Planning Your Decorations

• Center your decorations around one clear theme that represents your class, such as "starlit romance," "dance with the stars," "under a silver moon," "blue moon" or "I promise you the stars." Use your theme to guide your choice of colors, choosing colors that will appeal to both sexes. Midnight blue, white, black and silver or gold are appropriate formal sky scene colors that can coordinate with the various colors your classmates will wear. Draw a blueprint for your space, including how you will decorate everything from the entry way, tables and dance area, keeping in mind the backdrop your photographer will use and the decorating restrictions your venue may have.
  
  

Executing Your Plan

• Create backdrop stars from cardboard or poster board. Use a ruler to create different sized "master" stars to trace for perfectly proportioned stars. Cut cardboard stars out with a box cutter, and use craft scissors for poster board stars. Cover the stars in tin foil or in glitter spray paint. Let painted stars dry overnight. Attach stars to the walls with tape, or hang stars from the ceiling with ribbon and a double-sided adhesive because most venues forbid using staples.
  
  Decorate tables with balloon centerpieces surrounded by star confetti in a color that will pop against the tablecloths. Cut out stars with a star-shaped hole puncher. Fill balloons with helium and tie a string of ribbon to each balloon. Anchor the balloon centerpieces to decorated soup cans filled with pebbles or marbles. Illuminate tables with candles or indoor white wedding lights if outlets are available.