After a stressful day at school, Heather Potter arrived home to find her parents acting strange and urging her to peep into the storage room. Once she did, she saw her boyfriend Chris Tucker there, bearing candy, and a sign that said "Will you be my peanut butter cup and go to prom with me?" Sadly, the two broke up the week before prom, but that didn't derail Heather's excitement. "I'm a really laid-back person," she tells us, "so I take everything in stride."
 SHE IS: Heather Potter, 17, junior
HER DATE IS: Chris Tucker, 19, college freshman
HIGH SCHOOL: Calvary Chapel Christian School; Las Vegas, NV
THE SCENE: The Ritz; Las Vegas, NV
GETTING READY A self-proclaimed "plan-the-night-before person," Heather decided to look for a dress far in advance -- as in two weeks before prom! "It was a huge step for me," she says. Rather than hit the department stores, Heather and her mom stopped into Ritzy Rags, a vintage store, where she found "the deal of a lifetime": a gorgeous red beaded off-the-shoulder dress. After meeting with store staff for a fitting, the dress was ready to go. Heather scored another steal with earrings and a matching necklace from K-Mart, and then headed to Payless for shoes.
BEAUTY TALK The day of prom, Heather went to a salon for a curly updo, which she loved. She opted to do her own makeup. "I wore a lot of sparkles which made me more glamorous than I was expecting," she says. To complete the look, Heather gave herself a manicure and pedicure, which both turned out flawlessly.
FLOWER POWER Chris arrived at Heather's house with a wristlet of white roses, tied with a red ribbon to match her dress. "He even bought two necklaces that were entwined in the corsage!" Heather recalls.
THE BIG NIGHT Since the two had recently split up, Heather was prepared for some initial awkwardness. "When he walked in I could feel tension," she says, then adds, "but he looked wonderful!" They waited patiently at her house while her parents snapped photos, then rushed out to Chris' car. On the way, Heather's dad asked them to pose for even more pictures, during which her elaborate updo got caught in a tree! Luckily, her dad, with Chris' help, was able to untangle her, and they finally got in the car, just in time for the next mishap!
DRESS DISASTER On the way to dinner, Heather and Chris decided to stop at a store for a disposable camera. Heather stepped down from the car, and RIPPPP! "My beautiful dress ripped all the way up the front!" she tells us. Thinking quickly, she remembered a dress she had in her closet from a piano concert, so the two sped back to Heather's house so she could change. "It was nice, but plain black," she says of her replacement prom outfit. Rattled, but determined to have a fun night, she and Chris took off yet again and enjoyed a light dinner at the Olive Garden.
TIME TO PARTY After the madness of the early evening, Heather and Chris arrived at prom to a scene of glitz and glamour. "The DJ was pretty decent," Heather tells us, adding that, since they arrived late, she and Chris started dancing right away and stayed out on the floor the rest of the evening.
ALL NIGHT LONG Starbucks on the Las Vegas strip was the first post-prom destination ("We wanted to see how long we could last!" Heather says), followed by the Cheesecake Factory, where Heather and Chris met up with another couple. Then the group went bowling. "We had a blast doing that in our fabulous attire!" says Heather. The group wound down the night at Heather's house where they watched movies until 4 am. Of her prom drama, Heather sums it up by saying, "The best parts of life are the most unexpected ones."
WISE WORDS Is there a prom or another big party in your future? Heather offers the following advice: "Relax! Prom is supposed to be fun, not stressful."
--Jackie Fisherman |
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