to the preparation of prom for students, there is a lot of physical preparation necessary for a  fun and successful prom night.

“Mrs. Uzzle and I are Class of ‘22 sponsors, so we have been trying to raise money for prom since their freshman year. We have already booked an amazing venue as well as the DJ and photo booths already. Now, we are planning the final details and decorations,” psychology teacher Kris Gandinetti-Johnson said. “I would say booking the venue and DJ were the two most important parts of planning. Everything else revolves around that.”

After pictures and other fun activities, once students get to prom venue that’s when all of their hard work and preparation gets to be shown off.

“These steps are important because at Bowie you only get one prom as a senior, so it’s important to make it the best night ever,” Rodriguez said. “I am so excited to go out with my friends and spend time with everyone. Getting food before prom is something I am looking forward to.”

With all of the important preparation that goes into prom, there are certain things that take priority when setting up, and although setting up can be stressful, there are many positive outcomes.

“I think the most important thing in planning prom is getting a location,” US History teacher Wendy Uzzle said. “The venue is the most expensive part of the events and will drive a lot of decisions such as food, theme, and other costs. When things get stressful, I remind myself that our seniors haven’t gotten many of the high school experiences that other classes have gotten. This event should be the exclamation point on a high school career that has been fraught with challenges. This should be a huge celebration for our senior class.”

Traditional Bowie dances were altered or completely canceled in the past two years due to COVID. This has caused greater anticipation for this year’s prom from students and staff such as Grandinetti-Johnson.

“I love seeing the different dresses, tuxes, and outfits,- it can be such a fun way to express your personal style” Grandinetti-Johnson said. “Prom can be a tremendous amount of fun if you don’t let yourself get too serious or stressed out about it. It’s a time to have fun dressing up and celebrating with your friends. Having missed out on some things because of Covid, we are extra excited to have a big celebration for our seniors this year.”