Invitations for the prom

The prom, or school leavers' ball, is the big send-off at the end of school or sixth form — a formal evening that marks the close of a chapter before everyone heads off to their next thing. In Britain it usually falls in early summer, after the exams, and the format leans glamorous: a venue, a meal, dressing up, photographs and a night of dancing. Often organised by a committee of students and staff, it calls for a fair bit of coordination. An online invitation helps the committee reach the whole year group and manage the numbers.

The scale depends on the year group. A single year of sixty to a hundred and fifty students, plus partners and a few staff; a larger event might run to two or three hundred. In our experience a prom is usually well attended because the tickets sell early and the date is fixed long in advance, but the committee still needs a firm headcount for the venue, the catering and the seating plan. Ticket sales, plus-ones and dietary requirements are the details to track from the start.

A good invitation carries the name of the school, the date, the start time, the venue, the dress code (generally formal), the running order — arrival, photographs, meal, dancing — the ticket price, and an RSVP with a box for a guest. Transport, accommodation for those further afield, dietary requirements, and the committee's contact all belong here. A glamorous, elegant template fits the occasion. A few words from the head or year leader add a sense of ceremony to the send-off.

The digital format lightens the committee's load. The link goes out via the year group WhatsApp chats, the school mailing list and Instagram DMs, replies and dietary needs count themselves, and a Google map guides everyone to the venue. A shared playlist crowd-sourced from the whole year is a sentimental touch, and the photographs can be gathered in a shared album afterwards.