To most high school students, prom is one of the most exciting days of the entire school year. Prom is one of the only real opportunities for teens to dress up in their best finery and spend the night dancing and laughing with their friends. It is often the highlight of a student's high school career, and whole months are spent awaiting its arrival. However, preparing for prom can be a little daunting without the proper preparation. Everyone wants the night to be a success, but it's often hard to know where to start. What should you buy first? When should you purchase your tickets? What should you bring with you on that special night? If you're wondering all of these things, you may also want to know how to make a prom checklist.

Answering all of these questions and creating the perfect prom experience can be easy with simple forethought. With a little careful planning and time management, anyone can create a thorough and helpful prom checklist to make the night all that it can be. A checklist is a great opportunity to get everything in order and ready to go for any big event, including prom night. A good checklist needs to be concise, detailed, and in a helpful, logical order. With a proper and well put together prom checklist, even the most busy, stressed out student can prepare for prom with flying colors and make their prom a night to be remembered.

The earlier you start preparing for prom the better off you'll be in the long run. If you give yourself ample time to buy your dress, wear in your shoes and get your hair done, you will be free on the week of prom to have fun and be excited about the big night. After all, having fun with your friends is the most important part of prom.

Generally, people start anticipating prom a couple of months ahead of time. This gives you time to think out everything that you need and plan it all out ahead of time. Starting early also gives you a chance to revise your checklist as much as you need. It's common to change your mind about what type of dress you want a month or two before prom. Sometimes, you might end up going with a group of friends in a limo when you thought you'd go with just your date originally. Planning early allows for any and all changes to happen without the stress. Giving yourself that extra time will also free up the coming months for more fun activities than stressing about prom. You'll already have everything planned out and ready without rushing around in a panic.

Start listing what you will need to do three months ahead of time. These items will generally include purchasing everything you will wear or take with you to prom. Obviously, the most important item on the list would be your prom gown. Picking out the right dress can take months, especially if you can't find the size you need or the color. Often people will need to order their gowns to get them in the right size and color. Ordering a gown will generally take up to two months. It is important to get started early. You don't want to get your gown in on the week of prom and realize that it needs to be altered.

Other important things to start planning for ahead of time are your shoes, accessories and purse. While they may not be as hard to find as the right dress, they still take time. Shoes can be especially tricky if you need to the find the right style, color and fit. Your purse and accessories are the same. They're important to your overall look. Therefore, they need to be picked early.

A good checklist should have a proper order. Without order, the checklist will become unwieldy and hard to manage. A great way to organize your prom checklist is by time frame first. Start with the things you need to do the earliest. Looking for your dress and your shoes can take an incredibly long time. Often, it takes longer than you think it will. If you order your checklist in chronological order, you will know exactly when you need to start shopping and make appointments.

The next most important way to organize your checklist, after breaking your planning down by time frame, is to break your items down by importance. In each time frame category, list what you will need to do in the order of importance. Buying your dress is the most important item on the list so write it down first. Perhaps, shoes are important as well so write them next. The least important could be something like purchasing a bracelet. You want to buy it early because it's an important accessory, but it's not on the same scale as your prom gown. Write down purchasing a bracelet last.

Organization is of the utmost importance in planning for any event, including prom. Having your checklist in a reasonable and logical order, by time frame and importance, will take your list from a disorganized shopping list to a true prom checklist.

Your checklist should be your number one tool in getting ready for prom. Make sure that you list everything that you might need. Don't leave out the small details like a compact mirror or checking the fit of your dress beforehand. You never know what you'll forget if you don't write it down. Every small thing adds up to the big picture of a perfect prom night.

While a prom checklist could be as simple as the following: 3 months ahead – Purchase gown. You may add as much detail as you feel is necessary. Whatever amount of detail, or lack thereof, you need to stay organized is fine. You could write your checklist in a much more detailed fashion such as follows: 3 months ahead – Start looking for prom dress; try the mall first; be sure to order early. Your prom checklist is, first and foremost, a tool. Customize it in any way that you think is necessary with as much detail as you think is needed. Just remember to include everything that you might need for prom night. Remember, the small things are the ones most easily forgotten.

Next, start to list what you'll need to buy or prepare two months ahead of time. Depending on the size of your town, it's often hard to get reservations or appointments at the last minute. Salons often start filling up quite early. If you wait until a couple of weeks before prom, there's no guarantee that you will get the appointment that you want.

Some things to do two months ahead of time are to set your appointment for your hair and makeup. You can also start thinking about what hair and makeup you want to have. Also, start making reservations for anything else you'll be doing on prom night. Renting a limousine with friends is often a great experience for prom and you'll want to reserve your limo early. Start making reservations for any restaurant that you and your friends may be going to before or after prom. The best restaurants will start booking up a month before [prom] so it's a good idea to get in there early. You may not necessarily want to get your reservations two months ahead of time but you should be looking and researching your options. Once you reach the one month mark, you should have your reservations in place.http://www.limos.com/limos-101-pricing-and-planning-guide

Two months ahead of time is also a great point to start eating healthy and maintaining your skin. Obviously, you can't lose significant weight or grow a lot of hair in that time, but you can moisturize your skin, eat healthy and drink plenty of water in the months leading up to prom.http://www.uis.edu/newsbureau/TRAC/2009/11/healthy-skin-month-benefits-of.html Taking care of yourself is the best way to ensure you look and feel good on the big night.

The month before prom is going to be a very busy time filled with planning and excitement. Make sure you list everything you'll need to do so that you don't miss anything important. Some things to remember are to purchase your prom tickets. Generally, you'll want to purchase them within the month before prom well before the cut-off date. Make sure you know who you're going with (be it a date or with a group of friends) and who is purchasing the tickets. You can often get a discount if you buy your tickets in groups or as a pair so it pays to know who is going with whom ahead of time.

This month is the time to confirm all of your appointments. Make sure you know the style of hair and makeup you want for the salon and what type of limo for the rental company. If you are requesting something specific or uncommon, having a reference picture is a great idea. Also, remember to try on your dress and make sure it still fits properly. Doing this early enough allows time for altering if necessary. Don't forget to order any flowers or gifts you'll need for the night. It's also a great time to start wearing in your shoes.

The week of prom is really an exciting time. You'll be so busy with finishing school work and planning with friends that the checklist is very important. The types of things you'll need to do on the week of prom are generally checking and gathering. Check that you have your tickets, dress, shoes and accessories. Gather up what you're taking to prom and put them aside so you won't forget them. This could include lip gloss, a hair brush, a compact mirror, nail clippers, a disposable camera and cash. Remember to include anything you might need on your list. Anything that you may have forgotten or not gotten around to up to this point absolutely needs to be in this category. Don't be afraid to list a reminder of items earlier on your list. Double checking is important and this last week is the only chance you'll have.

The week of prom is also a great time to check in with your friends about what they're doing for prom. There's always the chance that you've forgotten something altogether and checking in with your friends about their plans is a great way to cover all of the bases. At this point, everything should be in order, and you should make sure you have plans for before, during and after prom.

The day has finally arrived and you're bound to be excited and a bit stressed. The important things to do on the day of prom are to get everything in order and start getting ready early. Write down every little thing you'll need to do so that you don't have any opportunity to forget anything. Make sure you eat breakfast and lunch. Gather all of your supplies, including your I.D. Double check your tickets. There's nothing worse than arriving for prom without the tickets you need to get in the event. Most schools require a school I.D. so double check that you have that along with your driver's license if necessary.

Also, check your gown and shoes early for any dirt that might need to be spot cleaned. Try to arrive 15 minutes early to any of your appointments with everything you might need for them. Make sure you use the bathroom before you leave and double check your purse. And, don't forget to have fun! At this point in your planning, you should really only be doing check-ups on what you'll need for that night. All important things, such as your dress and reservations, should have been taken care of months ago.

TThe most important step in creating a prom checklist is to remember that if you've prepared as much as you possibly could, it will be alright. Even if you did forget something, the night will still be fun. Just prepare to the best of your ability and try to relax. After all, prom is a night for fun. Creating your list ahead of time and listing everything you'll need is the best way to be prepared and to beat back stress. Remember to turn to your checklist often and check off everything as soon as you finish it. Don't be afraid to be prepared.

At first, prom may not seem complicated. As time flies by, it's very easy to get caught up in the planning and stress. The best solution is to take it in stride, start planning early and stick to your plan whenever possible. If you don't allow room for worry and you do you're best, you'll soon realize that the planning really isn't that bad. If you give yourself enough time, you'll be ready before you know it. Let your checklist act as a tool in preparing for one of the best nights of your life.