Comments on: A Young Man’s Guide to Prom

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:49:34 +0000

Awesome article! Thanks!
One part you didn’t mention: my date (and all of the girls in the group we’re with) told me and their own dates that they’ll be wearing garters… Any manly advice for this? I sorta know what it is, but what is the general protocol? Thanks!

By: Graham Leupp

Graham Leupp — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:59:29 +0000

As someone whose in the family business of running a small tux business, I can say that most of what’s in this post is correct. You’l want to reserve your tux early for sure, or you run the risk of them not having the vest color you need, or coat you want. However, I WILL add a few things in:
Go to a locally-owned business, not a tuxedo mega-chain. One, it will most likely be less expensive because at a mega-chain, you’l likely be paying the cost to ship your outfit in from out of state, since most mega-chains keep all their outfits in only one city. Second, You’l want to see what your outfit will actually look like, not just pick it out from a catalog. Third, with a local small business, if something isn’t right with the fit, they’l be able to fit the mistake before your prom, whereas from a mega-chain, who usually ships their outfits in from out-of-state, your out of luck. Fourth, with a small business you get the care of individual attention. I’ve watched my dad individually clean vests, press pants carefully, make sure the coats look nice…he puts a large amount of effort into making sure his customers look nice, as opposed to your outfit being factory-pressed and processed. Choose the human touch.
Limit the amount of people you bring with you, and think about who you bring. Too many people can result in there being ‘too many cooks in the kitchen,’ with everyone trying to steer you toward what they want you to wear, even if it’s something you don’t like. Mom or dad (preferably dad, I’ve seen this turn into a great father-son experience for lots of kids,) your date, or someone you trust not to criticize your choices is fine.
Also, I’ve seen a disturbing trend lately, which is the date not letting you see the dress until the prom. One, it’s a prom….not your wedding. Two, this makes it very difficult for you to match your vest color with her dress. Don’t rely too much on pictures of the dress, as the lighting can make the color seem darker or lighter than it really is. A swatch, or the dress itself is the best option, especially if it’s a hard to match color, like ‘turquoise,’ which there are over a hundred different kinds and shades of.
When picking your coat keep in mind some will be more ‘fitted’ than others, and that the more fitted looks are typically a bit more expensive…its worth it though if you like the fitted look, considering you’l be seeing pictures from this event for the rest of your life. A tuxedo coat will never give you the range of movement a t shirt would, but it also shouldn’t feel too restrictive.
Lastly, when it comes to tuxedos you get what you pay for. If a low price is the only thing a tuxedo business has to offer you, then it’s usually because their merchandise is very old and worn out. Businesses who get fresh outfits in regularly charge a bit more, but it makes all the difference.

By: Kev

Kev — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:00:26 +0000

Prom is coming up next weekend for me. My group and I haven’t been good with organizing or coordinating at all. We skipped the limo and I volunteered to take the beemer instead.

Also, I bought a navy blue suit from H&M instead of the traditional tuxedo rental. Other than being around the same cost as a rental, Prom isn’t really too much of a black tie event anymore in my opinion. Sure, tuxedos are awesome and brilliant, but the average teenager won’t notice a difference between a suit and tuxedo. The suit was wonderfully fitting off the rack, minor alterations were made and now I think that my well-fitting suit looks miles better than an ill-fitting tuxedo.

Lots of negative opinions going on about Prom here. I think what makes the night isn’t the actual dance, rather, the people that you surround yourself with. Thinking back to Homecoming, I had a terrible time actually at the dance, but the dinner was amazing and fun.

By: Ed Gruberman

Ed Gruberman — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:55:06 +0000

When renting a tux, go to a small tux shop. Bigger places will rent your tux to a last-minute wedding party, even though you paid in full in cash 3 months in advance. Then try to dump a 3rd-rate suit on you. And they overcharge, anyway.
A small local place rented me one for 2 weekends for the price of one. Hey, 2 girls, 2 proms. Got lucky, they both wore pink gowns!

By: Danny

Danny — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 05:23:12 +0000

Thanks alot! I am one of the regular high schoolers of this site. This is a great guide and calms my nerves about prom. I am a senior and this is my first prom experience. I am still freaking out about potentially messing up my date’s prom experience and making it not perfect.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:56:00 +0000

Thanks for the post it really helped I’m a high school age readers and I do appreciate articles like this that are geared towards people my age

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:42:52 +0000

You said there’s two types of people the people that like prom and the people that don’t well I’m the 3rd kind of person…. I like prom and everything about it, just the price is making me not go… and I could be having a good bonfire night too…

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 03:05:17 +0000

I am a Junior and this is my first time going to Prom. I am going with my best friend, and she is a blast. It should be a great time, Thanks to this article. Too bad I just told my other best friend (Her Ex) that I was taking her. That didn’t turn out so well haha. But Thanks again, BIG HELP!!

By: Lazy Blonde

Lazy Blonde — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:47:48 +0000

I love this! I’m a girl, but my prom date is a bit clueless, I’m definitely going to show him this site! I found it when I was researching what style of tux my date should rent. Oh and guys, piece of advice: Dance with your date!!! There is nothing worse than having a date that is “too cool” or too shy to dance. Good luck!

By: Bicycle Bill

Bicycle Bill — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:03:28 +0000

A humorous yet poignant take on prom can be found in Jean Shepherd's short story "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories". -"BB"-