Brookfield Central’s junior prom is just a few short weeks away, and juniors all over the school are scrambling to get ready for the big night. Here are some tips to prepare and to have the time of your life on April 16.

Finding a date: For those who asked someone a month ago, you may skip this part. For those who haven’t found a date, what have you been doing?? You’re in DEEP trouble. At this point, you better hope that a date who is willing to cope with your procrastination and irresponsibility drops down from heaven. Or you could also follow the unorthodox path of asking a celebrity through social media, but it’s more likely that Chipotle will start serving free guac than Jennifer Lawrence or Kanye West will accept your promposal.

Choosing your group: Next, you’ll have to choose the group you’ll be with for photos and the group of ten people at your dinner table. You could always just do the conventional method of selecting to be with your closest friends, but what’s the fun in that? Try something new by assigning each couple a distinct number and using a computer program to randomly select four other couples to be in your group. As long as you get through the first few hours of awkwardness, you’ll surely have a great time.

Renting/buying attire: Now comes the most expensive and arguably most tedious part of preparing: renting a tuxedo or buying a dress. Not only do you need to find the right garments that will make you look as “fresh” as possible, you also need to purchase the garments at a reasonable price and not relinquish half of your college savings. Try digging out that one slightly oversized suit you wore for your last choir concert in sixth grade. You never know, there’s a chance it’ll fit.

If you are silly enough to actually purchase decent-looking clothing, you can try to get the most bang for your buck. When at a store, don’t be afraid to bargain for the right price, as if you were at a farmer’s market. Settle on a price you want, and whatever you do, don’t budge. Even if a worker comes to kick you out, don’t leave until you get what you want.

Photos: You’ll also have to plan on the place to take those magnificent prom photos before the dance, typically with beautiful scenery. But let’s be honest, having natural scenery in the background is getting pretty old. Why not recognize one of the most overlooked features of society: the beauty of chain restaurants? There is nothing in this world that compares to the aesthetic of an Olive Garden sign, with its delicate cursive and plump wine grapes. Even better, you could go to McDonald’s, a restaurant with a deep, illustrious history and the gold arches that are the perfect complement to any prom photo.

The dance: This is the day we’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to load the buses for the Intercontinental. You’ve gone to crazy homecomings and spring flings, so prom should be no different.

Don’t expend all your energy within the first ten minutes. And don’t worry about sweating; sweating is temporary while wild prom memories are forever.
Just follow these simple tips, and prom will surely end up being a night to remember.