Hair done? Check. Nails done? Check. Limo? No, but we arrived in my CX-5!
I was just scrolling through Facebook like most people do nowadays and came across an event called 2nd Chance Prom. Curious, I clicked the event post and learned that it was an adult-only event and immediately had an idea. Andrew, my boyfriend, never went to prom, and my junior year prom was pretty awkward at the time. (I was one of the only people who went dateless.) Looking back, I still had a good time, but I wanted to see what this 2nd Chance Prom had in store, and I wanted to surprise Andrew. It was just too perfect a scenario.
I began brainstorming up ways to do a promposal, and my excitement surrounding this event was building! I unfortunately didn’t get around to legitimately promposing to Andrew, but I did ask him to go to prom with me. The result was too funny. He laughed and immediately denied. I was scrambling on how to convince him. I had already received the tickets. After realizing my intentions behind the whole scheme, he caved. We were going to prom!
The theme surrounding this prom was “A Night in Paris,” and it included dinner, dancing and a professional prom photo. Formal attire was required, and tickets were $40 for a couple and $25 for a single ticket. Over 75 tickets were sold! All money raised through this event went toward Watoto Ministries, which helps abandoned women and children in Uganda. The overall event was hosted by Paint Life and Call ME Marketing. Mindy Bergeron Hungerford is the creator of 2nd Chance Prom, and she travels to Uganda to deliver life-saving supplies, all from the proceeds of this event. She’s also part of the two teams that hosted the event. Hungerford will work at an orphanage in Uganda from late June to early July.
It was prom day! I scrambled to get ready as I had a long list of things to do: hair, nails, makeup, get dressed, etc. Andrew threw on his suit, and we hopped in the car and were off. The event was held at The BreakRoom in Winter Garden (a coffee shop), which took a little over 30 minutes to get to. The prom was BYOB (bring your own beer/wine), so we stopped to grab a bottle of wine and arrived at prom! This massive coffee shop was a bit hidden from the road, but the interior was so cute!
Lots of other prom-goers were in attendance, too. I scanned the room and saw nothing but sequins, gowns and suits. Some businesses came together…staff bonding, anyone? Groups of friends, both young and old, could be found grabbing food, drinking and mingling. The dance floor opened up, and even a king and queen were crowned. The royalty was chosen by holding a dance-off battle. I wanted to go and just completely embarrass myself on the dance floor with Andrew, but he wasn’t as on board with making a complete fool of himself. I can’t blame him. There were some seriously talented dancers!
Overall, the 2nd Chance Prom was enjoyable. It was a fun excuse to dress up and go out on the town. The only thing missing for me, and I’m sure Andrew as well, from an actual high school prom was the comradery. Having friends at any event always makes it that much better. Maybe that’s something we’ll take into consideration if there’s a next time…
This was the second annual 2nd Chance Prom, and future events are currently being planned. Anyone interested in donating to Watoto Ministries can visit https://www.watoto.com/app/donate/categories and can like the Facebook page entitled 2nd Chance Prom of Central Florida.
