Students expect to spend big for proms

By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer

When adding up your prom bill, don't forget transportation costs. Advertiser library photo

The Kalaheo High senior and her prom date are among hundreds of high school prom-goers who will easily rack up three-digit figures for what's traditionally the biggest school bash of the year.

"It's a part of high school ... the money, it comes with the territory," said Mitchell, 17. "If you want to go to prom, you're going to have to spend the money."

Junior and senior proms are typically held near the end of the school year, between March and May. The Kalaheo prom will be April 17 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The festivities usually last about six hours, and tickets can cost $80 to $120 per couple. And that's not counting all the extras: dresses and tuxedos; corsages, floral bouquets and maile lei; and transportation, among others.

Jodie Onaga, an 'Aiea High senior, spent $190 on her ivory halter dress, plus $30 on alterations, and about another $100 on her hair, makeup and a maile lei for her date. But price isn't a big concern for Onaga in planning for her May 1 soiree.

"It's my senior year, and its like, our last time together as a class, so I think it's worth it," said Onaga, 17.

Castle High senior Mark Takushi couldn't agree more. Takushi and his friends have spared no expense on their ride: $240 for a stretch limo that will cost each passenger about $30. And Takushi will be styling in a $120 rented tuxedo, a snazzy black ensemble with a gray vest and tie.

"It's only once in a lifetime," he explained.

The expenses for Takushi's school prom on April 17 were covered by his parents, but Takushi, 18, chipped in for his date's $20 rose bouquet and the couple's $82 prom "bids" or tickets.

The bids, which students or their parents cover, include things such as dinner, prom favors and "everything the students receive that night," said Tracey Jeffers, Kailua High's senior-class adviser.

For the organizers, or the class for which the prom is planned, proms can cost several hundred dollars to put together. In Kailua High's case, about $1,000 came out of the senior-class budget to cover expenses such as dinners for the chaperones and decorations.

"It just depends on how extravagant the kids want it to be," Jeffers said.

The class budget usually covers the all-important disc jockeys, as well, who set the party mood with the right grooves.

Island Mobile Productions, in business for 22 years, will provide services at more than 20 proms this school year at a cost of $450 to $1,200 per event, depending on what's requested.

Hip-hop with an R&B groove dominates the song lists this year, said Island Mobile Productions manager Mikie "D" Fong.

"It's really blowing up," he said. "It's taking one step higher than rap."

Popular song requests this year include "Yeah," by Usher and Ludacris, and Britney Spears' "Toxic." Then there are timeless favorites that never fail to get people on the dance floor, such as Marcia Griffith's "Electric Boogie," even Tupac's "California Love" from 1996, Fong said.

After the dancing ends, prom-goers usually hele on to traditional post-prom bashes — hotel or house parties — where a few more bucks may be pitched in for refreshments.

More often than not, parents end up dishing out the cash to fulfill their teens' formal fantasies.

Mitchell had made an agreement with her parents; they will pay for her dress and accessories, and Mitchell herself will cover her $50 bid and her share of the limo expense. In all, Mitchell and her parents will spend nearly $300.

"It's a special night," said Mitchell's mother, Michelle, " ... so I had no problem paying for it."

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.