With prom season arriving, the race has begun to find the perfect prom dress. Covered in sequins, silk, and embroidery, prom dresses have taken over everyone’s Instagram’s feed as girls begin to post and show off their dresses on the school’s “WHS Prom Dress” accounts. The prom dresses, however, are becoming more costly for both reputation and budget. Girls travel hours to other states to find their dresses, while some choose to stay local and turn to their design talents to create their own affordable prom dresses.
Many girls traveled far to find their perfect dresses during their shopping process. Alexandra’s Boutique in Fall River is a popular choice, but the trip is almost two hours. For local boutiques, A’s Unique Boutique in Madison and Attaina’s in Guilford are also popular among students. Not only do these destinations cost money, but they also cost time, leaving many girls wondering if it’s even worth it with the rising costs of dresses. The costs of prom dresses have risen over the last decade with now the average girl spending around $300-600 on the perfect dress. The average cost of a prom dress in 2016 was roughly around $300 but now more companies are charging more than ever for prom dresses. The pressure is on as now both juniors and senior proms have their own Instagram accounts to prevent the repetition of dresses.
Many girls have taken it among themselves to reject the societal norm of buying a brand new prom dress, by purchasing and borrowing worn dresses for the occasion. Some purchase used dresses to save both time and money, while some have chosen to create their own dresses to display their creativity. Programs like the annual dress drive fundraiser held by the class of 2023 sell used dresses to help offset some of the costs, providing an easy way to buy other girls’ dresses, many of which have only been worn once. Other students have turned to alternative measures to create their own prom dresses to offset the growing costs and to take advantage of their incredible talents.
Senior Katie Hawkins, created her own dress for junior prom last year. Hawkins learned to sew her freshman year and relied on YouTube videos for guidance and tutorials during the process. Hawkins was inspired to create her dress after hearing about how much other girls were spending on their dresses and realized that she could make something similar for way cheaper. She realized that “I was only going to wear the dress once in my life and it wasn’t worth it. I made my dress very cheap, and I ended up only spending around $40 for the final product.” Hawkins sourced the materials from local fabric stores and followed a template she found online. “The process was a lot of trial and error and took some time to complete, but It was well worth it in the end because I ended up creating my own custom dream dress while saving money.” Hawkins is not alone as many creatives are making their own dresses for this upcoming prom season like junior, Maddie Parent. Parent was inspired to custom-make her dress when she couldn’t find any dresses that fit her exact measurements and ideal look, “I really wanted something that spoke to me and felt like myself. I feel like it’s hard to find a dress that feels authentically like yourself when it’s created by a large brand and so many other girls have the same dress.” Although creating a dress can be the smartest choice for a strict budget, it will cost you your time, for examples both Hawkins and Parent spent hours creating their dresses.
Whether you decide to craft your own prom dress or purchase is completely up to you. That choice is simply based on the factors of skill, convenience, and timing. As you only get two proms, you should choose whichever path makes you feel the most beautiful so you fully get to enjoy your day.
FAQs
This is because a Prom dress can cost roughly between $85 to $700, a tuxedo (rental or new) between $60 to $130, shoes between $30 to $150, and jewelry and accessories between $45 to $200—not to mention the costs of a corsage or boutonniere, hair and makeup, limousine rentals, or an “after-Prom” event.
How much does a good prom dress cost? ›
If you're expecting average prom dress prices to hover around $350-500, we have options for you, too.
What is a normal prom budget? ›
You can spend $150 to $2,000 or more attending the event. However, on average, a girl will spend about $900 – $1000 on their big night with all the abovementioned costs. That's why it is important to plan ahead and budget for your big night. For more tips about prom, read our other blogs.
How much should I pay for a custom prom dress? ›
Did you know the average high school girl spends $300-$700 on her prom dress? That's without alterations! Designer prom dresses from designers such as Sherri Hill and Jovani on average go for $700-$1,500, again not including alteration costs. The cost of our custom prom dresses ranges from $500-$1,000.
How far out should you buy a prom dress? ›
We suggest that you should start looking in December or January, but make sure you give yourself at least two months to explore all the dresses and purchase your dress.
Why is prom so expensive? ›
This causes a need for higher ticket prices to cover the various costs that are included in hosting a large scale event. There are also higher expectations that go along with hosting prom, such as having a nice venue, providing drinks and snacks, music and much more.
What does the girl pay for at prom? ›
If a lady asks a gentleman to the prom, she pays for prom tickets, his flower, and often may volunteer to pay for dinner or make dinner arrangements with several couples to share costs. Find out information about what is the tradition for your school prom – is it formal, semi- formal or a special theme.
Are guys supposed to pay for prom? ›
While some couples will go dutch, the gentlemanly thing to do is to pay for the prom tickets for you and your date. Yes, it may seem like a lot of money, but your date is likely spending much more money (and time) on the perfect dress, hairstyle, makeup, manicure, pedicure, etc.
Is prom really worth it? ›
For those who can afford it and want to participate, prom can be a memorable and enjoyable experience. However, for those who cannot or do not want to participate, that decision should be respected. Students should not be made to feel bad if they would rather not spend the money on this high school event.
Why is prom such a big deal? ›
Proms also served as a heavily documented occasion, similar to a milestone event such as first communion or a wedding, in which the participants were taking an important step into a new stage in their lives.
Teens will wear just about any fancy adult look to the dance, whether it be a relatively casual dress you might see at an Easter brunch, or a jumpsuit fit for the red carpet.
Do people sell their prom dresses? ›
Selling a prom dress is the standard route that people choose to go, but many people wait until they're older to sell it. If you wait too long, it could go out of style, so get on it quickly if this is what you want to do! You can sell your prom dress on websites like Poshmark, thredUP, eBay, Facebook, etc.
How much does it cost to take up a prom dress? ›
How much will Prom dress alterations cost? Every dress is unique and will require different work to be completed so pricing varies. On average a prom dress will cost between £75-£150. This depends on the dress as well as the amount of alterations you would like to make.
What are the rules for prom dresses? ›
Formal prom attire may be classified as a dress, tuxedo, dress suit, including a tie or bow tie, a dress shirt, which may include a vest or cumme*rbund, and dress shoes. Dresses may be strapless (if they fit properly) or include spaghetti straps. Dresses may be backless, as long as they are not cut below the naval.
What is the average amount spent on a prom dress? ›
Average Prom Dress Costs
On average, you can expect to spend between $100 and $500 on a prom dress. This cost includes the total cost for the prom dress, but it doesn't include any tailoring that your prom dress needs or additional prom items such as shoes or accessories.
Should a prom dress touch the floor? ›
The fabric should just touch the floor you're standing on (Lindsay Price got it exactly right in this red Valentino) or leave a small and sexy train behind you (like Hilary Swank in this Vionnet number). Anything in between will just look like you forgot to go to the tailor.
How much do boys spend on prom? ›
Accordingly, planning for the end-of-year party can be expensive, given the cost of outfits, transport and corsage. The average cost for a girls' prom is £400.00, whilst boys' proms generally cost about £240.00.
What do most girls wear to prom? ›
For women, this usually entails wearing a long or short evening gown, co*cktail outfit, or even a jumpsuit with elegant accessories like statement jewelry and high heels.
