OK everything in my head changed about this when I read the dress thing, but I'll answer as I thought it...just know the first answers aren't really what I'm thinking NOW...
I wouldn't be offended if he asked for help -- I don't see why your daughter doesn't want to help -- isn't this what relationships are, helping each other out when they need it? I'm sorry. I just don't think $25.00 is worth getting upset over. What if she needed help? Would he get upset about it?
Just based on what was written at the time of the post I'm quoting, yes, I agree with that. It's handy to have a set of rules that you want to live by, but every so often there need to be exceptions. For instance, most people won't date a guy in his later 20s who is living at home...but when I met DH, that's where he was living. The exception to the normal rule was that he had moved in with her after she had two heart attacks in a row, his older brother was persona non grata from the family at the time (otherwise in their mom's culture it would have been the oldest son to take care of her), her husband worked in CA while the family lived in WA...someone needed to be there with her, and DH was the person! So an exception was made.
If this boy and his family don't have that much money, then an exception can be made if he needs just a bit of help.
(the above stands in general, but then I changed my mind about the boy in question)
At my DDs school, the tickets are sold separately (not by couple). In the case of my DD and all her school friends, they each paid for their own ticket. In fact, at her school, you can't buy more than one ticket. You have to show your ID and they check you off the list some how. (This is a big High School.)
Maggie
Can't take anyone from outside of school? I would have been out of luck; invited a college frosh to my HS senior prom!
This what I'm wondering too! He just called my dd and told he was at
walmart and was buying an airsoft gun ($45) (he just told her how much he was spending on it!)
He also told my dd that she needed to spend atleast $400 on a dress since it was his senior year and that the more expensive the better they look. He said that in front of me, and I told him that that was not happening!
Yeah...then my mind changed.

Where's he getting his info that the more dresses cost the better they look? This isn't something most boys I knew would have thought about. Who is whispering in his ear about this?
Then it makes me think...it didn't seem like he minded paying for her before, so what has changed? Why is the cost of her ticket bothering him NOW? Can't be money, since he bought the toy gun; does that mean that toy is worth more than his girlfriend's presence at his prom? Is there perhaps another option out there for him that he's recently been made aware of?
...You're absolutely right . . . but they're not talking about getting married. They're just going to prom. She needs to learn about jerks, and the sooner she understands guys like this, the more ready she'll be to make better choices in the future.
On the other hand, this might very well be the thing she needs to SKIP, lest she get education in things that aren't pleasant. I mean, think about it...this guy is going to his senior prom...that sort of thing can make a girl's parents rather nervous, and if he's wanting her to shell out big bucks just so she looks good, if he's suddenly wanting (doesn't seem to be needing) her to pay for her ticket...what if he's got expectations for his big night? Seems it might be best to bow out now, rather than deal with a difficult situation that night...
(now that I've panicked the OP...sorry! I'm sure it's all much more benign than what goes on in my brain, but the whole $400 dress thing really bugged me. I wore the same dress to my junior prom, a friend's senior ball, and my own senior ball the next year...it was tea length and had an underskirt to make it full length...I changed that up, and changed my sash and jewelry and even made a matchy matchy satin bag for my senior ball....none of my dates asked me how much I spent or said anything about my dress other than it was nice and I looked pretty. I can't imagine if my date for his senior ball had said something about expectations for my dress...)