Ten romantic ways to ask someone to be your prom date

Warning: This post may contain material of a romantic nature. If you are offended by romantic gestures, look away now

A little while ago we had a comment that made me happy and broke my heart all at the same time (hey, I'm complicated).

"I want to ask a girl out to prom using a treasure hunt but I don't know what to write for clues!? I want to start from her locker and end it at the baseball field."

Awww, if that doesn't just melt your heart you're not human. Or maybe you're just too cool for that, but anyway, I felt it was time to give David some tips, and also add a few other ideas for cool ways to ask someone to be your prom date.

N.B. Even if you are already going out with someone and you plan to go to the prom with them, why not make a fuss of them and ask romantically anyway? No-one likes to be taken for granted, and if you do something romantic before the night, the prom will be even more special for the both of you (and you earn extra boyfriend/girlfriend points).

For the creative amongst you

1. The treasure hunt

Fix a starting point and an end point then walk a route between the two locations, making notes on any interesting features along the way. They should be things that either stand out when in sight (like a particular statue or poster or decoration of some kind) or are a well-known, commonly used location (e.g. the school canteen). Pick out a series of these locations that would lead your hunter naturally from one place to the next and then write a clue for each location. One could be "The next clue is at the feet of an old stone queen." if one of your locations is a statue of a queen.

Pick brightly coloured paper or card to write your clues on so that when your hunter is close having followed the last clue, they'll be able to spot the next one waiting for them. Choose a time of day that isn't too busy to make it less likely to be sabotaged by other people finding the clues instead.

If you really want to be creative, the clues could be rhyming riddles, or you could put clues in quirky places, one could be designed as a poster on a notice board for example, or you could ask someone to keep a clue in an envelope and only hand it over to the hunter who has solved the riddle. The more imaginative, the more impressed your chosen will be…

2. A sweet approach

Get the local cake/cookie/chocolate shop to decorate one of their tastiest treats with a message asking your chosen out to the prom with you. Get them to display it in the front window and either take the girl/boy with you 'window shopping' or send them a text message saying that they have something in the window of that shop waiting for them. The treat will speak for itself.

For the brave and dramatic amongst you

3. Wearing the message

Draft out your message such as "Em, will you be my prom date?" and have a set of t-shirts printed up with a word per t-shirt. Throw a party (or simply pick a lunchtime when you'll all be together), asking your closest friends to put the t-shirts on at a pre-arranged time and line up so your chosen can read the message. Make sure you pick *really* reliable friends who won't mess it up!

Tip: you could always have them numbered on the back so you could hide behind the line of people and see that they are in the right order without looking like you're doing it

4. A 'surprise' picnic for two

Ask a friend or even better, a reliable family member, to set up the perfect picnic for you in the local park. Take your chosen on a walk that just happens to stumble across this picnic just for you, then ask them to the prom. If they say no at least you'll still have a picnic to enjoy.

5. The classic 'say it with flowers' approach

Of course, there is always the big bunch of flowers or single rose with a note attached. If you want to be bold, and if you think your chosen will like being the centre of attention, you could have them delivered to your school.

6. Or say it with a big balloon instead

If you're asking a boy out it's perfectly acceptable to send flowers (this is the 21st century after all) but if you think he won't like it, you could send a big fancy balloon instead – and that will last longer and not need water…

7. Write it for all to see

Another idea if your chosen likes attention is to write your message on the board of your form room – but this is only for the bravest amongst you because it'll be horribly embarrassing if the answer is no!

For the shy (and perhaps a little geeky) amongst you

8. The coded message

If you and your chosen lean towards the geeky like I do, a coded message would be a great way to ask someone to the prom. If you're unsure of a good code to use, there are tonnes of places on the web that could help you. Or you could pick a book that you both like and provide a code based on finding words on particular pages. Now that's really geektastic

9. Make a little nook on the web

Set up a webpage (you could use a free blog provider like WordPress for example) with your message on it. You could password protect it and send a note to your chosen with the web page and password.

10. Sneaky digital pictures

Make some posters with your message on it (a word per poster) and place them in interesting locations. Ask to borrow your chosen's mobile phone, take a picture of them in reverse order and invite them to look at the most recent photos. This would only work if you're already good friends, as I would never advocate borrowing anyone's tech without permission, even for a romantic cause. They'll just get stressed and it won't put them in the best mood to say yes, will it?

Have you got any romantic tips to add on asking someone to the prom?

So there you have ten romantic ways to ask your chosen out to the prom, and even if you are shy and geeky there's no excuse to not be romantic.

Have you got any ideas to add? Or any sticking points on a scheme you're cooking up? Offer your ideas and ask your questions in the comments, we're here to help

Tags: prom date, romantic gestures, will you be my prom date?
Posted in Enjoying your prom.