Senior Prom

I’m not sure what prom means to you. To me, way back in the day, it meant a night of getting gussied up and hanging out with my friends and our dates in a ballroom in a hotel in downtown New Orleans. We’d spend the night in large groups at our friend's homes, take limos and roll down the windows hollering into the night air. No one got much sleep. We felt pretty cool. We were pretty cool, at least in our own minds.

But we weren’t this cool.

Madeline and her class were a whole other level of awesome. Exchanging Vans for heels they carried themselves with more confidence in their formalwear than I ever remember having, then again, they’re a fairly assured group of young men and women. They have supportive families and are one another’s pillars, always cheering one another on. Is it any wonder they’re all so accomplished, graduating at the top of their class?

No chickens were harmed during the taking of this picture.

I think a lot of confidence is seen in a smile and isn’t hers just gorgeous? The dress is a beautiful Sherri Hill (and we’ll talk about that in a bit), but I’m talking about her. That smile! I constantly sing the praises of our orthodontist because when Madeline smiles, everyone smiles with her. There’s a contagious quality to genuine joy and this is a smile that truly lights up a room. When those dimples are flashing her entire person beams as well. There are pretty smiles, but hers? It's absolutely radiant!

Speaking of radiant...There’s something about seeing your child and her friends putting on formal attire that makes you feel giddy. It’s a little bit of vicarious living, but it’s also exciting to see them in this moment because it speaks to their accomplishments to reach this point. Reaching Prom means they are done with Senior Year-the race is finished. Over. Now it’s time to sit back, relax and celebrate. Why not kick it off with a grand party?

Dashing and well-heeled everyone spent some time at each other’s home taking pictures, moving to a local park where the entire senior class and their families converged. Everyone was excited to get on their party busses and head into Hollywood. They certainly looked red-carpet ready and Madeline’s Sherri Hill dress was just dreamy. She had to learn how to navigate around the train, a first for us both, but it was worth it. It was all about the dramatic ripple of satiny blue that floated behind her and seemed to be a trend with quite a few gowns.

We started shopping for her dress back in December and while home in New Orleans we found ourselves in the most charming shop for formalwear, The Red Carpet. This is a boutique that houses many of the gowns ladies will choose from for Mardi Gras and Debutante Balls. They have two locations: one in Nola, the other in Mandveille. We visited the latter.

There were scads of gorgeous dresses to choose from and for someone who adores a beautifully cut gown I was tempted to jump in and play dress-up, but I refrained. Madeline was grateful-and efficient. The very first dress she tried on was THE ONE, and though both I and the sales person brought other gowns for her to consider, she knew. And when you know, you know. You don’t try and replace THE ONE.

She looked so beautiful-all of the girls did-and the boys looked so handsome! It was almost an Olympic event, trying to get as many pictures as possible in different locations in various poses, but eventually we had to stop. The buses arrived, siblings wanted to play, and it was time for our seniors to head out for the night.

This year Prom was held at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood. It’s quite a haul from our place in the bubble, but as you can see from the pictures, completely worth it. The ballroom was absolutely stunning. It definitely wasn’t the ones we held court in with the cloth-covered partitions that separated us from other rooms; it was a space that was exclusively and beautifully decorated for them and my, wasn’t it breathtaking.

I love a good pun and when that pun is also edible? That’s a win right there, and a delicious one from what I was told.

Also a win? Seeing a good friend and her beau crowned Prom King and Queen. I giggled quite a bit when this picture popped up on Twitter because you could see the Prom Queen’s friends to the side-my girl included-completely tickled as they danced.

I could go on and on about the things I saw, the stories I was told, but sometimes less is more. So without further ado I’ll let you enjoy the pictures below and thank you for all the wonderfully sweet words you left throughout social media from this night. Y’all are the best!