How early to buy a prom dress?

[CF'er]

I bought DD hers a couple weeks ago. It's in. We still need to get it altered and her prom is April 5th. When we first started looking we were told it could take up to 12 weeks to get the dress in so that's why we started so early.

 

[okeydokey]

I hate that prom is such a brag fest in some areas. Who cares how much someone paid for a dress or shoes or a limo? So tacky.

 

[powellrj]

Yes, I honestly do not see the point in prom. I actually had a neighbor claim that "those who do not go to prom are absolute losers", but I would much rather use that money towards first-semester expenses or summer sightseeing. Honestly, in fifty years or so, the prom-related stresses will not matter.

We get it, you don't like Prom, my oldest DS was the same way, but does it really give you a right to rain on everyone who does like its parade?

I missed my Jr Prom because I was in the hospital fighting an illness that caused me to miss over a month of school and almost 40 years later I still am sorry I missed out on it. I went my Senior year, but I still hated that I missed my Jr year.

I am sure you like things that others don't understand, but they aren't venting about it. As for spending $500 on a dress, not many, it any spend that much around here. Its pretty low key, my DD and her friends went to Texas Road House for dinner, so it wasn't over the top in anyway.

 

[BlovesC]

I went shopping for my dresses for both junior and senior prom about a week before each event. I had no idea I was such an anomaly at the time! But I guess prom wasn't really as big of a deal to my school as it sounds in some previous posts...we looked forward to it, sure, but no one devoted half the school year to talking about it!

 

[allison443]

My dd has been looking online at dresses and we will probably go get one this week. Prom is at the end of May. Tickets are $160 a person! We have a budget for her dress and I know she will not go over. However, some girls do spend $500 on a dress. If they can afford it, it doesn't bother me.
The girls in her class made a private facebook group and the girls post pictures of the dresses they buy. I think that is supposed to avoid duplication but if I recall correctly in the past sometimes girls have the same dress. People didn't seem to care though.
Hope those who are going to prom all enjoy this special time!

 

[sj&k]

We found and bought my daughter's dress for her junior prom last weekend. We'd looked for a couple of weekends and at about 4 or 5 stores before we found it. Actually, we're not sure of the date of prom yet but are assuming it's in April because the last day of school is May 16th. It is going to need to be altered in length and have a hook added to the top (I think the one that was on it probably came off when it was tried on a few times) but otherwise the fit is perfect. My daughter is a bit top-heavy and finding the perfect fit is difficult because we have to buy a bigger size than she actually needs so it will fit her on top. A bit of irony here-it is a Disney Forever Enchanted dress, but we didn't know that until she tried it on. The issues with the fit and the fact that we knew we'd probably have to have it altered (she's not very tall so most things are way too long) were the reasons we started shopping early. She was frustrated at first because nothing was fitting the way it should but as soon as she tried on that one, she knew it was what she wanted. I don't think the frenzy of people asking people to go to prom with them has started yet, but I expect it will soon. Even though my daughter and her boyfriend have been dating for well over a year and know they are going to prom together, he still plans to ask her in some creative way because that seems to be the norm now. That is definitely a change from my high school days. I know I must have started early shopping for mine because I paid for them myself and had to put them on layaway, but I don't remember how early. Anyway, I'm glad to have it done and now all she needs is shoes and accessories. Paid just a little more than I planned but since alterations will be minor (I hope) it was still pretty much in budget. Also, they did "register" her dress so that there wouldn't be a duplicate at her prom, but because the shop we were at was over 40 miles from our home, her school wasn't even listed on their database so I'm not sure how well that worked.

 

[ronandannette]

My dd has been looking online at dresses and we will probably go get one this week. Prom is at the end of May. Tickets are $160 a person! We have a budget for her dress and I know she will not go over. However, some girls do spend $500 on a dress. If they can afford it, it doesn't bother me.
The girls in her class made a private facebook group and the girls post pictures of the dresses they buy. I think that is supposed to avoid duplication but if I recall correctly in the past sometimes girls have the same dress. People didn't seem to care though.
Hope those who are going to prom all enjoy this special time!

Blessedly I have a son, but his DGF and her family took a trip to Dallas over Christmas and apparently she got her Grad** dress there. The ceremonies will be held in late May here so as to not distract from final exams in June. We're fortunate in that DS goes to private school and the cost of Grad (ceremony, dinner and dance) is included in the tuition. The number of tickets allotted to each family will depend on how many are in the graduating class.

Also thought I'd mention that there's a really neat charity here in our city called "Fairy Godmothers" (or something similar) that has ladies giving or lending high-end, fashionable evening wear and accessories to graduating girls who may have financial constraints.

(There is no such thing a "Prom" here...graduation (in a lesser way from grade 9 and in a huge way from grade 12) is the point at which the expensive gowns, tuxes and limo rides occur.)

 

[wdwmom0f3]

My dd has been looking online at dresses and we will probably go get one this week. Prom is at the end of May. Tickets are $160 a person! We have a budget for her dress and I know she will not go over. However, some girls do spend $500 on a dress. If they can afford it, it doesn't bother me. The girls in her class made a private facebook group and the girls post pictures of the dresses they buy. I think that is supposed to avoid duplication but if I recall correctly in the past sometimes girls have the same dress. People didn't seem to care though. Hope those who are going to prom all enjoy this special time!

$160 a person!!

 

[LBIJim]

Dd17 has been looking for a month or so, but taking her to a store today that carries the dress she thinks she wants (and they can order it for her). She's been driving me nuts! Apparently, she has to post it to social media so no one else can get the same dress... Prom is in June. I wish she would just wear the one she wore to her boyfriend's prom last year.

Yeah, good luck with that. My younger daughter went to two senior proms. She and her date went to different high schools; they met at some marching band event. When I suggested she wear the same dress to both proms, she, as well as my other daughter and my wife, were all aghast. Now nobody else from Prom A would be at Prom B. No one other than her date would see her in the same dress twice, and I'm sure he wouldn't have cared. Yet I was told that I just "don't understand."

I also find it hard to believe that many teachers would allow a half hour of their class time to be taken up with kids discussing prom.

Back in my day I don't think any of the teachers would have allowed it. My senior prom was on a Friday evening. A few weeks prior, the physics teacher announced there would be a test on the day before. One girl lamented, "we can't have a test so close to the prom; all of us will be busy getting ready, won't have time to study, most of us won't show up anyway, etc. etc." Well, he really let her have it and ripped her a new one. Any more complaining and he'll schedule it the day OF the prom. She shut up quickly, and yes, showed up on test day.