How to ask someone to prom

Written by Raphael Ghieuw Sien

Asking a date to prom can be intimidating, but it is not as scary as it seems. All it takes is careful planning and guts. This may sound a little confusing, but most girls like to be asked in a surprising, but not embarrassing way.

Senior Jason Liu asked senior Htoo Htoo Lu to junior prom last year. Liu placed flowers in Lu’s locker and asked her to prom at lunch.

“It’s the tradition [which guys ask girls to prom],” Liu said.

Liu also said being nice is the key to ask a girl to prom.

Senior Angela Chu didn’t initially plan to go to junior prom last year, but her best friend senior Alex Gilham planned a surprise for her in math teacher Mark Clevenger’s room. Gilham initially asked Chu on the phone and after receiving a “green light” from Chu, Gilham proceeded to surprise Chu with red roses in Clevenger’s room. Chu was surprised when she went into the classroom and saw Gilham in the front of the classroom asking her to prom.

“I thought it was cute at the time. I pulled him out [of the room] and hugged him,” Chu said.

A “green light” from your prospective date will be different from person to person. It may range from a “yes” to a small hint like “maybe,” or even a smile from her or his face. Once you get a “green light” you should plan something big to ask her or him. It is important to make your date feel special and surprised.

Too many suspicious actions, such as walking in a really slow phase or having your friends leading your prospective date to a different route around school, can blow the surprise.

If you haven’t received a “green light” from your prospective date, you might want to ask her or him privately. It gives the girl a chance to reject you privately. It might be embarrassing, but it’s not as bad as getting rejected in public or going to prom with a girl who doesn’t want to go with you.

“If I don’t really know the guy, I’d probably want him to ask me privately,” Chu said.

It might be a tradition for a guy to ask a girl to prom, but it is certainly fine for a girl to ask a guy. Guys like to be asked by a girl to prom because it is special; not many girls have the guts to do that.

“Not many girls would [ask a guy to prom],” senior Alexander Kerelsky said.

Even though it is customary for a guy to ask the girl, it would definitely makes his job easier if a girl asked.