For many young men, prom is the first time they've worn a proper suit or a hired dinner jacket. It's also the night that closes a chapter: the end of school, the last evening before everyone heads off to sixth form, college, work or university. Prom cufflinks give the outfit a finishing touch and give the night a keepsake that will still be in a drawer, and still make him smile, when he's thirty.
A first dinner jacket deserves a proper finish
Most hired or first-bought prom suits come with a shirt that has double cuffs, and plenty of lads only discover this at six o'clock on the evening itself. Having a pair of cufflinks ready saves a panic. Making them personal turns a necessity into a memento of the night.
Parents often buy prom cufflinks as a well-done-for-finishing-exams present. Grandparents like them as a gift for a grandson's first formal event. And friendship groups increasingly order matching sets, so the whole table looks coordinated in the photos.
Ideas that capture the year
Prom designs can be smart, sentimental or completely silly. A few that work well:
- "Class of 2026" or "Leavers '26" in bold lettering – timeless enough to wear again.
- His initials in a clean, grown-up monogram, for a pair he'll keep using at weddings and interviews.
- The friendship group, a photo from the last day of school or a Year 7 picture set against a recent one.
- The school crest, if the school is happy for it to be used on a personal gift.
- A private in-joke, such as the nickname a whole year group gave a teacher or a line from the leavers' assembly.
If he's reluctant to wear anything "too much", a subtle design – initials or the year – is always the safest bet. Save the funny group photo for the matching set with his mates.
Getting group photos to work at a small size
Group photos are the trickiest images to shrink down, because the more people there are, the smaller each face becomes. Two to four people is ideal; beyond that, faces start to disappear. Crop tightly so heads and shoulders fill most of the frame. Ask for the original file from whoever took the picture, as shots sent through social media or messaging apps are compressed. We print from your full-resolution original, and the live preview's zoom helps you judge whether faces are still recognisable.
For lettering, use a bold typeface with high contrast – white on navy, or black on white – and keep to a few words.
The night itself, and afterwards
Presenting the cufflinks before prom is part of the fun. Give them to him as he's getting ready, or hand them out at the pre-prom gathering where parents take the photographs by the car. If it's a matching set, one friend can hand them round in their gift boxes while everyone is still arriving. After the night, prom cufflinks become a small time capsule. Years from now, the photo of four friends in borrowed jackets, or the year in bold lettering, will bring the whole evening back – the music, the dancing, the taxi home – better than any group chat ever will.
Matching sets for a group
If a group of friends wants the same design, or each wants their own initials in the same style, order together. Order 5 or more pairs, in any mix of designs, and each pair is £15, plus £5 shipping per order, so five friends pay £80 between them – £16 each. Several different designs can go in one basket. A single pair for one student is £40, with shipping included. Ordering well before the night is sensible, so there's no last-minute scramble.
Designing prom cufflinks
- Upload the image – a photo, initials or a leavers' logo.
- Check the live preview on both cufflinks, and drag and zoom until it looks right.
- Order securely and add any friends' designs to the same basket.
Every pair is made in our Cornwall workshop and arrives gift boxed, ready to be opened before the photos on the doorstep.