After months spent planning Oglethorpe County High School’s 2026 “Night on the Bayou” prom, senior Andee Dellinger traded checklists and decorations for a night on the dance floor.
By the morning of prom, all the decorating and setup had been finished the day before. For Dellinger, the only thing left to do was get ready for the night ahead, beginning with hair and makeup at Belle Ame Salon.
Dellinger has gotten her hair done by Havyn Farmer, owner of Belle Ame salon in Comer since 10th grade. She began her cosmetic appointment at noon with makeup by Esmeralda Padilla, who she has seen for three years.
For prom, Dellinger wanted a look inspired by her favorite childhood princess.
“Ever since I was a little kid, any time I got to dress up, I would always want to dress up as Cinderella,” Dellinger said. “As soon as I found my dress, I felt just like Cinderella.”
Typically, Dellinger leaves her long hair down, but decided an up-do would pair best with her blue dress and give a Cinderella-esque effect.
“I was like, ‘OK, I have to do a bun,’ so I could feel like Cinderella,” Dellinger said.
Dellinger sat in Farmer’s chair for a couple of hours as she meticulously pinned her hair up.
The two made small talk, catching up about friends, family and life. Dellinger tells Farmer about her involvement planning prom, and shows photos from “Ghost Out,” an event hosted by OCHS promoting safe driving the day before prom.
The annual event included CPR demonstrations, driving simulators, emergency response vehicles and a mock drunk-driving wreck staged by students and first responders. Dellinger played one of the injured passengers during the reenactment.
“I was in the car with the drunk driver, and I was critically injured.” Dellinger said.
Though the helicopter scheduled to land on the football field couldn’t make it because of an emergency call, Dellinger said the event served as an important reminder for students.
When the final pins were secured into her bun, Dellinger smiled at her reflection. The look feels familiar in the best way.
“I have so many pictures of me and Cinderella when I was a little girl,” Dellinger said. “And everyone kept telling me how I looked like Cinderella, and it made me so happy.”
Dellinger found her dress from a friend on Facebook months before prom. Once she tried it on, she immediately knew it was the one.
“I tried it on, and then it ended up being perfect,” Dellinger said. “So I got it in January, and I’ve had it ever since. It’s just been hanging in my closet waiting on me to wear it.”
The light blue gown fit perfectly without alterations, something that made the experience feel like a scene from “Say Yes to the Dress.”
“It was like it was made for me to wear it,” Dellinger said.
Before leaving for photos, Dellinger also arranged bouquets and boutonnieres for herself and her cousins. These florals are the perfect addition to Dellinger’s look, personalized and made with care.
Like many OCHS students, Dellinger met friends for photos before prom. The group gathered at the home of one of her longtime friends, Elin Turner, whose property has become their go-to photo location over the years.
“We always do them at her house,” Dellinger said. “She has such pretty land and such pretty flowers.”
As cameras clicked and people rotated in and out of photos, Dellinger tried to pause and appreciate the moment instead of focusing on the details she had spent months organizing.
“Since I did plan it, and since I was in charge of all the decorations and stuff, I kept having to remind myself, ‘Take it in,’” Dellinger said.
One of four student council presidents, Dellinger was instrumental in planning the prom and had a hand in the process from the start.
“We picked the theme a few months ago,” Dellinger said. “And then I kind of took over prom.”
From organizing decorations to designing displays, Dellinger dedicated much of her senior spring semester to making the dance memorable for her classmates. She and her father built several of the larger plywood decorations together.
The days leading up to prom were stressful. Between decorating, mandatory Ghost Out meetings and family emergencies, Dellinger worried everything wouldn’t come together in time.
“My grandpa ended up having to go to the hospital,” Dellinger said. “And then the boat we were supposed to use, we ended up not being able to get.”
But by prom night, the stress had faded into excitement.
“Finally, at the end, I was like, ‘You know what? It all worked out exactly how it was supposed to,’” Dellinger said. “It ended up being perfect.”
Walking into the finished venue and seeing classmates enjoy the dance made the months of planning worthwhile. Historic Smithonia Farm was decked out in bayou decor, from a New Orleans themed photo arch to “The Princess and the Frog” character decor.
Dellinger said teachers and students continued complimenting the event even after prom weekend was over.
Still, the night carried a bittersweet feeling.
As a senior attending her final prom, Dellinger constantly reminded herself to pause and enjoy the experience.
“I kept having to be like, ‘Andee, just slow down, take it in. This is the last one you’re gonna get,’” she said.
By the end of the night, the dance floor was packed with students singing and dancing together, exactly what Dellinger had hoped for while planning the event.
“I feel like this has been our best prom we’ve had,” Dellinger said.