There were two types of girls I knew in my high school: those who thought prom was not all that big of a deal and those who planned every detail down to the last petal on her corsage. I'm not saying one side is completely wrong, but I am saying this: prom is a big deal.
I still remember my senior prom like it was yesterday. I remember rushing home so I could start on the hairstyle I picked out a couple weeks before. I remember my sister painting my makeup on my face with careful concentration. I remember slipping into my blue satin dress for the first time since I got it properly fitted a couple days before and thinking I was a princess. I remember descending down my staircase as my date watched my every step and feeling like I would never be as pretty as I was in that very moment.
Prom is a big deal.
You are never going to have this moment again. I never realized it then but my life at that very moment was never going to be the same. It's going to be a rarity that you and your old high school gang are going to be at the same place at the same time. He may seem important now but chances are you'll never speak to your prom date again aside from the comment section of the prom #TBT you will post on Instagram. All the places you pose your prom pictures in front of become the backgrounds to the stories you tell your college friends, and feel less and less like home the more time goes on.
Your mom, who is annoying you as she fusses over fixing your hair and posing you just right for her camera, won't always be just down the hall forever when you need to borrow her tweezers. Your Dad, who is staring your date down like a hawk, won't be just a few steps away when you can't open a jar of salsa. For the most part, prom marks the lasts of the firsts in your high school career. Shortly after, the firsts of the lasts appear.
Prom is a big deal
Yeah, in the end it doesn't matter which two girls wore the same dress, who was nominated to prom court, or even who threw the most outrageous after party. There are more important things to focus on that night.
To the girl who is attending her first prom, please cherish every moment of it. Take as many pictures of you and your friends as possible. Dance to every song while screaming all the lyrics at the top of your lungs. Hug your favorite teacher chaperone. Drink the cliche punch. Lean your head on your date's shoulder during the slow dance and remember what it feels like to be young and untouchable.
No matter what happens in the future, this is going to be one of the nights you will remember for the rest of your life. Enjoy every minute of it.
Prom is a big deal.
