fbpx
Close

Uh oh...

It appears that you're using a severely outdated version of Safari on Windows. Many features won't work correctly, and functionality can't be guaranteed. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!

Read More about this safari issue.
Culture 0

NWA Mom Prom 2015

W

We were standing at the welcome table just outside the NWA Mom Prom doors helping check in the large crowd, when we suddenly heard a chorus of women singing in unison: “Just a small-town girl, livin’ in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywherrrrre.”

When the entire ballroom finished the last note of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, they gave themselves a huge round of applause and our hearts soared. It was the first year for the NWA Mom Prom, and the camaraderie was evident.

nwaMomProm

As co-founders, Gwen and I had hoped those who attended would be welcoming to one another and celebrate the bond that women share. They did. In spades.

Before the night was over, women started asking us about “next year”. Gwen and I told them that with the help of local sponsors we would bring it back.

The NWA Mom Prom, the only one in the state of Arkansas, is in its third year and will be May 30th, at the new Metroplex Event Center in Springdale, from 7 p.m. to midnight. {NOTE: You don’t have to be a mom to attend. Women and moms who are 21 and over are invited to the prom, from all across Arkansas and beyond.}

photo booth fun, nwaMomProm

Gwen Rockwood and I started the prom as a way to celebrate the fifth blogoversary of our website, nwaMotherlode.com, which is best described as an online magazine dedicated to moms in Northwest Arkansas. We wanted to bring our online audience together for a big party in real life.

There are Mom Proms in other states across the country, but they’re not affiliated with each other. However, each of them benefit a local charity that’s important to the women throwing the event.

The charity we chose this year is Saving Grace, which helps young women who have aged out of the foster care system. Saving Grace not only gives them a home but also offers each girl three mentors who assist them on the journey to a successful future.

Fun at nwaMomProm

This year’s Mom Prom will be even bigger to accommodate the crowd. The event sold out last year and as much as we loved that the event was doing so well, it felt bad to say no to women who wanted to attend. The new venue offers more room.

The 2015 Prom is a little later in the year and is a great way to kick off summer, which is why we’ve added a tropical twist to this year’s event. Whether women need a do-over after a bad high school prom, they never attended their prom, or they just need a little time off to enjoy “A Night in the Tropics” this prom is the perfect Girls’ Night Out.

We’ve been telling everyone there’s no need for grass skirts or coconut shell tops. Just wear something you love to dance in — and enjoy the tropical colors, island decor and a fruity drink.

To recap, here are the details about this year’s prom:

May 30, 2015: The event will be held at the Metroplex Event Center in Springdale (881 Metroplex Drive off Highway 412/Sunset) from 7 p.m. to midnight.

The prom will benefit local nonprofit Saving Grace: This year the prom will benefit a local nonprofit called Saving Grace. Founded here in Northwest Arkansas, Saving Grace is a safe place for young women who have aged out of the foster care system. Ages 17 to 25, these girls are taught life skills, financial peace and are connected with three mentors who help them begin their adult lives in a positive way.

There will be a glam squad at your service: The “Mom Prom Glam Squad” stylists and makeup artists from Brieshi Salon and Spa in Rogers will be BACK this year. These talented ladies will touch up your makeup and fix any fly-away hair for you — free of charge. Haven’t you always wanted your own glam squad, just like the celebrities use? Well, now you do.

A professional photographer will capture the fun. Our Photo Shoot Station will be sponsored this year by Melinda Worthington of MJW Photography. There will be all kinds of fun props for you and your friends to use in front of our gorgeous tropical backdrop. Mindy is a fantastic photographer and we know the shots will be great. Once again, all your photos will be available for FREE download a week or two after Prom night. These will be some of your favorite shots with friends, we promise.

Larger dance floor: Thanks a million to Flooring America for sponsoring our dance floor again this year. The dance floor always stays crowded and it will be even bigger this year.

A prom queen chosen at random: One lucky woman will be crowned the 2015 NWA Prom Queen. As we always say, this prom is MINUS the teenage drama, so the winner won’t be chosen by popular vote. The queen at our tropics-themed prom is sponsored by Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Appropriate, huh? The Prom Queen isn’t selected based on popular vote — anybody can win the title. The queen will be awarded an awesome prize package, a sash, flowers and a crown, of course. The winner will be chosen at random from among everyone who bought a ticket. It could be you.

The food is going to be great. We’re so excited that My Brother’s Salsa will be catering the 2015 NWA Mom Prom. The head mama, Helen, will actually be there whipping up custom quesadillas for our beautiful prom ladies. The company got its name from the recipe that Helen’s older brother gave her and it inspired the Original Salsa. They also have Black Bean and Corn, Fire Roasted, House and Tomatillo. Helen will be bringing several of these salsa lines for you to sample at the Salsa Bar. My Brother’s Salsa is in over 1,000 stores across the United States.

You can’t have a tropical prom without fruit. We HAD to have fruit at a tropical-themed Mom Prom and Edible Arrangements in Fayetteville is making sure you ladies will have lots to choose from. Owner Laverne, a mama of 2 and grandmother of 5, will be bringing arrangements made out of all kinds of fruit like strawberries, melons, and, of course, pineapple.

These arrangements are so pretty — and delicious!

The photo booth is back. Not only will Mindy be shooting professional prom pics of you and your friends, we’ll also have a traditional Photo Booth Machine that you can climb into with friends. There will be lots of fun props to choose from at this photo area, too.

The photo booth will print your picture card immediately so you’ll have a memory to take home and put on your fridge. The Photo Booth is sponsored by Sisters Mercy Women’s Health Boutique.

With celebrity date, nwaMomProm

No men allowed, but we will have “celebrity dates”. Sponsored by The Mustache Goods & Wears, we’ll have some new “dates” (a.k.a. cardboard cutouts of celebrity men) for you to dance with and snap pics with this year.

We always find new guys every year to bring to prom. We have some new faces this year.

Drinks. Core Brewing Company is our craft beer sponsor at the prom this year and the new Foster’s Pint & Plate in Rogers is our Wine and Spirits sponsor. We’re discussing a signature cocktail with Foster’s just for Mom Prom.

Raffle Winner Sarah, nwaMomProm

We’re raffling off a washer and dryer, among other things. Yes, that’s right. Someone will win a washer and dryer, courtesy of Mom Prom sponsor Metro Appliances & More.

We won’t have a silent auction (sometimes that can feel a little stuffy, and this prom is glamorous, but not the least bit stuffy), but we will have raffle packages. You can buy raffle tickets early from the nwamomprom.com website or at the event and then throw your ticket into the bucket next to the package you’d like to win. There will be a date night package, pampering package and girls’ night out package, among others.

Everyone gets a take-home souvenir. As everyone leaves the prom, they’ll receive a take-home souvenir, a gift to moms and women from the Northwest Arkansas Mall. Who doesn’t like a parting gift? This one is super cute.

Click here to visit the NWA Mom Prom website for more information and tickets. Email us if you have any questions: mamas AT nwamotherlode DOT com.

Meet the
author.

Learn more about .

A little about .

Shannon Magsam is mama to a sweet (and increasingly salty) 13-year-old she calls Ladybug. She likes to say she met her soulmate (husband John) among ink and deadlines. There were also lots of Sonic cherry limeades involved. She’s essentially a former newspaper reporter turned mom turned website owner. Shannon is also a PR specialist for a local firm and a freelance writer. - See more at: http://nwamotherlode.com/about-the-mamas#sthash.ClwtoQrR.dpuf

Read more stories by Shannon Magsam

Sorry, there were no posts found.

Join the Conversation

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Submit a photo

We select one featured photo per week, but we show many more in our gallery. Be sure to fill out all the fields in order to have yours selected.

  • Accepted file types: jpg, png, Max. file size: 5 MB.

Regions Topics
Social

What are you looking for?

Explore Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Little Rock, Conway, Searcy, Benton, Heber Springs

Northwest Arkansas

Fayetteville, Bentonville, Springdale, Fort Smith

South Arkansas

Hot Springs, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, Arkadelphia

Explore by Topic