Homecoming: Get Ready With Us

Homecoming%3A+Get+Ready+With+Us

By Kasi Khathuria

It’s Homecoming Season! You know what that means. Nail appointment at 4:30 then it’s straight to hair at 5. Or maybe it’s time to watch a YouTube video on how to put on a tie or shine your finest pair of sneakers. No matter who you are, if you went to that dance on October 9th, you know the preparation begins as soon as you get your ticket. 

It could even be weeks before, but there is always planning to do. For Sara Cascia, a senior at SMHS, her preparations for the dance started weeks before Homecoming. First, it was even finding time in her busy schedule to go dress shopping; not to mention, she has to find a dress she loves but also something that will match with Aidan Minger, her date, and another senior at SMHS. For him, it’s a bit simpler. Buy the nice pants and a cool button-up shirt and he’s almost ready to go. Sara went on a hunt for her dress, trying on multiple and dismissing all the ones which didn’t fit her just right. But once she tried on that one dress, it was all over. Everything else at that point fell into place. A white dress with colorful heels means colorful jewelry and nails, it all made sense. 

It’s all fun and games until we check the prices. For the outfit, it all depends. You may be able to find a beautiful dress for over $100 or you could stick to something cheaper, more in the $50 range, but bring along the shoes, jewelry, and nails, and it tends to add up. 

I observed both Sara and Aidan’s process in getting ready for the dance and found their difference in routines intriguing. For Sara, everyday of Homecoming week consisted of some type of preparation. The previous Sunday, she went shopping at Carlsbad mall where she tried on a good 3 dresses before buying one from the popular dress store, Windsor. Her dress came out to $45, which I would consider to be on the cheaper side. After buying her dress, Sara proceeded to plan out the jewelry she would need to match. A couple days into the week she found some colorful rings and a pair of cute earrings to go with her dress. That’s another $30, but it doesn’t stop there. The Thursday of Homecoming week she headed to the nail salon, and the mani pedi was another $50. Don’t forget the shoes she bought a couple weeks ago which were another $40. By the end of the week Sara had spent $165 just on her outfit alone. The ticket was another $35 and the boutonniere another $20. All this was spent on an outfit for simply one night, but for Sara, and I’m sure most students who attend Homecoming, it’s money well spent. 

Let’s look at the guy’s process. Aidan wore a nice button up shirt, black jeans, suspenders, and a simple white bow tie. The shirt was about $50 and the suspenders were closer to $15. He purchased the bow tie, jeans, and sneakers previously, so the total was about $65 for his outfit. There was no need for jewelry or nails and luckily for Aidan, he didn’t have to spend hours on makeup and hair. He still put time and effort in to match with Sara as well as get ready the day of, but when it comes to comparing the two, Sara clearly had to spend more money and time when preparing for the dance. 

What I did notice about both Sara and Aidan is they didn’t mind putting in extra work and money in order to look great and prepare for the dance. When witnessing them getting ready I never once heard a complaint about how much they spent or the time it took them to prepare, but rather they were filled with excitement for the night ahead of them. Getting ready is just part of the fun that makes Homecoming such a special night which we all love to experience.