If spending a lot of money on prom creates the perfect night for you, then by all means, spend away! However, it is still possible to have an unforgettable night in a twenty dollar dress and a cute DIY updo if you are someone who is on a strict budget.
As prom season rapidly approaches, some students have already spent anywhere from three hundred to six hundred dollars on their prom dress alone, not
to mention the additional cost of hair, makeup, accessories, transportation, photographers, and the prom ticket itself—future expenses that really add up to a costly night.
One piece of the prom package that you can cut down is the price of your dress. Why spend so much money on a dress that you wear for only one night? There’s no way anyone can resell an old dress and get the original ticket price. Instead of buying an expensive dress from stores like Nordstrom and other designer boutiques or ordering a dress online from an upscale designer like Sherri Hill, there are many cheaper alternatives for dress shopping. For example, borrowing someone else’s dress from a prior year past, or buying a second hand dress from a consignment store will save money. Even ordering a dress on Amazon or a website like lulus.com will save money. Choosing a cheaper dress does not make the dress any less beautiful.
As far as shoes go, don’t bother spending a lot of money on shoes because nobody will see them under your long dress, and you will probably end up taking them off five minutes after you walk into the building. The more simple the shoe
is, the less likely it is to break the bank, and the less likely it is to make your feet swell up like balloons.
Some beauty tasks are easy to complete on your own, even if they take a little practice. There is an outrageous amount of hairstyle tutorials on YouTube that can teach you how to do your own hair. Many salons will charge a higher price during prom season, and often the look does not turn out how you expected. Asking your hairdresser for a simple bun and winding up with a random style that you are going to cry about in the car on the way home until you eventually take the whole thing out is too expensive, and an awkward situation entirely when you have to lie through your teeth and say you love it.
The same concept applies to makeup as well. It is cheaper to buy your own makeup at a drugstore and practice a couple of times before prom to find a look that works for you. Paying someone to make it look like you have peanut butter smeared across your face if they apply a foundation
that is too thick and orange for your skin tone, is simply a waste of money, especially if you can do your own makeup and apply it in a way that you know complements your own face.
Also, the Fairy Godmother Project is another option for students unable to afford the expense of prom. Prom coordinator Sandy Allison
([email protected]) and assistant principal Lee Tobey ([email protected]) coordinate this project that can provide students with a dress, shoes or potential gift certificates to hair or beauty salons. This organization can also offer a great opportunity to clear out your closet, as they also accept any used dresses (dry-cleaned first of course!).
Five years from now, nobody will remember how you looked at prom except for you, so dress yourself up in a way that makes you feel beautiful, and don’t drop all of your life savings on a dress that you think will impress other people.
