The leavers’ prom — the invitation, the deadline and everything the class has to decide

The prom is the one celebration organised by twenty-five families at once. So the problem is rarely a lack of ideas — it is collecting the replies. Here is how to get through it calmly.

Who sends the invitation

Usually the parents’ committee, or the two or three parents who have taken on the organising. Decide this at the start and put it in the invitation, so everyone knows who to call.

The invitation goes to the parents of every school leaver. The leavers themselves usually have a separate, more relaxed invitation for the party itself.

What it needs to say

• The school and the class — “Class of 2027, Year 13”.
• The date, time and venue of the prom. If there is a leavers’ ceremony at school beforehand, its time too.
• The price per head and the payment deadline. This is the question everyone asks first.
• How many seats each family has and whether more can be added.
• A reply deadline. The venue wants an exact number.
• Who collects the payments and how.

A ready-made text for the invitation to the families

Dear parents, we invite you to the leavers’ prom of the Class of 2027, Year 13 at Kingsway Academy. Friday, 22 May 2027, 19:00, The Panorama restaurant. Price per head: state the amount. Please confirm the number of seats for your family by 30 March. For any questions: Sarah Bennett, parents’ committee.

A ready-made text for the leavers themselves

Class of 2027, this is our night. 22 May, 19:00, The Panorama. Dress for a photo you’ll be looking at in twenty years’ time. See you there!

How to collect the replies from 25 families

This is where the notebook and the group chat fall apart. Replies get lost between messages, one person texts, another emails, a third tells their child.

What works is for every family to get its own link and reply with one tap: how many seats, which dishes, any allergies. The organiser sees everything in one table, without asking anyone twice.

In InviteCards the prom is one event with many invitations: each family has its own link, its own seats and its own replies. The seating plan is made in the same dashboard.

A timeline that works

• January–February: choose the venue and the date, pay the deposit.
• March: the invitations to the families, with a reply deadline at the end of the month.
• April: payments, menu, seating plan.
• May: confirm the final number with the venue two weeks before the prom.

What not to leave for the final week

1. The seating plan. With 25 families it takes time and arguments.
2. Special menus and allergies.
3. Transport after the prom. Who gets home, and how.
4. Photos and video. Photographers get booked months ahead.

A prom is remembered for one thing: that everyone was there and nobody wondered where to sit. The rest is music.