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A perfect prom

The event room at the Westin St. Francis Hotel glowed softly with candles and red lights as girls in shimmering dresses floated about the room and young men tugged uncomfortably at their tuxedos. Rose petals were scattered on the tables and photographers waited anxiously to shoot the events of the night. For many, it was a defining high school experience: Prom.

Sonoma Valley High School held prom on Saturday, April 28, in San Francisco at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Union Square. The theme was, “The Year of the Dragon.” Fortune cookies were passed out and all the fortunes read “Prom 2012!”

Chinese lanterns were scattered around the room. Students danced the night away, or at least from 7 to 11 p.m., to the sounds of popular artists such as Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lady Gaga.

The food was delectable, from miniature sandwiches to egg rolls to delicious desserts, leaving students satisfied and energized enough to keep dancing into the night.

For many, the highlight of the night was the crowing of the prom king and queen. Ultimately, from the pool of worthy candidates, seniors Ben Marcus-Willers and Brinkley Capriola were crowned royalty for the evening. The pair then shared a slow dance, as is tradition. An ecstatic Capriola later declared, “Prom was just the absolute best last dance of high school. I honestly couldn’t stop myself from smiling. It was incredibly wonderful to win with my dear friend, Ben. I feel like, when I’ll look back on high school, that will always be the moment I’ll think of first, and I am so happy for that.”

Senior Maddie Connors remarked, “It was really fun to see all of my friends dressed up and looking nice. I’m glad we got to have everyone together one last time before graduation.”

Griffin Hill, junior, shared a similar sentiment, joking, “I really enjoyed seeing my classmates transformed from scruffy jean-clad teenagers to stunning adults in flowing dresses and dapper tuxes.”

A majority of the dresses this year were floor-length, and though there were many colorful, jewel-toned dresses, several girls opted for the classic black or white look. Many of the boys went with a standard black tuxedo and matched their ties to their date’s dress. A few brave souls, however, decided to wear the less conventional white tuxedo, and a few rented highly unique tuxedos from Bay Area vintage stores.

Leanne Woods, junior in the Leadership class, explained, “The prom planning committee had to plan everything, from the food, to the DJ, to the photographer to the decorations. They started planning back in winter to ensure everything would be organized and that everyone would have a good time.”