There are so many moments in our lives that we wish we could relive (or re-do) -- like a highschool dance, a first date, a wedding, or a milestone birthday.
But sadly after those moments are gone, we can’t get them back. Or can we?
After recently getting engaged and celebrating 5+ years together, I started thinking about how much I wished that Ryan and I were together during some of the most memorable times in my life.
Then one night, I said to him, “I wish we went to prom together -- especially since I went with someone I didn’t even really like.”
His reply -- “Why don’t we?”
That’s when we decided to recreate our high school proms -- at home.
HERE'S HOW TO RECREATE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL PROM IN 5 EASY STEPS
STEP 1 - PICK A THEME
Every great prom needs a theme!
With a good theme, you can really make your event feel authentic and personal. Plus it makes food and decor A LOT easier.
We went with A Night In Italy for ours since we were really missing Europe that week, but there are tons of great options to choose from, so pick the one you love the most!
STEP 2 - INVITATIONS
Since we have such a tight-knit group of friends, we didn’t actually send out invitations. But we did try to give everyone as much notice as possible for the event.
If you do want to go all out, DIY some formal invites and send them two-weeks before in the mail.
STEP 3 - FOOD
What’s prom without food? Ryan and I decided to do a sit-down dinner to really up the ante.
Our menu consisted of spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, caesar salad, and wine to go with our Italian theme. We also opted for a few potluck hors d'oeuvres to snack on while dancing.
To keep things simple, you can always set out a few glass vases full of candy and some decorative bowls of chips.
STEP 4 - DECOR
After you choose your theme, decor should help with bringing your ideas to life.
If you’re doing more than a few balloons, I HIGHLY recommend setting up 2-3 days before the event because if you wait until the last minute like we did, you’re so exhausted that you barely have the energy to have fun.
For our Night in Italy, we used our basement for dining and our dining room for dancing. We bought an inexpensive outdoor cloth gazebo (that we returned the next day LOL) and MacGyvered it to fit in our 9ft basement.
Next, we took apart our dining table and assembled it downstairs (after accidentally puncturing our wall trying to lift it over the staircase LOL). Then we filled 7 different sized vases with water, leaves from our fake vines, and tealights to create a romantic centerpiece.
Upstairs we strung balloons, a $19 make your own light-up sign from Walmart, and some metal moonlight fixtures, to create a more classic prom vibe. We laid out our dollar store photo props and some vases full of fun-colored candy to make the room pop!
Once we got our friend to agree to double as the DJ, we were all set and ready to go!
STEP 5 - GET DRESSED AND PARTAYYYYY
After your prom is all set up, the only thing left to do is enjoy it.
Put on your old prom dress, head to a consignment store to grab one, or DIY a dress if you’re crafty.
Once you’re ready, head down to your prom room, turn on some highschool-hits, and get ready to have one of the most memorable nights of your life -- again!