Prom season is here and "promposals" have been happening in Decorah

Thomas Pecinovsky and McKinley Lilligraven

Not too long ago high school students would ask, "Would you like to go to prom with me?" during a phone conversation or while on a casual date.  Some couples might even assume they are going to prom together since they are an established couple and the question is never really asked.

The trend for the last few years have been "promposals." This takes asking someone to prom to a whole new level. The Oxford English Dictionary defines promposal as "an elaborately staged request to be someone's date to a prom."

Promposals can be simple, holding a homemade sign that asks a specific question relating to prom, or they can be extreme. Some promposals are more elaborate than some wedding proposals. In many cases, the person knows the promposal is coming, but when and how it's done is the surprise.

Promposals by Decorah teenagers have involved fireworks, dressing up in a costume, filling a car with balloons, and creating a sign that asks the prom question.  Promposals often involve the help of friends.

Brody Malone enlisted the aid of Rylee Monteith's three-year-old brother, Klay, in his promposal. The plan was for Klay to come to the high school and ask Rylee to go to prom with Brody. Once Klay got to the high school, he got nervous and wouldn't ask, so Brody asked her himself with a card and flowers. After school they went to Monteith's home and Klay finally got up the nerve to say, "Rylee, go to prom with Brody, please!" The little brother's cuteness factor played a major role in the planned promposal.

Elle Shelton got nervous when she was called into the office during class. Once in the office, she was given a note for in-school suspension to be served at prom. When she arrived back in the classroom, Blake Schmelzer had enlisted the aid of five friends and they were all lined up, holding up their shirts and had PROM!? spelled out on their chest.

McKinley Lillegraven kept it casual by asking her boyfriend while they were at the state wrestling tournament. She gave Thomas a card that said, "Prom would be Super, I just need a man! So...will you be my hero?" and had a superman t-shirt for him.

Augusta Casterton put on her cow suit/costume and was hiding out, grazing in the library before school started. She had a sign that read, "From what I've HERD there's no UDDER boy like you! And if I'm not miSTEAKen you've got MOOves! So there's no BUTTER person to ask... PROM?" when she asked Jacob Roher to be her date for prom.

Promposals add to the excitement of the prom season, giving teenagers fun stories for their social media pages and it looks like this prom trend is here to stay.

Klay and Rylee Monteith with Brody Malone

Klay Monteith all dressed up helping Brody ask his sister to prom

Friends Austin Barth, Lowden Rockweiler, Dawson Meyer, Jacob Roher and Adam Hovden helped Blake Schmelzer ask Elle Shelton to prom

Bryce Hosting filled Taylor Schuring's car with balloons when he asked her to prom