With a little help from John Mayer, Coeur d’Alene student lands his prom date

As a graduation present, Alex Henderson’s parents got him meet-and-greet passes to the John Mayer concert in Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday night.

The Coeur d’Alene teen then decided to enlist the rock star’s help in asking his girlfriend, Alyssa Romero, to prom.

But it was Mayer, the hit-maker behind “Waiting on the World to Change” and “Gravity,” who made the promposal really shine – by putting the whole thing on a Twitter video.

“It was actually his idea to take the video,” Henderson said. “I had another idea in mind.”

In the video, Mayer speaks to Romero, explaining that even though they are dating, Henderson doesn’t know how to ask her to prom. “I don’t want to get involved in your personal affairs,” the singer-songwriter says, “but I do want to help him go to the prom with you, his girlfriend. … Alyssa, will you go to the prom with your boyfriend, Alex?

He then concludes, “My job here is done.”

Henderson’s original idea was to use a guitar pick. “I’d written “Prom” with a question mark on the pick. But (Mayer) decided that just making a video would be easier. It was really cool. He was a very nice guy.”

While Henderson, his parents, Debbie and Max, and brother Eric were backstage meeting John Mayer, Romero was in their seats, watching Lany, the opening act.

Once the video went out on Twitter, Henderson told Romero to check her phone immediately.

“She started crying a little bit,” he said.

Because Henderson and Romero have been dating for a couple of years, it was not a surprise that they’d be going to prom together. (Two proms, actually. He’s a senior at Lake City High School, and she’s a senior at Coeur d’Alene High School.) Still, Henderson admitted, “I kind of put all my eggs in one basket on this. I had the idea and if he wouldn’t have helped me out with it, I would have figured something else out.”

Romero said she had no inkling of any grand plan afoot during the concert.

“Honestly, I was not expecting that at all,” she said. “I have Twitter notifications and I just looked on my phone and I see everything. I was like “What?” It didn’t really add up until I saw it, John Mayer on my screen.”

They’ll be heading to different colleges in the fall – he to Boise State, where he plans to study business, and she to Montana, to study biology. For now, they certainly have a memorable experience of prom season.

“I was in shock,” Romero said. “I was almost in tears. I was extremely excited. I was kinda just in a daze that it happened. He could have spent his time with John Mayer doing something else or asking him something else. But it was pretty great that he spent that time to ask him to ask me to prom.”