A night to remember? Prom 2012 lasted until the early morning hours and was, indeed, a night to remember.

The red carpet and more formal attire made the evening stand out from the collection of school dances that have become all jumbled in my memory. What has made my senior prom stand out in my mind, though, was the lead up to big shindig.

I had always assumed that a girl could not possibly survive at her senior prom without a date, but my experience at the formal last night defied my own assumptions. In fact, I even found some advantages in showing up solo to my final high school dance:

1. Different dance, same drama. As is typical with anything in high school, conflict over dinner reservations, limousine arrangements, and the number of people in each given group was practically unavoidable. Girls, when you go alone, you have to worry about none of this! Pick a dress, treat yourself to a pedicure, and have fun with your friends—no drama included. 
2. Not having group pictures at 3 in the afternoon allowed me to help my friends get all dolled up for the big night. Another perk of not modeling in group pictures? I was able to test out my photography skills on my grandfather's old Canon film camera—a fun way to document the memorable evening (see pictures). 
3. What is better than rolling up to the red carpet in your own personal town car? I personally felt like a celebrity for the evening, proudly stepping out of my car solo. The ride to the dance venue was fun, as I played my favorite tunes and talked to my driver about his senior prom. Hearing him reminisce about his memories from high school reminded me to cherish the evening ahead, for it would be over before I knew it.

Once I arrived at the dance, I snapped pictures with my friends and listened in on their stories from dinner. Many groups recounted the inspirational toasts their group members made at dinner. 

Girls looked admiringly at each other's dresses, also breathing a sigh of relief when they saw no one else in their look. A line of students waiting to be interviewed and trying to quickly think of their favorite high school memories stretched through the lobby. 

After pictures, dinner, the red carpet, and interviews, everyone headed out to the dance floor. Current songs were shuffled with hits from the 90s. The Backstreet Boys, N*SYNC and Blink 182 took us back in time and got everyone on their feet. By midnight hip-hop group Troop 41 performed for a half hour, while snacks were served in the reception area. To keep up us dancing, the hotel also provided us with a sugar fix by way of a popular 1 a.m. ice cream bar. 

As 2 a.m. approached, students began to rest their feet and just sit with friends. Some students went right home to fall asleep, while others headed over to friends' houses to continue celebrating the end of senior year. 

Prom will always be a night I will remember. I absolutely loved my floor length dress and found great entertainment in getting all put together for one final high school dance.

More than that, though, I will remember my senior prom as a marker of how much I feel I have grown up since my freshman year. Four years ago, there is no way I would have ever made it down the red carpet without a group surrounding me. Last night, I stepped out of my little black car with my head held high; I felt a strong sense of self-confidence and was ready for the night ahead.