What was prom like in *your* decade?

[lovesmurfs]

1984 and 1985. My senior prom, my dress could have doubled for Halloween for "Little Bo Peep." But I loved it at the time.

We took pictures at both houses, then drove (in parent's borrowed car) to the prom. Had a bit of a get-together with a few other couples afterward, but was home by 2 or 3 a.m.

Song: "You're the Inspiration."

 

[BlueStarryHat]

My prom dress in 1984 was a direct copy of the one from Footloose, which was bought from the DEB shop. I went to a friend's senior prom that year and my hair was as poofy as I could make it. I could have carried my purse in all that hair piled on top of my head and nobody would have been the wiser.

My senior prom in 1985 was held at the Adam's Mark Hotel's banquet room in Philadelphia and was a very swanky affair as I remember. I hated my dress-the one I wanted was royal blue and had a low square neck but my Mom thought it showed too much cleavage so I cut off my nose to spite my face and deliberately chose a lavender dress with a high net bodice and long sleeves. I looked like a purple nun. My boyfriend wore a tux with a short pointy jacket, exactly like a waiter's coat. My dad, ever the joker, draped a towel over his arm when he arrived. Har har.

I don't remember much about the night except that I hated the way I looked and that it wasn't as good a time as I was expecting. If I had to do it over I would have really campaigned for that royal blue dress.

 

[BlovesC]

Mine were in 1999 and 2000.

Both proms were held at local banquet halls. Everyone went in groups, whether you were with a date or flying solo (lots of people went solo), you either piled into a rented limo that everyone chipped in for, or you went with whoever had the biggest car. Typically in groups of at least six people.

Dresses were mostly long, a few short, and a LOT of the girls wearing longer, fuller dresses wore sneakers and would lift their skirt to show them off every time they took a pic (seriously, that was a HUGE thing in 2000 especially). Some girls were covered in glittery bodymist, which I blame on Brittney Spears. We had all colors of tuxes, although most wore black, and a few of the 'creative' types did the tophat and cane routine.

After-prom parties typically occurred at the boardwalk. Prom was a super casual event in my school though. No one obsessed over it for months, we definitely didn't have 'promposals' and such a thing would have likely gotten mocked relentlessly. My school body groomed itself on the art of not caring, I think we were ahead of our time with the whole irony thing. It's probably also a regional thing...prom seems like it's a much bigger deal in the south, perhaps because marrying in your teens is so common here.

 

[NotUrsula]

Segregated. There were two proms, one for whites and one for blacks.

Yep, you read that right. Late 1970's, small rural town in the deep south. Neither event was officially affiliated with the school b/c the public school could not sponsor a race-exclusive prom, so officially, there was no prom (no other school dances, either, for the same reason.)

The tickets were called "invitations" for legal reasons; you "donated" to the nonprofit social club, and they "invited" you and your date to the prom. Under state law at that time, because it was a "private" party, there was no enforcement of a minimum drinking age, so there was always an open bar. The event was always held at a local agricultural exhibit hall. Dinner was before the dance at a restaurant; and being that there were no "fancy" restaurants in our town, the trip to dinner added a 90-minute commute to the evening.

I didn't attend any proms, but I put myself through college as a seamstress, so I can tell you what most people wore. Bright colored Quiana dresses, lucite platform shoes, and always, always, elaborately "feathered" hair, even on the guys.

 

[bjscheel]

In 1993 I had a boyfriend, so we went together and met friends at a restaurant, then to the dance at the country club. His school's prom was the same night, so we went to his post-prom in the school gym. He pretty much ditched me the whole post-prom so I spent the time playing blackjack at one table because I knew the dad running the table was a friend of my dad's- pretty much the only other person there I sort of knew. Funny now, that dad is my closest neighbor. I won a Mickey Mouse watch that night! My dress was bought on clearance for $12. It was a bit short, but wouldn't you know it, my mom found a strip of the exact same purple/black iridescent satin at a garage sale for .10 and she added a ruffle. Only my mom would have that kind of luck!

In 1994 I didn't have a boyfriend, but my big group of friends sat down at lunch and paired everyone off in the group that wasn't dating. I went with a foreign exchange student. I drove him, the other foreign exchange student, and his date (since no one else had an American license) in my parents' huge Lincoln Continental. My mom tore apart my previous prom dress and added a new black chiffon skirt and detail at the neckline. We had dinner at a restaurant with our friends, then the dance and post-prom at school, where I was probably the only kid who didn't win a thing. They try to make sure everybody ends up with something, but I missed out.

Now, at the same school, they eat dinner together at the school, then drive up to the town square where they are announced and walk up a walkway so everyone can see and take pics. The dads valet park the vehicles. They have a dance at the Cultural Center, and post-prom at school.

 

[frndshpcptn]

My prom in the 80's was pretty much the same as dd17's here - fancy gown/tux's (with the ties matching the dresses), wrist corsage, hair and nails done (no spray tan - we did the real thing), fancy venue, limos, multi-course dinner, dj, weekend at the shore.

Not much has changed.

My prom in the mid-90's was exactly the same.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Reading the other prom thread made me realize we sure didn't do much in the '80s . Fancy dress and hair, but no professional nails or tanning. No limo, no "groups", parents took pictures in the backyard. Dinner out somewhere "nice" before the dance (which was in the school gym, that we had spent all afternoon decorating, with a live band). Postprom at the local VFW, then driving around/getting in trouble until dawn.
...

1986
Prom was held in ballroom of a hotel downtown Chicago - complete with dinner. Tickets cost $150 a couple which was expensive back then.
Dress $250
Hair and makeup done, nails done, and tanning
we all had limos
we all had rooms to spend the night

 

[Diznygrl]

1998/99 private all girl school, but I didn't go to either of them. You couldn't go without a date, and I don't mean because it was social suicide but rather it was literally the school rule that you were required to have a date. I didn't, so I never got to go. And just going with a girlfriend of yours and claiming them as a "date" just so you could go, was not allowed. It had to be a boy.

Held in the ballroom of some hotel I can't remember the name of. Dinner included. Junior and Senior proms were held on the same night in ballrooms right next to each other, so sometime during the night the doors between rooms end up getting opened and suddenly it's a Junior/Senior mixer.

Limos were strictly prohibited.

 

[DWGal210]

Went to Junior Prom in 1999 and Senior Prom in 2000.

As others have said, the style of dress then was ballgown-type, big and poofy. One year I wore a black dress; the other year, I think it was a blue color.

I didn't tan but I wasn't allowed to; a lot of people did. It was also the norm to go and get your nails and hair done; I only got my hair done, not my nails.

Most people rode in their own cars, not limos; I do remember after the fact the guys talking about how they'd spent hours cleaning / detailing their cars so they'd be nice for their dates.

Both years, I went with guys who were just friends. We ended up hanging out in our friend groups anyway. My senior year, my date was one of my best friends and he's gay, so no pressure. We had a great time. I remember senior year more than junior year; we went to dinner at a very nice restaurant in town, then went to prom and then post-prom. After PP, around 3AM, a bunch of us went to a park in town and just hung out until about 6AM, then I went home.

Interestingly enough, homecoming was a MUCH bigger deal dance-wise than prom, no idea why. I remember that even though there wasn't a rule against going with friends for homecoming, most people didn't - homecoming was for dates. Not sure why.

 

[Mom_Rides]

1993 Junior Prom: I went with my HS boyfriend. He was a sophomore and didn't have his drivers license yet and my mom refused to let me drive and refused to drive us. She said it was extremely tacky. His parents refused to drive us as well. So I called my cousin and asked him to drive us. He was awesome and showed up in a suit coat and hat!

I wore an awesome (for that time) black and white dress. Had my hair done but no nails (I bite). He wore a tux with tails and a black and white vest and tie. Our tickets were $20 a couple. No dinner included. We ate at a hibachi restaurant with some friends of mine. I had a burst ovarian cyst 2 days before prom so we left after a few hours and went to my house and watched movies after. There was no formal after prom.

Senior prom 1994: Went with same BF. Same deal as junior prom except he drove his dads Crown Vic (which he almost wrecked trying to race his buddy after prom...gah!!!). We went with his buddy and my friend who were dating. We went to a supper club for dinner and then went a big get together at another of his friends house.

The day after senior prom we went to Cedar Point.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

My experience spanned 2 decades, the 80's and the 90's (89 and 90 to be specific).

Much like the OP, there was no professional nails, tanning, no limos or groups. Definitely spent forever on hair, and used a ton of hairspray though. We did the dinner thing out before prom. Took pictures at the dance (they had a photographer at the dance). I didn't do anything wild or noteworthy afterwards. First prom was my first date w/somebody and it was just that awkward thing of meeting families etc... 2nd time around, (same person), we had been dating long enough to be fighting over stuff most of the night.

 

[AllisonK]

Junior prom in '06 we all met at the gym and were bussed an hour north to Boston where we went on a dinner cruise on the Spirit of Boston around the harbor. Most of us went in groups - long dresses, hair done, nails, makeup, spray tans, and then we all wore dressy sandals because we were going to be on the boat. I wore a straight light pink halter with beading/jewels around the neckline and pink sequined flip flops. Our pictures were taken in the school parking lot and then on the boat. We got back to school somewhere around midnight or so? We went home after.

Senior prom was at a local banquet hall, limos and everything above plus real shoes this time. I wore a red strapless with a beaded trim senior year with silver heels. My date wore a black tux, white shirt and red bowtie. All the guys in our group matched the girls' dresses with their ties. Before the dance we took pictures at my friend's house, went back to her house for awhile after the dance (dinner included) to change clothes and then the after-prom party started at midnight and went until 5 a.m. Our parents were all saints and worked at the after-prom party. We didn't see much of them all night, though. I think I saw my mother once, so she could put my purse and jacket with hers, and then at 5 a.m. when it was time to go home!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I went to my Jr and Senior proms back in 1986 & 1987. Our dresses looked like brides maid dresses. We had a live band both years and the proms were held at our school. After we drove around and such. I had friends who got hotel rooms but my parents made me be home by 12:00 both times so that was it for me.

Now having daughters of my own I can see how they are still changing. I can't believe how these girls dress and what all they do now to prep for prom. I would be embarrassed for them to have seen our prom, our hair and makeup but mostly our dresses. The dresses today are out of this world!

 

[winterman]

It was THE prom, not prom. But, I didn't go.

 

[kkmcan]

I went to 2 proms in high school. 1988, 1989. No tanning, nails, makeup or hair professionaly done. I did it all. First prom I wore a horrid lavender prairie looking dress from the JC Penney Catalog. Date wore a white tux with tails, white top hat and cane. We thought we looked amazing!! We ate out a semi nice restaurant, no limo but date borrowed his dads very nice new truck. Prom was at the Sheraton resort. Not sure what we did after but got home at like 6am.

Senior prom was with my now husband of 20 years I wore a red and black Jessica McClintock dress. The one with the black velvet bodice and red full skirt. You know! Date (DH) wore a black tux. He looked nice. We ate out at a very expensive restaurant that is known for its view of the city. We rode in his parents newer Honda Accord. Prom was at the Hilton. Dancing, snacks, photos and souvenir wine glasses etched with year and prom theme. We went to a friends home after prom and swam and jacuzzied. Got tired and went home about 2 or 3am.

Almost forgot the best part-- the song of the century seemed to be True by Spandau Ballet.

My dd17 hasn't been to prom yet, next year. We'll see how it compares to Prom's of long ago.

 

[maxaroni]

It was The Prom for me as well. Also, never heard of a prom with no dinner. My proms were 1973 & 1974.....I didn't go as people only went as couples. I wound up dating who I would have liked to have asked me to the prom but he didn't care to go to The Prom. At any rate, ours and all in the area were at either country clubs or fancy restaurants. Long dresses for the girls, many being purchased at bridal stores. For the guy either a colored tux or white with the ruffled shirt, matching tie & cummerbund to the girls dress. There was dinner and dancing with a live band. No limos but your own transportation.

We did not graduate HS with cap & gown. The girls wore long white evening gowns and carried long stem red roses. The guys wore white dinner jackets with a red bouttonnier (sp?). After graduation, we were bussed to a country club for dinner, dancing (again with a live band) and lots of festivities. We were bussed back and then home to change clothes. Back to school for an all night lock in where there was a band, dancing and games.

DS21 graduated 2011 and my first experience with cap and gown. His proms were very similar to what I had...except now it is all limos for transportation. Usually, in groups. Also, many kids opt to go in groups of guys or girls...or mixed, not necessarily dates.

 

[CarlyJo]

I went to prom in 2007 and 2009. I wore a long dress in '07 and short in '09. People went out to dinner before prom with their dates or as a group because dinner was not included. No one I knew got a limo but some people got nicer cars from friends or family for the night.

 

[DeaverTex]

I'm loving this thread. I'm particularly interested in seeing how different parts of the country have gone through the prom spectrum, from formal dance to something resembling Oscar night, at such different paces and times.

Somebody needs to do the same thing for homecoming, but it won't be me.

 

[ilovepcot]

Attended a boarding school in TN. Juniors and seniors went to Atlanta for the week-end and our prom was held at the hotel where we stayed. Very glamorous for the time, but we weren't allowed even out on the sidewalk without a chaperone with us. So...no limos or after parties for us. We did have a great time in the pool after the prom till the sun came up. Surprised the chaperones allowed that but, looking back and knowing what we know now, we probably could have gotten by with far more. The chaperones were busy themselves. Yep...they sure were.

 

[Andtototoo]

Went to high school outside NYC. Junior prom in 1978, senior prom in 1979. It was called "the prom". Never heard it called "prom" outside of the movies.

Junior prom -- my parents were cheapskates when it came to me and wanted to find a way to discourage me from going to prom so they wouldn't have to spend money on me. (I was forbidden from getting a job at that time, so I had no money of my own.) So I was given $20 and 10 minutes to find a gown or I couldn't go. They were both upset when I managed to do that. Ha. (In contrast, my sister was given $500 for her prom gown. GUess you can tell who was their favorite.) It wasn't the greatest gown, not what I would have picked if I'd had more money or time, but it was okay -- cream colored sleeveless dress with a ruffle around the neckline in Qiana. Then they refused to give me any more money. My boyfriend's mother very sweetly bought me everything else (undergarment, shoes). My boyfriend wore a milk chocolate brown tux with dark brown velvet collar and trim. Senior prom I knew what to expect now, so I saved all my money from my birthday and Christmas and told them I was buying my own stuff. Which I did. Got a nice baby blue gown at the mall -- actually it was great with my coloring and my figure, so I'm still happy with it. Those pictures of me are some of the best ever, to be honest. My date wore a dark blue tux with, of course, a ruffled shirt.

Junior prom was the "less fancy" event and was held in March. Senior prom was held in May. Long dresses and tuxes, dinner included, dancing after dinner with a live band, plus voting for the queen and king. After senior prom, a few of the wealthier kids had after-parties because they were the only ones with big enough houses. The big thing was for the guy to borrow a "fancy" car -- like a Trans Am or Mustang -- from an older brother or uncle. Girls generally, but not always, had their hair done. I didn't know anyone who had their nails done. 99% of the girls got their gowns at the mall, leading to five girls in the same gown at my senior prom -- luckily, all but one of them thought it was a riot. Had a great time at both proms. It was the disco era, so everyone was dancing. Tons of fun. Both of them were couples only -- no single tickets could be bought, so no singles or groups.

The prom here (Midwest) is very different. It's called "prom" and there is only one -- for junior year. BIG expensive gowns, BIG hair, nails, limos, limos, a "promenade" and no dinner, just dancing for 2 hours. So basically prom was 2 hours. All of that prep for 2 hours. What a waste, IMO, but I went ahead and put a smile on my face as we shopped, got her hair done, etc. In the end, my dd thought it was a big build up and then nothing once you actually got there. She says the best part of the whole "prom business" was shopping for her gown; the rest she could have done without. Just a big letdown. She says now she doesn't know if she went back in time, if she'd bother with it.

But I don't know how much of the difference is due to geography or time. Weddings are much more crazy then they were when I got married, so it's not a surprise to me that proms are also much more crazy.