Prom Spot - Prom Spotlight: Felicia & Jeff in Baltimore, MD

Amid the stress and anticipation of prom planning, there's a wonderful sense of calm when an established couple decides to go to prom together. At least the date is guaranteed to be great! Felicia doesn't even remember asking Jeff, her boyfriend of 10 months. Since they are so comfortable together, it wasn't a big deal. But the excitement began when the couple started planning the big night!

SHE IS Felicia, age 17, senior
HER DATE IS Jeff, age 18, graduate
DAY OF PROM May 2
HIGH SCHOOL Old Mill High School, Millersville, MD
THE SCENE Martin's West, Baltimore, MD

PROM PREP Ask Felicia about the most stressful part of prom planning and she'll surely say it was being in charge of the limo. "We were planning on putting 10 people in a 12- to 14-seat limo so that we would have room," she says. But it wasn't long before people started to back out. One girl bailed because she didn't have the cash and didn't want to ask her parents for help. Another skipped out because she had to go to a wedding that weekend. Felicia has a good attitude, though: "Everyone had to pay more and we were a bit upset but hey...we all had a great time!"

THE PERFECT LOOK Dress shopping at a nearby mall was a breeze by comparison. "As soon as I saw it I said, 'That is my dress,'" she remembers. "It was floor-length, red and strapless, and it had a split on the left side from the hip down. "It was just meant to be for me to have that dress," she coos. She paired the dress (which had a white underskirt) with white shoes and a small white handbag. When it came to her hair, Felicia knew what she would ask for: "I wanted it to be very elegant, with no loose strands anywhere." Her stylist gave her an updo with large curls pinned all around a ponytail. Felicia was thrilled. "I think I looked like J.Lo!" she jokes. In keeping with the glamour, Felicia wore more makeup than she normally does to "go for the evening look."

PROM NIGHT Early in the evening, Felicia and Jeff went to downtown Baltimore and walked around outside near the Chesapeake Bay. Later, the limo brought the couple and their friends to prom at Martin's West, a banquet hall in Baltimore, where the theme was Mardi Gras. "They had beaded necklaces and sparkly, colored masks," Felicia recalls. But when it comes to other details, she draws a blank -- with good reason. "I was so swept away by my boyfriend that I didn't pay attention to any of the decorations." Dinner was served buffet-style and the menu included chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, and other sides. "The food was pretty good," she recalls. Felicia wishes she could say the same of the music. "We had a DJ and he was horrible," she gripes. "He played some songs twice, and he got in trouble for playing an inappropriate song by Ludacris." Still, that didn't stop Felicia and Jeff from dancing all night. "My favorite part was looking into his eyes, him holding me close...pure bliss," she says. Teasingly she adds, "Yeah, I know it's mush." After prom, the couple headed to a school-sponsored after-party. They had free pizza, free bowling, and later on free breakfast. "Free stuff! I'm there!" Felicia laughs.

--Jackie Fisherman