Is Your Teen Planning a Promposal? 45 Ideas to Get Them Started

By Jessica Port

April 28, 2023

As parents, we want our children to have enjoyable and memorable experiences during their high school years. Prom is no exception, and in many high schools across the country, promposals are a very big deal. Teens go out of their way to make their invitations to prom memorable and creative in sometimes small, but often elaborate ways. Picture anything from a simple, cute message sent on Snapchat to a public serenade or a flash mob that takes weeks of planning. Promposals have become an exciting tradition and an opportunity for our teens to showcase their creativity, thoughtfulness, and courage.

Of course your teen can simply ask someone to prom, go with friends, or even choose not to go to prom at all. But if your teen is searching for a memorable promposal idea, well then, read on! Whether they opt for a simple, heartfelt approach or an elaborate, grand gesture, the most important thing is that they feel confident and excited to ask someone to share this special night with them. We’ve gathered some of our favorite unique and creative promposals and promposal poster ideas for you to share with your teen.

PROMPOSAL IDEAS

1. Create a Promposal Scavenger Hunt

Write out clues and hide them around the school or town, leading the person to the final clue which asks them to prom. You can, for instance, write clues on colorful post-it notes and hide them in your favorite spots around school and town that signify special memories, like the movie theater where you had your first date.

2. Ask Your Date to Prom With an Old-school Text Message

Write a message in sidewalk chalk outside the person’s house. Or take a walk along the beach at low tide and write a note in the sand. (Just make sure the waves don’t wash away your message before your date finds it.)

3. Create a Promposal Video

Record a short video asking the person to prom and include some funny or sweet moments to make it memorable. It’s a perfect opportunity to use some candid clips!

4. Use Food to Sweeten or Add Spice

Decorate cupcakes or cookies with a message asking the person to prom, or spell out “PROM” using pizza toppings.

5. Create a Personalized Puzzle

Write a message asking the person to prom and print it onto a puzzle. Break the puzzle up and put it into an envelope or gift box.

6. Plan a Picnic

Plan a romantic picnic and surprise the person with a basket full of their favorite foods and a sign or note that reads “Prom with me?”

7. Use Social Media

Create a fun video or post asking the person to prom and tag them in it on social media.

8. Make a Photo Collage

Collect some of your favorite photos together and create a photo collage, adding in a “Prom?” message in the middle.

9. Create a Custom Promposal Poster

Make a sign with a message asking the person to prom and hold it up outside their house or in a public place. While these might be one of the more common promposals, it’s a great chance to use a fun inside joke as part of your setup.

10. Plan a Surprise Car Decoration

Cover the person’s car with balloons, streamers, sayings written in chalk markers, and signs asking them to prom. Make sure it’s easy to pack up after, though, and that they can still see out their car windows — they still have to drive!

11. Write a Song or Poem

Sometimes a personal touch can go a long way. Write a personalized song or poem asking the person to prom and perform it for them. If creativity isn’t your strong suit, you can hire a local musician or find one on places like SongFinch.com to write a song and perform it for you.

12. Try Serenading Them

If you happen to be musically inclined (or have a friend who is) try giving them a performance! Maybe now is the time to find “your” song. Get your friends in on the fun and get some backup singers! Or, if you’re looking for something a bit more low-key, consider making a playlist for them, or even burning a mixtape.

13. Be a Sport

If the person is an athlete or loves to watch sporting events, consider using their favorite sports as inspiration. Hold up your promposal sign at their next meet, or ask the cheer squad to help you out.

14. Make a Surprise Balloon Drop

Grab some of those letter balloons and spell out “PROM?” – it’s simple, it’s cute, and it’s perfectly set up for social media.

15. Put Together a Care Package

This is a great opportunity to let them know you pay attention to treats they love. Fill a box with the person’s favorite snacks, candy, and a note asking them to prom. Bonus points if you include other stuff you know they’ll love, like a small plush of their favorite animal or a sweet handmade gift.

16. Make It Punny

Everyone loves a good laugh. On the inside of a box of donuts, add this note: “I DONUT want to go to prom with anyone else!” Make macaroni art and ask, “Would you PASTA-bly like to go to prom with me?” Give them a bunch of bananas and write on a peel “I’m BANANAS for you.” Consider other pun opportunities, drawing inspiration from your history together.

17. “Film” a TikTok

Pretend to do a TikTok challenge, and while they’re distracted, pull out a “Will you go to prom with me?” sign behind them. That way the promposal is recorded!

18. Use a Cameo

This one is a little expensive, but you can hire certain celebrities to send all kinds of messages on Cameo. Birthday messages, get well soon wishes, and yes, even promposals. See if your special someone’s favorite celebrity is doing Cameos!

19. Order an Edible Arrangement

These can be a bit pricey, but who can say no to a bouquet? Especially one you can eat! Or, if you happen to be on a budget…

20. Make Your Own Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bouquet

Take the most fragrant and aesthetically pleasing strawberries you can find, insert bamboo skewers, dip them in melted chocolate, add toppings, and voila! You can arrange your own edible bouquet!

21. Send Them a Pizza

Some pizza places will write a message inside the box if you ask them to. Order your date a pizza with the promposal written inside. Extra points if you start with “I know this is kind of cheesy…”

22. Spell It Out in Lights

Buy some battery operated tealight candles and use them to spell out PROM on your date’s lawn at night. Ask them to come outside so they see your message (and you!) when they look outside.

23. Here’s a Novel Idea

What’s your date’s favorite book? Which author do they recommend to all their friends? Tailoring your promposal around stories they love is a great way to show that you’re making a promposal specifically for them. You can even write your promposal on a bookmark.

24. Draw Inspiration From TV and Film

Does your date have a favorite television show or film? Maybe they love a particular genre? Is there a romantic couple they particularly adore? Try incorporating a television or film theme into your promposal.

25. Gift Them a Teddy Bear

This one’s a classic. Have a cute teddy bear deliver your message: “Prom would be unBEARable without you.”

26. Add a Note to a Bouquet of Flowers

As always, something tried and true like a beautiful bouquet could never steer you wrong. Going with a friend? Add a note: “I don’t want to go to prom without my best bud.” Consider going for something with a little more lifespan in it, like a small houseplant or cactus. You can even add a note: “Prom would succ-ulent without you. Be my date?”

27. Put a Prize in a Cereal Box

Put your note in a box of cereal you know they’ll eat. Just keep in mind it might take them a while to get to the bottom of the box, so don’t forget to tell them there’s a surprise inside!

28. Get the Dog Involved

Does your date love their furry companion? Have the dog bring them your invitation. “Prom would be RUFF without you.”

29. Change Your Name on Their Cell Phone

Borrow their phone and change your number to read “Prom?” Then, give them a call!

30. Promposals Can Be Natural

Write your promposal in the sand with shells or seaweed. Go to the forest and write your invitation with sticks or rocks. Let nature be your inspiration.

31. An Egg-celent Promposal

Does your date raise chickens? Grab some poster board and write “Will you be my chick at prom?”

32. A Disneyfied Promposal

We never really outgrow our childhood. Draw inspiration from old Disney classics. Tell your date “Mickey needs Minnie. Tigger needs Pooh. I need to go to prom with you.”

33. Superman Themed

Don a blue leotard and slip on your red cape. Explain your costume with this note: “Prom would be SUPER fun with you as my date.”

34. Spiderman Themed

Decorate a poster with spiderwebs and put on that spidey costume from Halloween. Hold up a poster that reads “Please don’t leave me hanging. Swing into prom with me?”

35. Make It Academic

Bring any of the previous ideas to school for a fun public promposal – decorate their locker, bring a promposal poster to class, or (with teacher’s permission) hijack the lesson plan for a minute to serenade your crush.

36. Plan a Flash Mob

Enlist your friend group to learn some choreography, and consider working the question into your costume choices, spelling out “PROM?” with custom tee shirts.

37. Broadcast Your Invitation in the Morning Announcements

Not every school will allow this, but maybe you can convince your school administration to announce your message over the intercom.

38. Decorate Their Locker

Everyone loves coming to school and seeing balloons on their locker. If you know the combination to your significant other’s locker, you can decorate the inside for a nice surprise.

39. Create a Custom T-shirt

Go to the craft store and get some fabric paint. Use it to write a message on a t-shirt asking the person to prom and wear the t-shirt to school.

40. Enlist Your Team’s Support

Do you play a sport? What could be more romantic than having your team cheer you on while you ask your significant other to prom?

41. Try the Purr-fect Promposal

If you have one in the area (and your date isn’t allergic) take them to a cat cafe, and pull out a poster reading “Prom would be Purr-fect if you went with me.”

42. Opt for a Sweet Surprise

Next time you’re on a dinner date, ask the waiter if they can write “prom?” in chocolate syrup on your significant other’s favorite dessert.

LGBT THEMED PROMPOSALS

Just about any of the previous promposals work perfectly well for any couple, but maybe you want a promposal that also celebrates your identity? Here are a few ideas that could work.

43. Spell It Out in Skittles

Tell your date: “I see your true colors and that’s why I want to go to prom with you.”

44. Try a Pun-ny Sign

“We may be gay/bi/pan/etc. But can I take you straight to prom?”

45. Or Maybe This One

“I might be cis, but I’ll be your trans-portation to prom tonight.”

Promposals are fun to plan and think about, but we want to leave you with this final note of caution. When planning a promposal, encourage your teen to keep in mind personalities and privacy concerns to ensure that both parties are comfortable with public displays before planning one. A public promposal can be exciting, but it may not be the best choice. Public promposals can be stressful for the recipient and may lead to pressure to accept even if they don’t want to. Plus, not everyone enjoys being the center of attention. And if your teen is rejected in public? Well, that could be embarrassing for them, too. We hope our list of promposal ideas provides you and your teen with inspiration and guidance and that they enjoy their prom.

Is Your Teen Planning a Promposal? 45 Creative Ideas to Get Them Started.