Getting your hair done, doing makeup, buying the dress, is all for one night of dancing and having fun. It’s April, and that means it is prom season in Omaha! For the past two months, juniors and seniors have been looking for dresses, shoes, and getting ready for the big weekend! The week leading up to prom is the biggest part. Usually it starts with a group chat, appointments, and growing excitement for what is to come.
Buying a dress is the first step. Many girls look at three main stores: Dillards, Windsor, and Von Maur for their perfect long dresses. The style this year is form fitting, bling, a leg slit, and tulle. Many girls look for dresses with their friends months before to get the first pick of what is in-store. Dress shopping is so exciting and many high school students spend a whole day dedicated to it. Trying dresses on gives you a sense of euphoria and gets you so excited to get ready on that big day.
The next step is making the appointments, usually the week before. Many girls make appointments for nails, eyebrows, tan, hair, and other things girls feel they need for prom. When I was getting ready for another school’s prom, Creighton Prep, I made many appointments the week of to get ready for the big day. A few days before, I got my eyebrows waxed at Urbane Hair Salon in the Old Market, as well as my nails done at Apple Nails on 120th and Center. Many of my friends made appointments for spray tans at Sun Tan City, or Palm Beach Tan at a location near them. I myself did not do that. I instead used my time to get my hair done at Urbane the day of. I got my hair curled and styled a few hours before my date picked me up. Besides my hair, I brought my makeup to get ready as well as the flower boutonniere that matched my dress I got for my date about a day earlier from Hy-Vee.
The last two things I focused on for prom were my shoes and jewelry. I borrowed shoes from Gianna Coniglio ‘24, and they matched my dress. For dances, many Mercy students share their Kendra Scott necklaces as many students have them. They will switch with people who have the color of their dress, so I switched with Rylee Rempe ‘24 and for the weekend. She borrowed my pink one, and I borrowed her red one. After getting all my stuff together, I loaded it all in my car and did my makeup with Maggie Barta ‘24 as she got ready for prom at Mount Michael, another all boys school in Omaha.
My date picked me up at 5:00pm, and we headed to Field Club of Omaha to take pictures with our prom group, as well as ate dinner there at 6:00pm. We then headed to the dance at about 7:45. When we got to Prep, I danced with my friends and conversed with other Mercy girls who attended the same dance. At about 9:00, the Prom King was announced and then boys and girls were split into groups to change and get ready for Post Prom. There were many fun games to play and food to eat until about 11:30. There was dodgeball, volleyball, inflatables, and raffles to bid on to win something. Many people started leaving at 11:00ish, and headed to other people’s houses to hangout with their friends and enjoy the night that prom brought.
Throughout April, each high school in Omaha picks a Saturday to host their proms. On April 1st, many Mercy girls attended Creighton Prep and Mount Michael to dance the night way with their dates. After a fun week of getting ready, they took their dresses they had for months, and took pictures, ate dinner, and spent time being with friends for the night. Overall, Prom is a fun experience, and all juniors and seniors can experience it this year. Many girls must prepare ahead of time, but it makes for a great night with great memories.
