A caravan of crusaders follows their valiant leader down the hallway, eager to join him on his quest— not just any ordinary quest, but a quest for his dream date. Flowers in one hand, poster in the other, his mind is fully equipped with an extra cheesy pun and the words “(Insert name here), will you go to prom with me?” This is…The Promposal.

This is it, the night everyone’s been waiting for. Save the date for April 9 at 8 p.m., because it’s time for White Station Prom 2016! The theme? “Passport to Paris.” The venue? Minglewood Hall. The theme and place may be set, but there’s plenty of other prom-related business left unsettled. From finding the perfect dress or tuxedo, to scouting out the best restaurants for a pre- or post-prom dinner and deciding who to go with, of course— there’s much to do to prepare for the most memorable night of one’s junior or senior year.

As we’ve evolved from traditional Prom culture, the urgent necessity of finding a date doesn’t rage quite as rampantly as it used to. It is totally fine, and sometimes even more fun, to go casually with a group of friends, or even fly solo. But having a date is great too, be it a significant other or close friend.

In regard to prom wear trends, the ladies have shown a favoring of long dresses as opposed to short ones.

“Short dresses are for homecoming, long dresses are for prom,” Kendall Ballard (12) said.

As for other prom night activities, most people plan on going out to dinner before and hanging out with friends after. While some choose to splurge on a limo or chauffeur, the majority of students would rather spend more money on a nice dinner, and will be driving themselves.

With a classy international theme, and an even classier Midtown venue, this year’s prom approaches with great expectations, and many students who attended last year’s prom are hoping this year’s will measure up, if not be even better.

“It was actually more fun than I thought it would be…I just wish there were more diverse song choices.” Emily Burkhead (12) said when asked about last year’s prom. In regard to the theme, Burkhead said it seems “better than last year’s [Masquerade theme].”

Others also found the music scene to be lacking at the 2015 prom, as Dechaune Rhodes said, “I hope we have a better DJ than last year.”

Since the Minglewood Hall venue is fairly small, space for this year’s prom is very limited. Even though prom is geared toward seniors (who receive first priority in ticket sales), some seniors choose not to attend.

“More power to [people who chose not to go],” Kendall Ballard (12) said.

Others, however, liken prom to a rite of passage— a once in a lifetime opportunity that definitely should not be passed up.

“They need to go out and take advantage of [the] opportunity to have fun with their friends before they graduate and go off to college,” Burkhead said.

But all in all, it is a personal decision.

So will you escargot to prom?