Prom Spot - Prom Spotlight: Sara & Luke in Fort Collins, CO

They'd been dating for four months, and Sara was crazy about Luke. A "complete and total sweetheart," according to Sara, Luke asked her to his prom (they go to different schools) when she was over at his house watching a movie. It was then that Sara knew their relationship was something special.

SHE IS: Sara, 17, junior
HER DATE IS: Luke, 18, senior
DAY OF PROM: April 26
THE SCHOOL: Rocky Mountain High School; Fort Collins, Colorado
THE SCENE: Colorado State University Lory Student Center; Fort Collins, Colorado

PROM PREP "I was pretty well prepared," Sara tells us, and we believe her -- she bought her coral pink halter dress months in advance. "I didn't know if I was going to prom or not because it was only January," Sara admits. "But I saw the dress and fell in love with it. I just had to buy it." Quite a change from the previous year when Sara searched high and low for a dress in three different cities! This year, after finding her dress at Foley's, Sara headed to Nordstrom for shoes, and stocked up on jewelry and accessories at the mall.

BEAUTY TALK Sara knew all along how she wanted to wear her hair. Her stylist was able to create the style she wanted -- a strikingly elaborate updo. "I absolutely loved it," Sara tells us. After she was done at the salon, she headed to the Clinique counter at Foley's. "I was a mix between fresh and glamour," Sara says of her look. She topped it all off with a spritz or two of Sexy Graffiti by Escada.

PROM AHOY! Rather than rent a limo, Luke opted to rent a convertible Mustang -- a decision that suited Sara just fine, even though they didn't take the top down for fear of destroying her do. After a delicious dinner at an Italian restaurant ("I was very happy that I didn't have to pretend that I liked it!" she jokes), Sara and Luke drove to the dance. The theme of the evening was Pirates of the Caribbean, and according to Sara it wasn't too thrilling. "Not to be mean," she says, "but it was pretty lame. There was something that was supposed to be a ship in the corner and that was it." Still, Sara concedes that the theme offered a fantastic backdrop for prom pictures.

DANCING, DANCING, DANCING But who really notices the theme when they're dancing up a storm? "I love to dance," Sara tells us. She and Luke danced to the music of a DJ who played mostly songs they -- and everyone else -- knew very well. "The music was good," Sara admits. During the few moments of downtime, the couple sat together at their own table. "It was the best group," sighs Sara. "Just me and my boy...very romantic."

THE BEST PART After the dance, Sara and Luke met up with some of Luke's buddies and their dates at a hotel. "It was so much fun," Sara says. "One of the girls there won prom queen and was having everybody try on her crown." Following this all-night party, Sara and Luke headed back to his house in the Mustang (top down this time) for a bite to eat. It was over breakfast that Sara's favorite prom moment occurred. For the first time ever, Luke told Sara he loved her. "I don't think I need to explain why that was the best part," she says. "I was just so happy because I knew I loved him!" Sara sums up her prom experience by saying, "It was honestly the best night of my life. It was the prom that every girl dreams of when she's little -- and I got it!"

WISE WORDS Is there a prom or another big party in your future? Sara offers the following advice: "Don't just go to go. Last year I went with a guy just because I wanted to go to prom as a sophomore. I spent the whole night trying to keep him from kissing me. It was not fun!"

-- Jackie Fisherman