High School Formals

School Formal Countdown

13 July 2010 by Marzie in Formal Planning, Latest

Six Months + to Three Months:

Make a list of all the things you will need to buy /hire for your formal and estimate the costs for them depending on your budget.

• Dress
• Shoes
• Makeup (products or salon time)
• Hair (salon treatment/style or up-do on the day)
• Clutch
• Beauty treatments (spray tan, facials, waxing, etc)
• Transport there (hiring a limo or car for arrival)
• Accessories and Underwear

Also, check out our How to Organise a Formal eBook guide for more info or our "Formal Planning" section.

It has heaps of information, checklists, ideas and tips - the perfect resource for your formal committee.

Three Months to Six Weeks:

Start research on your dress and accessories. With only three months to go this is the decision making time. Check out our style guide for  some tips on how to dress your body shape and start looking through magazines for the style you’re after. If you already know what you want, have a look in the formal dresses stores for it or online. If your getting one made (or making it yourself) start on it sooner rather than later. Making a beautiful gown can take a while so get it sorted now to save the drama closer to the big night.

Organise your transport for the night. Check out prices for hiring out a car to arrive to the venue in. If you carpool and all pitch in the price of hiring a limo can end up being less than you would think. It could be a limo/ stretch hummer/ vintage car/ horse and carriage or party bus. Here is a list of formal transport companies we can offer you depending on which state you need.

There are heaps of different ways of arriving in style to your big night it just depends on your budget and your idea of making an entrance.

Six weeks to One Week:

You should have the dress organised by now (hopefully!) and it’s time to make sure you have the accessories. You may need a new pair of shoes/ new clutch/ special necklace to go with your dress- or all of them!

Start the accessories hunt now you don’t want to be trying to match colours the week before the formal!  So if you’re bringing a date coordinate your colours and corsage now too.

If you haven’t done this already, ask someone to be your date to the formal! Check the policies your school has on this because some co-ed schools don’t allow you to bring dates that don’t attend your school and some private schools don’t allow you to go in same sex couples. Wether you’re taking your crush, a friend or your bestie, sort it out soon to avoid disappointment or awkwardness on the night!

The seating for your formal is also something you will want to have sorted out otherwise you could be separated from friends. Most schools will allow you to choose who you sit with as long as you get your table list in before the deadline.

Find out who’s holding the extra celebrations and organise how to get to and from the pre/ post parties (If your school lets you have them). You may not want to wear your formal gown to the post (especially depending on where the party is being held) so organise to have another party dress or outfit to slip into before you start to party (again, only if you are allowed to have this extra celebration of the night!!). After a couple of hours standing in gorgeous heels you may want to look after your feet and change into some flats so make sure you keep some spare soles handy!

Start playing around with hair and makeup yourself or book into the salon for a trial run well before the big night so you know what you want on the day. Play around with your look and get clues from your favourite stars and learn some neat tricks from our beauty section. Make sure you book any final appointments well in advance.

One week:

Get your hair did! Treat your locks to a treatment or colour, either at a salon or at home with mum. Give yourself a manicure/pedicure or go to a nail salon. If you are getting a facial, do it at least a week before the formal because these treatments often bring any impurities to the surface of the skin and it can take up to a week to settle down. All waxing/hair removal treatments should be done now so you have stress free smooth skin for the night. Any extra pampering at this point will make you feel better on the day. Invite some girlfriends over and have a pamper night to help you all get ready for the formal, any excuse will do!

Fake Tans are very popular for formals but I would resist getting one for the big night if you haven’t had one before. They can turn out really wrong so make sure you know what you’re doing and have a professional looking after you. Check out our Tanning Tips to avoid any mishaps that could ruin your formal experience.

Have a discussion with your parents about what you hope to get out of the night and how you plan to stay safe. Parents will worry about you so let them know you’re mature enough to have a fun night without getting into any trouble. Being on the same page about formal night will save you from the possibility of any kind of traumatic moments like getting picked up early from the post-party by your furious dad and his embarrassing station wagon.

Make sure you have all the little things you will want to have in your clutch now. We have a clutch packing list to help you remember all the little things you will need on the night.

The day before:

You should have your dress and accessories sorted by now. If you’re doing the spray on suntan, do it today. Confirm any hair and makeup appointments for tomorrow and recheck that you have everything on your clutch packing list. Do any running around today so you can relax tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep and have a clear idea of everything you’re doing tomorrow.

The day of the Formal:

It’s your big day. Tonight you get to celebrate 12 years of schooling coming to an end and party with your classmates. Get into some comfy clothes and get ready for a day of indulgent pampering. This evening you will be looking your best and feeling even better. Prepare for a lot of photos, feeling like a movie star and a fun night.

Make sure your mobile and camera are fully charged for the night, a low battery is not something you want to have ruin your night. Ensure everyone knows what time everything is happening (pre formal gathering/ formal/ post party) and how you’re getting to and from everywhere. If you have a date and you got them a boutonnière, make sure you pick it up from the florist. Your parents and family will probably get a bit crazy with the Kodak moments, but don’t just grin and bear it -bask in your diva moment! After all, you only get one formal night and you should enjoy it - have a ball!

Other articles you might like: 5 Tips for a fantastic School Formal, On the Committee, School Balls.