It’s that time of the year again! If you haven’t already asked someone to prom and are looking to do so, there is minimal time left. Luckily, you have a guide here to assist you in scoring an awesome date for what many parents say is “the best night of your life.”

Currently, a promposal—a grand gesture by way of a physical object—is the generally accepted way of asking someone to attend prom with you. Whether it be a poster that makes puns about about things relating to the desired date or an inside joke converted into an object or anything else, a promposal is often necessary to getting the person you are asking to say, “YES!” Although you theoretically can simply ask someone to prom verbally, it is likely that the person will find your attempt to be “lame” and be unmotivated to accept your invitation.

The Poster:

Certainly this is the most common of promposals; it has even extended to be used for other school dances such as homecoming. Most often, a series of puns are written on the poster that relate to a person’s name: hobbies or other things. An example is a poster that reads “Will you kick it with me at prom?” that is intended for a soccer player. These posters can be endearing and are a sign of effort being made. However, they are not the most original and consequently can be seen as a somewhat less thought-out attempt than a different promposal.

A Caution:

If you have known the person you are asking to prom for a while and know more than just surface level information about the person, then it is better to think of something more unique than a poster. But, if you don’t know the person you are asking to prom too well (and probably hoping to get to know them better), a poster is a viable option for a successful promposal. Overall, a poster promposal can be a decently safe bet.

The Object:

Another common way to do a promposal is taking an experience or joke between you and the person you are trying to woo and turning it into a physical object. Personally, this approach is far more appealing and therefore could be more likely to result in a “yes.” As stated before, you do have to connect with a person a bit more to get to a point where you can have enough material for a promposal like this. It is tough to reach out and get to know people, but in the case of prom dates, it can definitely pay off.

Do the Work:

There are many ways to ask someone to prom, and if any thought is put into the project, the answer is almost always yes. So, if you are hoping your promposal goes as you would like, a little creativity and effort will be extremely beneficial. A friend of mine was asked to prom last year by a boy who did so by writing down the question on a piece of paper and showing it to her in class. Although she said yes, I’m fairly sure she was unimpressed by the work put in. Overall, even a minimal amount of effort is greatly appreciated.

Boulder High Prom is Saturday, April 27th. If you are going to ask someone to prom with a promposal, make sure to do so soon. Good luck!