"All proms have a central theme, so you want your prom decorations to coordinate with that theme. After all, the purpose of having a theme is so that the decorations, colors, and music can be closely tied to that central theme. For example, if you have chosen to use a 60’s theme for your prom, you are certainly not going to have hip-hop or rap music since those musical genres did not exist in the 60’s.

As the prom coordinator, you need to be aware of the type of music and decorations that are a part of the theme. Knowing this information will assist you in all aspects of the planning, including the way the students will dress. Using our 60’s theme again, in that decade, the girls wore evening gowns and the boys wore tuxedos to the prom. Unlike today, dances had a name, and everyone was expected to know the dances; there was no making of dance steps as there is in modern times (not sure this is a good thing for those who like to dance but just don’t want to bother with all the learning of dance steps).

Prom decorations have changed over the decades, as has the style of clothing that a potential graduate wears to his prom. When the students choose a central theme for their prom, the planner needs to make sure the students understand the implications of their choice and that their theme may dictate the type of clothing they will need to wear and the type of behavior that will be expected. If you choose a theme that relates to a specific year in history, you may find it to be even more confining than just a decade. After all, even in the 70’s, there was a big difference in the way girls dressed in 1971 and the way they dressed in 1978. You have to be aware of that, and if you don’t know, you will need to research before you do anything about decorations or student dress requirements."