The “greatest night of my life” was here: It was finally my senior prom.
I had awaited this night for, as many girls can relate to, my entire life. I’ve always seen the most magical proms in the movies with the stereotypical “nerd takes off her glasses and is suddenly beautiful” transformations. Well, I no longer wear my glasses, so I was unfortunately unable to recreate this iconic Hollywood glow-up, but I still relished doing my makeup and fixing up my hair. In typical Brogan fashion, I was not ready in time, but that led to a precious moment shared between me and my best friends as they curled my hair for me, talked me out of my stress, and went back into my excitement for the night. When I was finally all dolled up, I walked down my stairs and saw my date. I’m terrible at keeping things a secret, especially when I get a pretty dress,
but this year, I was determined not to show my date my prom dress, and I am so glad I kept it a secret! I walked down feeling grand and beautiful, wanting him to soak up how much effort I had put in to look and feel my best. I had butterflies in my stomach to show everyone my prom look, but I felt so special as they all showered me with accolades. My nerves bloomed quickly into giddy, child-like excitement! he girls eagerly gifted the boys their boutonnieres, each matching the girls’ bouquets. We purchase pre-made flowers and boutonnieres every year, but my group decided to make them ourselves this year. I wasn’t sure how to do it or how it would turn out, but my Mom came to the rescue and worked with me to create something beautiful I was proud of. Crafting something with my hands next to my Mom was so fun. After meeting our dates, we drove to take pictures at Winner Circle Park, where we grew up playing throughout our childhood. All the hot summer days I spent as a little girl at the park became a distant, tender memory as I was there on one warm spring evening, celebrating my senior prom. This full-circle moment would have made me cry, but I was too happy (and I couldn’t ruin my makeup!) Pictures were fun; my whole group grew confident and became more comfortable with the camera capturing how good we looked! As the sun set on our senior prom photo session, our stomachs grew hungry. I never knew how much of an appetite that taking photos could evoke! As we set off for dinner, we said our light-hearted goodbyes to our emotional parents. We ate at Cerami’s (a highly underrated and classy Italian restaurant), ate such good food, and had such a great time. Garlic bread was passed around, laughter was shared, and drinks were spilled… all over the floor. We ate till our dresses were tight and our bellies ached from laughter. As my group set off to City Hall to tear up the dance floor, my date and I admired a photo of the owner and his wife, mentally thanking them for the memories we made at their restaurant. As we took a photo with the picture, an employee told us the owner was there then! We followed her as she led us to THE Joseph Cerami! We took a photo with him, and he wished us a happy prom night and told us to come back soon! With that encouragement from Mr. Cerami himself, we hopped in the car and made our way to City Hall. We arrived at the dance and walked, hand-in-hand, to the party of my life. My friends and I danced the night away, regretfully in my heels the whole time. Even when they got tired and went to chill, I stayed dancing. It was almost like I was a magnet drawn to the dance floor! Finally, the moment I had looked forward to arrived: the senior parade. We started by announcing the prom court, which, to my surprise, I was on! I had no clue there was a whole court. I truly thought there was only the King and Queen, so I was thrilled when they called my name! I felt so honored to have been voted to be on the court, and when they started back the music, I paraded around the room with my fellow seniors. I spent the night laughing, dancing, complementing, and having the best time with these kids I have been in school with for 12 years! When my feet were begging me to put a stop to their torture, I decided it was time to pack it up and go back to my house for the afterparty. My date and I loaded up and, first and foremost, stopped at the gas station for our pre-afterparty energy drinks; we weredetermined not to fall asleep or miss a moment of the night! My night included my dad’s grilled food, sweet tea, and jumping on our bouncy castle and trampoline. It’s funny how, as a kid, I dreamed of being “all grown up” at prom, but my favorite part about prom was that it was like being a kid again. My night of child-like excitement and uncontainable energy had me sleeping all of the next day! The whole prom experience is truly whatever you make of it. My group and I made it a great night!
