How to Easily Throw an Unforgettable 2020 Cyber Prom
Your guide to planning an unprecedented virtual prom this year!
This post was co-created by SH, LLC project manager and staff writer Hayleighhuston.
HH here! I’ve been sitting here, still under quarantine here in NJ, devastated for my sister and for ALL of the juniors and seniors who won’t be able to go to prom this year… and I knew there was just *something* I had to do.
Let’s rewind to just a few months ago… my mom and I took my sister, Colby, and her BFF, Josie, to the Rockaway Mall to look for dresses for their Junior Prom.
We hit the jackpot that day because both of the girls found the dress of their dreams. We were on a shopping high from getting so lucky and feeling so grateful.
But unfortunately, we lost the high and that luck ran dry… because they weren’t going to be able to wear these dresses after all.
Morris Knolls Junior and Senior Proms were canceled due to New Jersey COVID-19 closing schools for the rest of the 2020 academic year.
Prom can be such a special and fun time for all upperclassmen to get dolled up, celebrate, and dance with friends until your feet are blistered!
Do you remember what your high school prom season was like?
So, I turned to my solopreneur cousin Stephanie Huston who gave me the great idea of creating a Cyber Prom experience for the girls.
We took it one step further and have created a planning template (copy the checklist directly into your Google Drive!) of how to throw your VERY OWN cyber prom with all of your friends even in a time of social distancing!
It can be quite simple, and you can make it very special for anyone who is missing out on their prom this year due to COVID-19.
It may be a terribly difficult time, but no one says you can’t try to make the best of even the worst situations.
As long as you can connect with your friends, there is no stopping the celebration, just social-distance style.
Your guide to creating a bomb.com cyber prom is as follows:
Scrappy Cyber Prom 2020 Checklist & Timeline
- Logistics: Check out the virtual prom checklist we created for you (copy the checklist directly into your Google Drive!). Send this article to your friends/parents/siblings/nephew/cousin and see if they are down for creating their own local, unique cyber prom 2020 :) If they are — choose a date/time that works from everyone (probably weekends, pending work schedules, and go from there. If they are not — throw one for yoself anyway!!!
- Virtual Invitations: Collect everyone’s emails! We used Evite— Choose any free virtual event invite to send out to those who are going to virtual prom — get creative!! Give a proposed timeline of the day to all invited guests so everyone is on the same page, and — after the Evites are sent — share a screenshot via text as well to the group chat.
- Technology: HouseParty/FaceTime/Zoom/etc (host chooses one + send out link in advance)
- Music: Plan this in advance so the day runs smoothly! Curate three playlists on Spotify with your crew: (1) #CyberPromPrep +(2) #CyberPromVibes +(3) #CyberProm2020… plan to all press ‘play’ at the same time so you all have the same tunes going in the background. BONUS: If you happen to have a friend that’s also an incredible DJ — like we do with Gregory Hample — see if they’re willing to donate an hour of their time to play for your prom!
DAY OF #CYBERPROM2020 TIMELINE
- Begin to get ready at 11am — sign on to your #CyberProm2020 HouseParty (4 hours for getting ready — make sure your phones are charged up before photos!)
- Pictures begin at 3pm — stay on #CyberProm2020 HouseParty (2 hours for solo pics, pics with parents/siblings, screenshots)
- Dance at 5pm to 8pm — stay on #CyberProm2020 HouseParty (3 hours of dancing, partying, snacking)
What EVERYONE Will Need:
- Snacks/Drinks (supplied by each individual house — maybe all plan to get a matching pizza dinner or something mutual you all love)
- Room or Backyard or wherever you would like to set up your own dance floor
- Parents/Siblings/Anyone you are quarantining with are welcome to join, dress up, and are encouraged to take videos/pictures of the event
- Getting Ready: The crew will set up a virtual call so they can all get ready together (facemasks, nails, hair, makeup, etc.) Take pictures/screenshots throughout the day of the friends getting ready for memories, or a montage created by anyone in your home who has the capabilities.
- Pictures: Stay online together while taking pictures. Hold up the laptops in their dresses, take as many screenshots as possible, but for anyone in the household, they may take pics with their prom king/queen as well (Videos are always welcome — boomerangs are a must!)
- Decorations: Minimal decorations, or use whatever is around your house. You can party in your living room, basement, backyard, or anywhere you think is the best spot in your house for tearing up the dance floor!
- For something a little extra special: Find a local florist (or check out female-owned biz —FarmGirl Flowers) who will create small bouquets or corsages for the girls to send on the day of prom. If gentlemen are apart of your virtual prom, get boutonnieres as well.
- Momento: Find a customizable picture frame saying “Cyber Junior Prom 2020” or whatever you wish for it to say. Shop small business and check out Etsy — you can use candles, keychains, or any sort of small souvenir to remember this incredibly special and crazy time.
- Make your own hashtag: Get creative and create a hashtag for your very own virtual prom! + Remember to use our hashtag: #CyberProm2020 so we can share your story too!
- Give back: Make a group donation to a charity of your choice — have one person collect and then donate in your friend group’s name as a way of giving back and acknowledging the realities around you.
The most important part of this entire event is celebrating with friends!
Soak in these unprecedented moments, they will never exist again.
Keep it as minimal and as scrappy as possible and enjoy getting ready, spending time with your fellow classmates, and making the best of it.
You can’t go wrong with Cyber Prom!
If you have any questions, comments, ideas, etc — let us know in the comments below! And be sure to tag us on social (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) + use the hashtag: #CyberProm2020 so we can check out YOUR event.
