Xatal

Asking someone out to prom is always pretty nerve-racking. There’s the fear that she (or he) may already have a date, that she may not be going, or, worst of all, that she just might not want to go with you.

You can’t do a whole lot to prevent the first two, but you can definitely avoid the first one by making sure you ask early enough.

A tough choice comes in trying to figure out when to actually pop the question. If you ask too early, it may seem a bit weird or even be too early for the other person to even consider it. Asking too late runs the risk that he or she may already have a date.

So when is the best time to ask?

Typically, people started asking for prom around February and March. Since our prom was the first weekend of May, that meant people were asking about two to three months in advance.

I wouldn’t recommend asking anytime before January, under any circumstances. Before winter break, prom definitely seems very far off and many haven’t even given it much thought by then. If you ask then, chances are the person you’re asking will be caught off-guard and not be able to give you a full decision. If it takes you a lot of courage to ask, then you’re going to put yourself on the line and not get a definite answer either way, which won’t help you out much.

As for asking late, it’s not unusual for people to be asking others within a week of the prom, but it’s best not to do that. Give your date some heads up so that the both of you can have a pretty smooth plan by the time prom rolls around. You also really run the risk that the other person will already have a date, which is never fun to find out.

Honestly, Valentine’s Day isn’t a bad day to ask if you’re confident that the other person will say yes, especially if you’re asking a girl. Valentine’s Day presents you with a clear opportunity to do something sweet/cute that will make the other person feel good, helping you get that yes you want to hear.

I ended up asking in late February, which was earlier than probably about 75% of people, which is probably about where you’d like to be.