Proms go wrong. It's what they do. You might be excited for your high school prom, but all the enthusiasm and planning in the world won't save you from disaster. Want proof? Here are some true tales of proms that went horribly wrong.
Booger King
Pro tip: as part of your preparation for prom, always make sure there are no bats in the cave. This prom king made the fatal error of skipping a nostril examination, and took a bunch of photos with something weird hanging out of his nose.
Wrong Person
Okay, so the best-case scenario here is that the person who texted "Prom?" followed by "Sorry wrong person" is an idiot, in which case, you've dodged a bullet because you're not going to prom with a moron. The worst-case scenario is that this was a harsh prank, in which case, you've still dodged a bullet, because who wants to go to prom with a jerk?
Rejected
If you're thinking of asking someone to prom, make sure you do a background check. Find out if, for example, their dad is a cop who recently busted you for doing something stupid in the school parking lot. You'll be able to save yourself a door slam to the face.
It Takes Three to Tango
The bizarre concept of "leaving room for the Holy Ghost" when dancing at a prom conjures up some strange mental images. Is the Holy Ghost a willing third party in this religious ménage à trois? How much room does the Holy Ghost even need?
It's Not Easy Being Green
Wait, you wore green to a prom with a greenscreen for photos? And your body disappeared from all the pictures? Are you the Holy Ghost that everyone's supposed to save room for? Because that actually makes a lot of sense.
No Show
First off, tying rewards to flawless school attendance is a good way to force everyone to infect each other during flu season. Secondly, if you know you're dealing with a student body that has a sketchy attendance history, maybe don't make it more difficult for them to attend school events.
Too Cool for School
Poor Tomo entirely failed to read the room. When everyone was saying how they were too "cool" for prom, she actually believed them. The truth is that whenever a teenager says they're too cool for something, what they mean is they're desperate to do it, but they don't want to look desperate.
Magic Mike
Hannah's Magic Mike wannabe boyfriend suffered a pretty bad wardrobe malfunction when both his pants and his underwear split from front to back. Clearly his prom outfit just couldn't contain that much sheer awesomeness.
Onesie for the Money
What's the coolest thing anyone could possibly wear to prom? A green onesie, right? At least, that's what Andrea hoped, after her dress zipper broke and she was forced to make do with a backup outfit.
JK
Yeesh, kid, if your initials are JK, you should never sign anything with just your initials. Especially not something like a text message invitation to prom. Maybe if you'd had the guts to ask your crush out in person, she wouldn't have rejected you.
Croc Rock
D'yknow what? There are worse fashion choices to make than wearing comfy shoes under your prom dress. Sure, there are much more stylish options than crocs, but if that's what you want to wear, nobody has the right to tell you that you're wrong.
Mistaken Identity
Public promposals (or any kind of proposal) are a bad idea. You're forcing someone to either say yes or face social stigma. If you end up on a date with the wrong girl because you didn't know there were two Katelyns in her class and you're asking her out over the intercom, you get what you deserve.
Best Date Ever
Anna Elizabeth insists that by bringing a cardboad cutout of Channing Tatum as her prom date, she's not actually failing. She's got a point. He's good looking and he won't argue with you; that's the perfect date right there!
Super Creepy
It says a lot about a community when a school votes brother and sister to be prom king and queen. Sure you're the big family on campus, but it's also weird that you're now on a date together. Even weirder if your first dance is a romantic song.
Dad's Disguise
Some dads feel the need to verbally threaten a young man to make sure he behaves with their daughter. Not this dad, though: by transforming himself into a hillbilly, complete with comb-over and fake teeth, he's ensured that his daughter's date will be terrified of him without needing to say a word.
Had Them, Lost Them
Spare a thought for this poor prom attendee, who took their eye off their date for a split second and immediately discovered that they'd run off with someone else. It's harsh being relegated to wallflower within the first five minutes of a prom.
Fishbowl
Big floor to ceiling windows on a prom dancefloor are great for lighting, less ideal for privacy. This poor school class discovered that they'd been turned into a zoo exhibit when their parents decided to just stare at them through the windows for the entire dance.
Wrong Address
There's nothing wrong with turning someone down when they ask you to prom. That's just life, you don't owe anyone a date. There is something wrong with agreeing to go out with them, then giving them a fake address so they drive to an abandoned warehouse while you're busy partying. That's just mean.
Check Your Calendar
Are you absolutely certain you know when your prom is? Because if you pay to get your hair and makeup done professionally, then realize that prom isn't for another week, you're going to look foolish. Fabulous, but foolish.
Dutch Courage
If you want to have a good time at prom, it's best not to drink too much, if at all. What you certainly don't want to do is get drunk before you even get to the prom, pick your date up late, and then fall down the stairs.
Plenty of Selfies
Moms of the world, remember: if your child is graciously allowing you to attend prom with them as a photographer, that is a privilege, not a right. You need to earn this. You need to, at the barest minimum, not have the camera the wrong way around on your phone, so that you're taking an endless stream of selfies rather than capturing your kid's special night.
Dress Disaster
Look, we've all been there. We've all got a piece of clothing stuck in a car door, it's just part of life. When you're wearing a really fancy dress, though, it's particularly important to make sure you haven't got it isn't flapping about in the wind, rain, and mud on your trip to prom.
The Break In
This one is fabulous. Not only has Emma manged to leave her prom ticket behind, forcing her to break into her own house, but her limo had to then negotiate out of her cul-de-sac in excruciating slow motion. The Ring doorbell's recording of the whole ordeal is priceless: there are some things that are even better than photos.
Or Something
Hold onto this guy, Kaylie. If he's willing to go to prom with you without even knowing what prom is, then he's clearly willing to die for you. Congratulations: you have found yourself a true die-hard friend.
I've Been Praying
Not being asked to prom is not a big deal, and taking your sister as your date is absolutely fine. Sure, your grandma admits that she's actively praying that boys will like you next year, but that's grandma. She marches to the beat of her own drum.
Baby Bump
Black prom dresses can look absolutely awesome, but be careful how to pose for photos against a black and white background. You might accidentally end up looking like you've got a bun in the oven.
Getting Hitched
White dresses are always a liability. It's not a surprise that passers-by assumed that this couple were getting married, rather than going to prom. It's only a fail if you're embarrassed by the idea of marrying your date (or if your dad is fuming at the idea!).
Down I Go
Hydrate. That the's number one rule of prom. Make sure you're drinking lots, make sure you take breaks from standing or dancing, and definitely don't spend too much time in the sun if you live in a hot climate. This prom attendee failed to look after herself, leading to an amazing photo in which she is caught mid-faint.
Gun-Point Proposal
In the right context, balloons can be very romantic. Take the start of Pixar's "Up," for example. Breaking into a car to fill it with balloons for a promposal, though, can end poorly if the police think you're an actual car thief and hold you at gun point.
Dislocation, Dat Location
There is no right place to dislocate your knee, but some places are better than others. Senior prom, for example, is not an ideal place. Dislocation is not better than dat location.
Patriotic
For a prom song, you want something that people can bop to, something fun and full of life. You don't want the Star Spangled Banner, a song which, let's be honest here, has such a weird structure that it's utterly impossible to dance to. Clearly though, Saugerties High, Class of '92 disagrees.
Lookalike
Why would you set someone up for a blind date by promising that their date looks like Zac Efron?! There's no way that this will end well for anybody involved. Unless that guy is a dead ringer for Efron, everyone's going to spend the whole night disappointed.
Mom Prom
No joke, Mom Prom (having a big mom party while the kids are at prom) is the best idea ever and literally every mom should do it. It must be pretty embarrassing to discover that your mom partied harder than you did while you were at prom, though. That's not her fault: that's on you.
Practice Makes Perfect
If you're planning to wear heels to prom, get some good practice in them first. It doesn't matter how many times you've worn heels in the past, if these are new shoes, you need to get used to them. You don't want to mysteriously disappear halfway through a photo op.
Carrot Top
Imagine trying to dye your brown hair orange for prom, only to discover that you're now an orangehead. Not a redhead; an orangehead. The literal color of a carrot. That's not the biggest deal in the world, this is a beautiful hair color. Oh, your dress is coral color? Yeah, you messed up.
Pasta Disaster
Here we have a textbook case of Winnie the Pooh syndrome: eating too much (in this case pasta) and then getting stuck (in this case, within a broken dress clasp). Luckily a chaperone was on hand to sew the broken dress back in place.
Late Arrivals
There's being fashionably late, and then there's being so late that there's only half an hour left of prom. Shout out to the tremendous DJ who went above and beyond by staying late to make sure these tardy high schoolers got the chance to party a little more before the lights got shut off.
Brace Face
Wearing braces to prom is no big deal. It may be a little harder to tolerate, though, if you were supposed to get them off in advance, but your orthodontist burnt to the ground and all your records, along with your fancy new retainer, were destroyed.
Zipper Trouble
Whose idea was it to put a sharp, tightening metal torture device on every pair of pants, right next to a man's most sensitive equipment? This poor prom attendee managed to get himself stuck in his zipper so badly that the paramedics needed to be called.
I'll Throw My Own Prom!
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. When you don't have a prom because you go to a fancy private school, you throw your own prom at home. The prom police have no power to stop you!
A Liability
Getting to tell people that you got a black eye at prom must be pretty cool. You probably then have to pray they don't ask any follow-up questions, or else you'll be forced to reveal that, no, you didn't get in a fight, you just managed to punch yourself while dancing.
Act Natural
Twitter / @bkrech_
This is possibly the greatest prom photo ever taken. Just two closeted girls, on a date together, trying desperately not to give the game away in front of their oblivious parents. How do arms work?! I've forgotten!
Monkey Business
Crashing someone else's prom? That's bad. Crashing someone else's prom while wearing a gorilla mask so you don't get caught? Yeah, okay, that's pretty awesome.
Rain Check
Taking prom photos in a bass pro shop isn't necessarily ironic, but it is caused by ray-hee-ain on your special day, so it's close enough.
Eleventh Hour Fix
Whatever they're getting paid, these tailors deserve a big tip. Five minutes until picture time, but the dress zipper is broken? Say no more. Stand up straight and try not to wriggle, because these women are going to save the day.
Best Date Ever
Now this is the way to do prom! You've taken photos with a dog, and he's the best possible date you could imagine. Handsome, well behaved, full of nothing but love and adoration for you. This is one prom date that will never let you down.
Beautiful Couple
Prom fail?! This ain't no prom fail! Jake managed to convince the star of the volleyball team to go to prom with him, and they look absolutely stunning together. This is a straight up prom win for two amazing kids who had a great night together.
Smashy Smashy
Well done to this kid, who was not going to let a little thing like a car crash stop him from picking up his date and having a fantastic prom. No, the car didn't turn out too well, but that's a minor issue compared to the joys of high school adventure.
Bedwetter
Any prom that ends with a surprise piercing, a wet phone, and an even wetter bed is a prom that is memorable at least. Nothing kills a romance quite like accidentally peeing on your prom date, though.