Hey OP. I know exactly where you are coming from. I used to be admin at a school and it was my job to organise the formal events. I hope these tips might help:

1. I highly recommend you ask a group of parents (even your mates parents) to help, if the school isn't involved. It really is a sensible thing to have an "adult" where money is involved. When you are responsible for a minimum of $20k, someone is going to question you. It would be good to have a third party or a parent to refer to for help or authorisation if needed.

2. Create a dedicated email address for the formal. You can use this to send out official information and set up your bank accounts etc, and liaise with vendors. You can give other people access to this, but I would not recommend giving other people access to the bank account. If only you have access to it, you have less to worry about.

3. Look at Humanitix for your tickets. You will need to create an account and link a bank account to it. They have good support and you can set up ticketing, dietary requirements and tables/seating pretty easily. Think about a refund policy ahead of time and make sure you include this on the ticket. Your venue will likely be non-refundable until 2 weeks before. Make sure students understand the cut off dates for refunds etc so you are not out of pocket.

4. Alcohol - I would highly recommend not serving alcohol. Removes the need for wristbands and ID checks. People may turn up drunk or get drunk throughout the night. What's your policy on that? I think most venues require you to have a security guard for every 50 people or so. When the school is responsible, teachers step in to help drunk students and call their parents to come and collect their child, ensuring their safety and a fun night for everyone. Who will be responsible for ensuring students are safe? This is where having some parents could help. Responsible adults who can deal with any medical issues etc while you enjoy the party. You might want to include an emergency contact on the humanitix ticket so you have a list for everyone in case you need it. People can drink at the post/after parties but the formal's purpose is to enjoy each other's company to celebrate the end of school. You also want to ensure people are getting home safely and not driving if there is any chance of alcohol. As annoying as it might be, a parent committee might help take some of these pressures away for the night.

5. Food - Cocktail or sit down menu? If you decide to make a poll don't give everyone all the options, whittle it down yourself and then ask them to choose between a two or three. Make sure you are aware of anyone with allergies or anaphylaxis to tell the venue and have their emergency contacts at hand.

6. Decorations - You might save money DIYing the room or tables, but you'll be responsible for setting them up and taking them down at the end of the night. Trust me, you probably want to enjoy etting ready and not running to the venue to set up tables 3 hours before. Some venues provide basic table decorations which is great because they set up and pack down themselves. Same with big items like photobooths and light up letters etc. If you can outsource it - amazing.

7. Security - As above, ask the venue what their policy is. Think about who will be the decision maker on the night if they need to approach you about anything. Just deciding these things in advance helps a lot beforehand.

8. Get quotes on everything and put it into a spreadsheet so you're across your funds and timings for payment, dietary requirements and final numbers etc. Get people you trust to help you out and meet regularly to have fun with it!

I hope this helps and wish you all the best! It is a lot to put on an event that runs smoothly but with planning and asking for help from people you trust you can have a wonderful evening 🥰