How to Ask a Guy to Prom

• by Carly Schuna

Guide Note: Depending on how prepared you are and how confident you feel, asking a guy to the prom can either be a piece of cake or a nightmare.

If you've got your heart set on dancing the night away with one special guy, you'll need to ask him to be your date first. Not sure how? Read this guide, How to Ask a Guy to Prom, for some helpful tips.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Preparation
• Step-by-Step Process
• Creative Ways to Ask
• Tips
• Resources

• Also try: How to Ask a Girl to Prom

Introduction

• Prom is a special night. Chances are, you've thought a little (or a lot) about the person with whom you'd like to share that night. Once you've chosen a viable candidate, don't wait around for him to pop the question. Instead, ask him yourself!

Preparation

(Creative Commons photo by jaythree)

• A little mental and strategic preparation can go a long way to making the "asking" experience a lot less intimidating.

1. Choose a date.
   • Before you ask someone to prom, you need to choose who that someone might be. Don't necessarily plan to ask the hottest guy you know. Even if you land a smokin' hot guy for your date, you're not guaranteed to have a great time at the dance. Consider asking a friend or another guy you love spending time with, even if you're not into that person romantically.
2. Know your guy's plans.
   • Save yourself the embarrassment of learning a guy is going with somebody else by finding out what his plans are before you ask him. Maybe he won't be in town on the night of the dance, or maybe another girl asked him while you were busy daydreaming about how you were going to ask him. If you can casually find out if he already has plans for the night (or get a friend to do it), then you'll remove another barrier between yourself and possible rejection.
3. Practice.
   • Once you've worked out how you're going to ask your chosen guy, practice! You can avoid the "ums," the "uhs," and the jitters during the actual asking by rehearsing with a friend or alone in your room. If you feel confident and comfortable when practicing, you'll be much more at ease when the time comes to do the real thing.

Step-by-Step Process

(Creative Commons photo by jaythree)

• Nervous? Don't worry. Most guys feel flattered when a girl asks them to a dance. Here's a simple breakdown of steps that will lead you through your invitation.

1. Prepare yourself and your date.
   • If you don't know your date that well (or even if you do), catch his attention by flirting actively for a few days right before you ask him to the prom. Initiating interactions between the two of you is also a great idea because then it won't be a total surprise when you ask. Making efforts like these to spend time with your date will help build your confidence, too.
2. Get the guy alone.
   • Catch the guy you're planning to ask one-on-one. Even if you're pretty sure he'll say yes, it puts a lot of pressure on a guy when you ask him to prom in front of half the school. It shows consideration if you make sure he's alone, and it may also take some of the pressure off you.
3. Give him time.
   • Especially if you don't know the guy very well, give him some time to think over your offer. If you don't make him feel like he has to answer right away, he'll get the impression that you're casual about the asking (which is a good thing) and that you won't be crushed to pieces if he says no.
4. Respond, letting the guy's response lead your own.
   • If he seems psyched when he says yes to you, feel free to express your excitement, too. Otherwise, act casually, and don't go overboard. Always show a sense of humor if you can, and let the guy know that you're pleased to be going with him.
   • If he says no, you'll probably feel disappointed, but do your best to remain casual and upbeat. Smile, say "thanks anyway," and move on. Don't dwell on it! Stay friendly, and ask the next guy on your list when you get a chance.

Creative Ways to Ask

(Creative Commons photo by Michael Hashizume)

• If you're going to go all out, then you might as well make it good. Here are a few creative, attention-grabbing ways to ask a guy to the prom.

• A Sweet Invitation
• Encase your handwritten invitation in foil, then bake it into a cake. If the way to a man's heart truly is through his stomach, then he can't say no!

• A Laundry List
• Find a plain white T-shirt, a washable black marker, and a permanent black marker. Write the names of a wide variety of girls at your school on the T-shirt, but make sure yours is the only name written in permanent marker. Send the T-shirt anonymously to the guy you want to ask along with a note instructing him to wash the shirt in order to find out who wants to be his prom date.

• Sporty Fun
• If the guy you're asking likes sports, incorporate his favorite sport in your invitation by attaching it to a piece of sports equipment. You could also think about asking his teammates to help you coordinate your invitation to happen during one of their practices.

• No Choice
• You'll need the permission of your date's parents for this one. With the help of your friends, lug a gigantic boulder to your date's driveway. Chalk the driveway with the words, "Will you go to prom with me? Bring your answer tomorrow!" and sign your name. Write "NO" on the giant boulder, then find a tiny pebble and attach it to a piece of paper that says "YES." Your date won't have much of a choice unless he owns a dump truck to haul the boulder back!

Tips

(Creative Commons photo by Christopher Vasquez)

1. Choose your date with care. Ask yourself what you want from a date, then try to match up your expectations with someone you think will come closest to fulfilling them. Your perceptions of someone you don't know very well might not be correct, and you'll have a lot more fun at the prom with someone you know pretty well to begin with.
2. If you still want to ask a guy you don’t know too well, use a low-risk method. Don't expend a lot of time and effort doing something dramatic, and don't force the guy to answer on the spot or in public.
3. Don't underestimate the power of asking straight out. A guy who's not so romantically-minded will appreciate your directness and may be more likely to say yes.
4. Ask early unless you're sure the guy is going to say yes. The earlier you ask, the better the chance he doesn’t already have a date.
5. Be confident. A confident girl is far more attractive and feels great about herself.
6. Use your friends. They'll help you practice, boost your confidence, and console you if the guy you ask says no.
7. Don't overanalyze a rejection. If a guy says no, it doesn't mean anything except that he won't go to that particular dance with you. Don't read into it, and above all, don't make yourself feel bad about it.
8. Don't have a friend ask for you. It's not respectful to the guy you're asking, and it won't make you appear confident and in control of the situation.

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Resources for How to Ask a Guy to Prom

• Light Planet: Creative Ways to Ask a Girl to a Dance or Prom
• wikiHow: How to Ask a Guy to Dance if You Think You’re a Geek
• wikiHow: How to Ask Someone to Prom
• Thrifty Fun: Asking a Guy to a Formal Dance
• World of Prom: Getting a Date
• The Soko: How to Ask a Guy to the Prom
• Prom Spot: Prom Dates: Make Him Say Yes to Prom
• Romance Class: How to Ask Someone to the Prom
• Talk Prom Dresses: How to Ask a Boy to Prom
• eHow: How to Ask a Jock to Prom
• ABC Family: How I Asked Him to Prom!
• COSMOgirl!: Want to Ask Your Crush to Prom?

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