With this being my youngest daughter’s Senior year, I could not let her high school days end without her attending Prom.  Her private Christian school did not have a Junior Prom last year for her class, although there was a discussion with her teacher about prom.   The staff had ample time to plan such an event for the students; however, they did not.  Not wishing for my daughter and her friends to miss out, my family and I sprung into action planning Prom 2023!

Four years ago, my husband and I purchased a home on approximately 33 acres.  It was our desire to share it with others, and this was such an occasion to do just that.  After planning and hosting my oldest daughter’s wedding in 2021, we certainly knew what it would take to provide a prom for my daughter and her Senior class.  Once she was on board with the idea, I purchased items for the decor and backdrop.

Canva has a free section on its website of invitations.  After searching, I found an elegant invitation in black and gold.  It was fancy, which set the tone of the evening for it would be a formal event!

While there are an array of picturesque spots in our yard near the pond or flower gardens, we chose three locations for natural light pictures.  Our oldest daughter has launched her photography business and graciously agreed to be the prom photographer!

It was all coming together nicely!

Everyone knows there is a “traditional” backdrop at prom for pictures.  It wouldn’t be prom without it!  I searched Pinterest for ideas before trying my hand at designing the backdrop.  Let’s just say, I don’t think there were any in all the internet pictures I scanned quite like this one!

~smile~

I was proud of my design!

Why?  Because my DAUGHTER seemed to appreciate it also!

The day of the Prom was approaching when, much to my surprise, she asked if her father and I would accompany them to dinner on the night of their prom.  While the prom started out originally for her Senior Class, we opened it to the Junior class since there were only three in that class!  One of the Junior’s was dating a Sophmore, and his parents would not allow him to attend the prom without chaperones for the entire evening.  Since my husband never had the opportunity to attend his Junior/Senior Prom, we were excited to share in this moment with them in dressing for the occasion!

When the day arrived, we had as much decorated and displayed as possible before we dressed and then set out for dinner with the excited group of teenagers.  Dinner out at a local Japanese restaurant was my daughter’s idea, followed by desserts, pictures, and dancing at our house!  It worked perfectly so we didn’t feel a tremendous amount of stress with providing a meal for everyone.

The evening could not have been more perfect – except for if the wind wouldn’t have been ripping, threatening to toss all of our outdoor decorations into the nearby shrubbery and pond!  Aside from that and moving some of the decorations indoors, everything was divine!

My daughter was dressed in an elegant floor-length emerald green gown!  She was the prettiest one there, in my humble and unbiased opinion!  We knew the dress was “the one” the moment she tried it on.  Her eyes lit up, and a sweet smile formed on the corners of her lips, unlike with the other dresses she tried on.  We must have tried on every style and every color in the store when I took her shopping.  Her sister took her on another day, and she probably tried on just as many that day with her, too.  Ah, but it all came back to that emerald green dress that made her eyes pop, sparkle, and shine!

Her friends all abided by the dress code, which thrilled our hearts!   While they didn’t have to go “all out” with purchasing tuxedos, some did!  Others rented tuxedos. Meanwhile, a few made do with some dress pants, a borrowed jacket, and a bow tie.  Whatever works, right?!  The men were quite snazzy, as well as they should have been with the ladies purchasing their ballgowns!  In the end, they ALL looked so nice that evening!

Pictures were taken, desserts were brought by some of the students and sampled by all, and a few even danced as the day turned into night.  Our yard is surrounded by solar lights, and it becomes a magical place when all of the lights along the pond start to come on at dusk.  It was the perfect setting if I do say so myself!

Here’s to Prom 2023 and to making memories to reflect on in years to come!