Silk chiffon dresses, pressed black tuxes, and beaming faces stretching out of a shiny limousine. Friends all around, music playing in the background, and a well-lit ballroom filled with cameras, dancing and food.

Prom is usually thought of fondly, as an elegant and unforgettable evening. However, hidden beneath the surface is months of accumulating tension and drama.

I attended prom last year as a sophomore and did not fully appreciate the ease with which the whole ordeal came. My date figured out the limo situation, told me where we were meeting, and introduced me to his friends. Everything was set, and all I had to do was show up.

This year I spent at least four hours plotting out with friends the whole “prom thing.” A normal conversation between my friends used to consist of how difficult APUSH is, funny reminisces of the weekend, and how evil our parents are. Due to prom all of these incredibly important topics have been put on hold for one solitary subject – prom. I spent countless hours predicting which guys will ask which girls, and trying to arrange our limousine. “No, I heard he’s asking….” “So guess who’s asking who!” have replaced “like, totally!” and “I love Mr. Bungarden!” as the most common phrases my friends use.

Once the date situation was mostly figured out, concentration refocused to the transportation to and from prom. Because Paly requires all prom attendees to arrange for transportation in advance, and we are in competition with Gunn for limousines, this has become an area of stress. My friends and I spent hours this year trying to form different combinations of couples to fill what ended up being a 20-person limo.

After finally agreeing on all 10 couples and which transportation package to buy, everyone in the limo had to agree on a maximum of two pick-up spots. For some, the choice was obvious. Whoever’s mom is most like Martha Stewart, or whoever’s house is most landscaped like Martha Stewart’s, generally receives the honor of being the pickup spot. However, with a 20-person limo there tends to be a little bit more competition. To avoid a motherly brawl, sometimes an executive decision needs to be made.

Luckily for sanity’s sake, once the limousine was figured out, the drama surrounding prom became temporarily mollified – with emphasis on the “temporarily.” Paly requires all couples to sign up for tables prior to the event. Although this avoids much confusion on the actual night, it creates much stress beforehand. Most couples divide their limousine into tables of five couples easily, while others have a little bit more trouble. Some couples who have drastically different sets of friends, makes compromises with one another to ride in a limousine with one set of friends, and sit at a table with the other. Although this is a fair deal, it means that couples get shuffled around a little bit, and it takes some planning to make sure that everybody is happy. Luckily, this shuffling is a lot like Sudoku puzzles, which have become very trendy recently.

Once the dates, limousines, and table arrangements were figured out, the shopping began. Girls generally try not to buy the same dress as anyone else they know, which can become stressful if department stores have limited selections. Finding the perfect BCBG dress can be risky if too many other girls also find it perfect. Because of the custom of boys matching their vest color to their date’s dress, boys can also fall victim to the questionable taste of their date. Although some girls are lucky enough to nab boys willing to wear a pink vest, others may find themselves needing to rethink their wardrobe choice. A friend of mine purchased a lime green vest before consulting with his date. Once she found out that she needed to buy a lime green dress to match her date’s vest she was far less than thrilled. This created even more stress for her as she was forced to scour the mall for a limited number of lime green dresses — only a select few of which she would actually be willing to wear.

Although prom causes a decrease in time allotted for homework (which has proven directly related to a decrease in third quarter grades), acts as the only conversation topic for ordinarily intelligent people, and can test friendships as competition for limos, tables, and wardrobe heats up, in the end the night is worth the struggle. After all the hair-pulling and teeth grinding situations are taken care of, what remains is a lovely night built to perfection. And once the night ends, it is time to begin preparations for next year’s prom…