So it’s all over and you’ve had a fantastic night. You’d think that was it, but no – there are a few things that you should consider doing to make sure the memories last and the right people know how much you enjoyed it.
Outfits
If you hired your outfit, you need to make sure it’s returned promptly, or you could be charged a fine for a late return. One of the main reasons people put off returning hired clothes is if they’ve spilt something on them. If this is the case, don’t panic! Simply contact the hire shop and tell them what happened. You’ll probably have to pay a cleaning bill (that’s why it was important to check about this when hiring!) but it probably won’t be as bad as you think – the hire shops are used to this and will know how to handle it.
If you have bought a dress, you need to get it dry cleaned as soon as possible. You will probably want to wear it again (perhaps at a university fresher’s ball) so you need to make sure it’s well cared for. If your dress is simple, a dry clean will do, but if there is lots of beading or any special fabric involved, consider getting a wedding dress dry cleaning company to do it – they will know how best to care for the gown.
It’s really important to dry clean the dress as soon as possible after the prom for two reasons:
1. Sweat stains dresses (so does deodorant) and if you danced the night away, there will be sweat in the fabric, no matter how much you tried to stop it!
2. You’ll forget about it until the day before you need it. The next time you want to wear it, you need it to be pristine right away – there’s nothing worse then having to sort out a shabby dress two days before the fresher’s ball (let’s face it, it’s not the kind of thing you’ll want to worry about then!)
Photos
Any pictures taken on phones or digital cameras need to be put onto your computer so they can be saved forever. If there was an official photographer, you’ll have the option of buying a photo – even if you don’t want it, your family probably will, so let them have the details too!
Thank you notes
A lot of work will have been put into the prom, so if you enjoyed it, why not take five minutes to either call, text or e-mail the organisers and then them personally? It will mean such a lot to them, and even though only takes five minutes of your time, the effect will last forever.
If there was a prom Facebook page, why not write a thank you on the prom page’s wall?
Corsages
If your corsage is really beautiful (and perhaps you want to remember the one who gave it to you) why not preserve it? You could press it, dry it or have it preserved professionally.
Prom pictures and keepsakes
If you’re the creative type, why not collect up the ticket, prom flyers, photos, perhaps even a scrap of the dress if you don’t plan to wear it again (perhaps it didn’t survive the dancing!) and arrange them in a photo frame. It’s something that you’ll treasure for the rest of your life.
If you don’t fancy making a picture, you could always buy a solid keepsake box to keep the memorabilia and photos in. It’s the kind of thing that you’ll find years later, when you haven’t thought about the prom for ages. Then you’ll be able to dust it off and be taken right back to prom night. Priceless.
