Party Like a Virgin on Prom Night

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

In college, I always wanted to have an 80’s prom party. To my dismay, the sorority vetoed this idea during a formal meeting and instead went with some St. Pat’s party (who even remembers that Lynn Lai!?).
Last fall, Ashlee Simpson pulled off a really awesome prom party last year for her birthday. While I haven’t liked her much lately, the pictures (to the right) from her party were hilarious.

Regardless if you had a memorable experience or not, salute prom season with your one adult version with these tips.

* Ain’t no party like a theme party. Cheesy 80’s love ballads are always a crowd pleaser and there are a ton of good prom themes such as, “Bed of Roses” (Bon Jovi), “Is This Love” (Whitesnake), “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper), “Heaven” (Warrant) and “More Than Words” (Extreme).

* Thrifty Attire. Scour the local thrift store for some totally awesome attire. I knew that my mom shouldn’t have thrown away Aunt Michelle’s bridesmaid dress. That would have been a beaut. If you are a packrat, pull a Peggy Sue and wear your high school prom dress. If you are sticking to the 80’s theme, buy some props for guests that don’t come prepared. Scrunchies, long strands of pearls, pastel bow ties, a crimper and Ray Bans for the guys.

Say Cheese-y. Remember those horrible prom pictures (ah hem Studio Ten) where you are forced to do an awkward pose in a cheesy setting with your date? Recreate that moment as guests walk in. If you have a bigger budget, purchase a pre-made set like the one on the right from StumpsProm.com.

Party Like it’s 1999. Times have changed and so has the way we play music at parties. Get jiggy with an ipod playlist of songs that were played during your prom days. For us 1999ers, that would be a little “Livin’ la Vida Loco,” “Hit Me Baby One More Time”and “Genie in a Bottle.” Slow things down with some KC and JoJo “All My Life.”

Mamma said knock you out. As a nod to prom movies, served a spiked punch.

Strawberry Champagne Punch Recipe
2 10-ounce packages frozen sweetened strawberries, thawed
2 750-ml. bottles rosé wine (about 6½ cups)
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juicePowdered sugar or simple syrup3 750-ml. bottles champagne (about 10 cups)
Ice mold
Chill all ingredients well before mixing. Purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor, adding a little of the rosé wine if necessary. Chill. Sweeten the lemon juice to taste with sugar or simple syrup and pour it into a punch bowl. Stir in the puréed strawberries and the wine. Add the champagne last, just before serving. Float an ice mold. Makes about 40 servings.
Do me a favor... No prom is complete without favors. In 11th grade, we were banned by the school board for giving away champagne glasses because it alluded to drinking. Don’t worry, I got them back by going to my senior prom wasted with an executive member of SADD. Since there is no school board around for this party, order some cheap glasses from StumpsProm.com cuctomized with your theme and party date.

Prom Queen. No prom is complete without a King and Queen. Buy cheap crowns and sashes and create voting boxes for guests to submit their favorite couple. For bonus points, hand out additional “Class Personalities” like “Most Likely to Puke,” “Class Couple,” “Best Dressed,” etc.

(Sources: people.com, wireimage, greatpartyrecipes.com)