a starry night indeed

Okay, don't laugh. Today, I'm featuring a prom mood board. That's right. Prom. See, my brother is a teacher and class adviser. His class is now in their junior year, which means: prom. hosts. So my bro asked me to come up with some ideas for decorations. He has a decorating committee, but I think he's a little worried about their attention to detail, and he is, admittedly, completely clueless. 

This was way more fun than I thought it would be. I don't even want to know what that says about me ;). Their chosen theme is Starry Night. Doesn't that just scream prom?! Hilarious! And, their colors are black, white and silver.

This is the room:

I've been to a wedding in this room and it is GINORMOUS. Beautiful, but huge. You can probably tell by looking at it, but it sort of *eats* any decorations. So my goal in looking for decorations were to 1. make this super affordable (this is a public school, after all) 2. make it tasteful, just because this is prom doesn't mean it has to be cheesy, 3. make an impact, and 4. close the space off a little and make it appear more intimate. Because that's what high schoolers need at prom, right?  Intimacy. Oh, I don't even want to think about it. Let's just say, for the teachers sake, make it appear more cozy.

And here is what I imagine a *starry night* to be:

1. The tables will be covered in black, which is perfect backdrop for setting everything off. Silver fabric as runners would make a great impact.

2. The ceiling needs to be brought down a bunch, visually. White hanging lanterns are perfect for this. I especially love them bunched, as above. A bunch over the dance floor, a bunch over the food table, etc. would really make an impression.

3. Balloons! What's a good high school event with out them? I have a couple ideas for balloons. The first is to add bunches of them, on really long strings, to a few of the centerpieces (more on this in a minute) to draw the eye up and close off the huge gap between table and ceiling. The second is to make some sort of *photobooth* wall - the type that is all the rage at weddings right now - out of balloons and provide lots of props for kids to pose and have fun with.

4. Next, add lots and lots of twinkly lights. One idea I have for these is to create a pergola of sorts around/over the dance floor to create a wonderful romantic *starry* vibe.

5. For the table decorations, like I said above in the balloons section, this is a great spot to add needed height and drama. I think these table decorations are a great starting point for inspiration. A simple silver spray-painted pot filled with shooting stars and branches is easy to dyi and makes an impact. Completely simple, yet striking against the black and silver fabrics on the table. 

6. Stars similar to these, which I've seen at craft stores, would also be great painted and used as low-level table decor. Stars could also be grouped, by sizes, on common tables, such as food and beverage.

7. And of course, they can't forget candles! Tealights on tables is always a nice addition. On the common tables -- food and beverage -- larger hurricane candles would add drama and make a little more impact.

So, what do you guys think? Did I meet my goals? Did it take you back in time to your prom? What was your prom theme?