All lit up – the venue for the big Prom night. Photo Supplied
Prom night conjures up all sorts of images: puffy dresses and pimply dates, kings, queens and limousines, big hair, bad photos and worse dancing. Fond memories you’ll never get to recreate. Until now. A bunch of reminiscent Reapers have got together to organise your Prom Night 2.0, giving you a chance to don your corsage and sip the punch all over again. The big night will take place on September 22 at Hotel 1961.
One of the organisers, Loven Ramos, said the idea came to him and his friends while they were at a going-away party.
“We were all having fun together and realised we only every all meet up for goodbyes. It’s such a shame there’s no big push to meet up,” he explains. “Somebody suggested we have a party for newcomers in September, and we thought, ‘Let’s do a prom!’ Everybody got excited.”
Loven is organising the prom with fellow Reaper Reehan Miah, and the pair are putting together a committee to co-ordinate the shindig. According to Loven the dress code is, “Dress to the nines…Another big reason for having it is to dress up, when else do we get the chance? Start preparing your heels and dresses now. I’ll be wearing a tuxedo of course!”
The night will kick off with limousine collections from designated points around town. Revellers will enjoy some bubbly en route, before arriving at 1961 for all-you-can-drink punch and canapés. There will also be a photo booth to make sure you capture the special evening for the grandkids. Tunes will be provided by a live band, and there will also be a couple of DJs.
Along with the ubiquitous Prom King and Queen election, there will also be a dating time for those looking for some prom night romance. “It’s okay to come with a date, come solo, come on a group date, come as you are,” says Loven. “It’s the perfect chance to discover the new people in town, a platform for meeting each other.”
Tickets for the prom went on sale from mid-August, but Loven is urging would-be prom-goers to pre-register at facebook.com/promniteSR. “We were afraid it might just be a plan so we set up the pre-registration to see if there was an interest, and it’s been great,” he explains. “We want the page to be an open platform for everyone’s input, so we’ll be having some polls for themes and things. We just want to make the party a blast.”
For Loven himself, he has fond memories of his prom nights back in the Philippines.
“It was great, we had proms every year in high school, and formals in uni as well,” he reminisces, “Except for my senior prom. My Dad was PTA president, so he was there. I hated that!”
With pimples, perms, and cringe-worthy parents all at bay, looks like Prom Night Siem Reap will be one to remember.
