Deciding upon high school prom and party decorations has become more complicated than ever. Teachers and prom advisers find they must begin preparations far ahead of the actual date. Already overburdened teachers produce modern-day affairs that rival a talented maestro's conducting a symphony. While some schools have turned to professional event planners to handle prom preparations, most delegate duties to teachers and student committees.

The 21st-century prom has come a long way from hanging up a mirror ball and bringing in a small group of band members. Colorful crepe paper streamers and helium-filled balloons have given way to shiny metallic streamers in every color known to humankind. Uniformed policemen who supervise metal detectors and parking permits have replaced parent-teacher chaperones who once guarded the high school punch bowl.

High School Prom and Party Decorations Through the Years

Once upon a time, students’ social lives centered around their high schools, immediate community, church and duties at home. Attending their high school prom did not require overly fancy outfits that stretched the family budget in order to appeal to students. As long as students could dress up in their Sunday best, meet members of the opposite sex, impress their friends and sway to the rhythm of their generation’s popular music, their high school prom and party decorations were “swell” (or “groovy,” “cool” or even “the bee’s knees). With the advent of three-car families, televisions filled with glamorous movie stars and red-carpet fashions oozing dollar signs and sophistication, times have changed. So, too, have the expectations of students who attend the prom.

High schools now, more than ever, have come to learn the importance of prom planning ahead of time. They must schedule this magical rite of passage around standardized testing, school holidays, sports and band competitions at sometimes professional levels and even tourist-season businesses who insist that nothing interfere with their bottom lines. Because so many schools book off-campus venues for their high school proms, prom advisers have to schedule events well ahead of time to lock in prom dates, caterers, music, photographers and other vendors. Requisitions for high school prom and party decorations must be approved and mailed in time for assembly and completion.

Decorating for a Prom in 21st-Century Settings

Proms of today take place in venues that range from small school gymnasiums to county agricultural centers to lavish ballrooms fit for modern Cinderellas and Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez wannabees with Paris Hilton spending habits. All these varied and sundry prom locations have one thing in common: They require prom and party decorations, party bags and enough sparkle to transform the venue into a fantasy event for this time-honored, tradition-filled event.

Responsibilities of prom advisers and committee members have grown more complicated with each successive decade. No longer can they book a band, throw up a couple of dozen rolls of crepe paper streamers and set the mirror ball in motion. The annual adolescent-into-adulthood rite of passage can often call for high school prom and party decorations to rival Hollywood movie sets when it comes to detail and planning.