|| Prom 2013 ||

Prom dress from the 50's
Wikipedia

I have just realised I never got round to doing a post about my prom! You're probably thinking: "Prom? But you're English? England don't do prom?" And if you are thinking that, you're very much right. Prom is something that started off in America and was very much a BIG deal over there. I remember seeing picture of some of my friends over in America at their proms and thinking "wow, I'd love a prom etc etc" and I never actually thought I would get to have one - but I did!

The Wikipedia definition of prom is  "a semi-formal (black tie) dance or gathering of high-school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year." However over the years many countries have started to adopt this idea of "prom"and over in the UK it is becoming a much more common term and event that happens, I think probably due to the influence of America films and TV shows that portray it to be a major event in High School and teenage life.

Unfortunately for me my school didn't make as much of an effort as I thought they would with the prom. (weird considering it's a private boarding school in the Cotswolds?) Anyway, it was held in my school dining room, like every other event that occurs at my school (like socials and sports dinners etc), and they did make it look lovely. They put fairy lights everywhere and dressed the tables with table cloths and napkins, so in all honestly even though it was out canteen it didn't really look like our canteen.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding Dresses
Photo Credit

The dress. The dress the dress. Well where to start. I had a lot of trouble with my dress. I'm very fussy when it comes to formal dresses and that fact that I had to buy a long one that wasn't ridiculously expensive proved to be a lot harder than I expected. After going on various shopping trips with my friends, and even trudging up to Birmingham to see what they offered, and after everything was unsuccessful I thought I was never going to get my "prom dress". However I looked on ASOS and found the perfect dress. It wasn't too dressy, and it wasn't a typical prom dress. You know the ones that look like they're from 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding'? It wasn't one of them. And the best part; it was £40. 

I was so so happy with the dress, it's like a silvery-grey colour and has a line of pearls around the neck line and a strip in the middle of the waist. 

When I ordered it I was worried about it not fitting, but thankfully when it came it did. I had to do a small bit of altering at the back where it was slightly baggy and made me look fat... but after that it was perfect! After finding the dress the next challenge was to find shoes to accompany it. I was torn for a while, 'what colour shoes do I get? what will go?' I wasn't sure whether to go for a really outlandish pair of heels in bright red, or to go for matching silver ones (which can be tricky because silver can often look a bit tacky.) But I eventually settles on a pair of black wedged platforms from Primark which I think I got for £12. 

My Dress.
I apologise for my awkward face and stance,
I don't really enjoy having single photo's of me
taken - I find it very uncomfortable.

Hair and make-up. Well what with my hair being what it is - unruly, wild and frizzy - I didn't really have much options. I settled on just leaving it down, however I did curl a few on the stray hair that decided they didn't want to cooperate and wanted to frizz up in to a ball on utter destruction. Make-up wise, if I rack my brains I think I did 1960's style eye-liner and bright red lipstick. I used a small amount of foundation, but due to my obvious paleness (or 'English rose' like my mum likes to say, or the more blunt approach from my dad; 'it's the celtic in you') I struggle with foundation and finding a colour that actually suits my skin tone and actually covers my skin. So with the small amount of foundation, cat-like eyes, red-lipstick and lashings of mascara and a few spritzes of Coco Mademoiselle I was ready to walk into my school with all my best friends to embark on prom, the final chapter. As many of my friends are leaving the school (including me) and going to local colleges and other schools, this was really one of our last 'events' together and we really wanted to make it special and memorable.

From Left: Helena, Ellie, Laura, Anna, Amanda and me.
These five girls our my best friends and have been for a long time. 

This here is me and Louis. Louis was my date to the prom,
but just as friends. He again is one of my best friends.

Clockwise: Helena, Ellie, Chilly, Abbi, Anna, Me, Cressi,
Amanda, Sara, Laura and Ellie.

Me and my best friend of nearly eight years; Helena.

This one was taken in the 'disco' we had after the prom
which was also help in canteen. Apologies about my facial
expression...