Getting a Date to Mormon Prom

Dear Bro Jo,

Hi Bro Jo!

My stake has been invited to a multi stake laurel priest prom that will take place I'm a few months.

I would really like to go to this prom. It should be a lot of fun since there will be 10 stakes there, and I also want to do something that is part of my "high school experience," if you know what I mean.

However, my stake doesn't have many youth-and most of the them are actually in my ward. Unfortunately, even with that, there's really not much of an opportunity to go on causal group dates because most of them have steady boy/girlfriends, and several of them are actually dating each other.

Because of the steady dating situation that shouldn't be going on but is, I've never been on a group date. (I'm 17.)

So knowing I most likely will not be asked to the dance, I'm wondering if it would be ok for me to ask someone? Even if it's not an official "girls ask guys" dance?

I could potentially ask a nice YM in my ward who recently broke up with his girlfriend (who is actually not in our ward, by the way, so that's not a problem), but I don't know him hardly at all.

I could potentially ask a YM in another stake who I know a tiny bit better, but we haven't talked or seen each other in a while.

I could also potentially ask the older brother of my younger sister's best friend. They're actually a nonmember family, but are very active at the Christian church they go to, occasionally participate in some of our Church-related activities, and have nearly the exact same standards as us members do. However, I don't really know this boy very well, either.

I would be open to asking any three of these boys, even if it's unconventional. However, since I don't really know any of them that well right now, it would definitely be odd and awkward to straight up ask one them if he would go to prom with me.

Is there something(s) I could do between now and when I would need to ask one of them to prom that would make it less awkward?

For the example, my neighbor and good friend who is in my ward is friends with both the nonmember boy and the boy who recently broke up with his girlfriend. I know I can be direct with him without sounding desperate, so could I ask him to set up a group date sometime so that I could get to know this boy better? (Or say something to that effect.) 

Thank you for your time and opinion,

- To Prom or Not To Prom




Dear To Prom,

Before you cross the "do the asking" bridge, I'd like to see you try to get these young men to ask you.

For example:

With the Young Man in your ward who is recently single, you could say "you know, I don't have a date yet for this prom thing coming up . . . it sure would be great if a nice, recently single guy would ask me . . ."

You could text the YM in the other Stake, have a bit of a conversation, and then after a while ask him if he's gotten a date to this thing yet.  If he says no you could respond "me either" and leave it at that.

And as for the boy who is the brother of your sister's friend, I think it might be pretty effective to enlist the help of your sister and her friend.  I'm sure the three of you conspiring together could come up with a way to get him to ask you.

Using our friends and relatives for dating help can be a great idea.

Good luck!

And let me know how it goes, please.

- Bro Jo