Prom Dresses

[NYCDiane]

Last year, my daughter needed a prom dress for a play she was in. There was no way, no how I could afford to purchase a dress like that. On a whim, we stopped by the Salvation Army. They must have *just* gotten in a shipment of donations because we found an absolutely amazing dress and it was only $10!!! It fit her perfectly!!! She used it for the play and we now have it packed away to use for her HS prom next year (she actually just tried it on last week and it fits even better than it did last year! Hopefully nothing will grow too much between now and next year!!)

 

[Princess_Meghan <3]

I'm so glad to hear your daughter found a dress she loves! It sounds like she had a wonderful experience!

 

[mndisneylovinmom]

my daughter is finally old enough to go to prom... We're excited. Reading posts, we are not the norm. I see a lot if posters are spending very little.
My daughters dress is absolutely gorgeous, she tried it on and we both fell in love. It was $650,
shoes: were $75 ( but I used a coupon I got on my phone and saved $25)
hair, mani, and pedi: $75 combo deal special
spray tan: $60 ( 3 different times to build up to a nice color)
jewelry: we do not have yet
Flowers : her boyfriend is buying and estimate was $45-$60
Her boyfriends boutineer:$25
His tux rental( he's paying for) $75-$100
Tickets to dinner: $60

Next year we will have another daughter old enough to go too, and the year after yet another daughter!!

 

[Jedana]

DD#2 always got her prom dresses (and homecoming) from JCP.

Two of the years, they had a "turn an old dress in and get discount" promotion. She would turn in her homecoming dress, and get the 10% off. Plus we'd hit the sales--never paid more than $75 for the dress.

Shoes were $45 or less each year.
Jewelry, less than $30 each year
hose, nails, hair about $100 each year

 

[Pigeon]

my daughter is finally old enough to go to prom... We're excited. Reading posts, we are not the norm. I see a lot if posters are spending very little.
My daughters dress is absolutely gorgeous, she tried it on and we both fell in love. It was $650,
shoes: were $75 ( but I used a coupon I got on my phone and saved $25)
hair, mani, and pedi: $75 combo deal special
spray tan: $60 ( 3 different times to build up to a nice color)
jewelry: we do not have yet
Flowers : her boyfriend is buying and estimate was $45-$60
Her boyfriends boutineer:$25
His tux rental( he's paying for) $75-$100
Tickets to dinner: $60

Next year we will have another daughter old enough to go too, and the year after yet another daughter!!

Certainly very different than us. DD could try on a $650 dress and fall in love. I'd hand her tissues to help her with the break-up.

 

[goofyfigment]

Certainly very different than us. DD could try on a $650 dress and fall in love. I'd hand her tissues to help her with the break-up.

Agree 100% with this! I almost had a heart attack when dd's dress was 250 plus alterations....

 

[DebMcDonald]

My daughters first one came from Nodstrom's for around $165, it's was an absolutely beautiful dress and no one else had at the prom and her class size is around 900 students. So rule of thumb, do not rule out department stores. I know Kohl's had some on.line when I was looking also. Also craigslist is also an option.

 

[Pigeon]

Agree 100% with this! I almost had a heart attack when dd's dress was 250 plus alterations....

I have to admit, I'm baffled by the emphasis placed on the prom by some people. I went to a few proms, had a nice time, but in the grand scheme of important events in my life, the proms don't rank at all.

I'll by my dds reasonable dresses, but I'll help them keep the event in perspective. At the end of the day, it just doesn't matter.

 

[MKCP5]

my daughter is finally old enough to go to prom... We're excited. Reading posts, we are not the norm. I see a lot if posters are spending very little.
My daughters dress is absolutely gorgeous, she tried it on and we both fell in love. It was $650,
shoes: were $75 ( but I used a coupon I got on my phone and saved $25)
hair, mani, and pedi: $75 combo deal special
spray tan: $60 ( 3 different times to build up to a nice color)
jewelry: we do not have yet
Flowers : her boyfriend is buying and estimate was $45-$60
Her boyfriends boutineer:$25
His tux rental( he's paying for) $75-$100
Tickets to dinner: $60

Next year we will have another daughter old enough to go too, and the year after yet another daughter!!

Well, your circumstance is clearly very different from many. To be honest, even if I had it, not sure I would spend $900 on prom for my daughter.
I don't know if I feel jealous, or annoyed, or what emotions your post brought up for me, but I'm also not sure of your motivation in posting this on what was a discussion about how to make this work for a family who is struggling.

I hope both of our daughters have a wonderful time at prom. It is a special night.

 

[Pigeon]

Well, your circumstance is clearly very different from many. To be honest, even if I had it, not sure I would spend $900 on prom for my daughter.
I don't know if I feel jealous, or annoyed, or what emotions your post brought up for me, but I'm also not sure of your motivation in posting this on what was a discussion about how to make this work for a family who is struggling.

I hope both of our daughters have a wonderful time at prom. It is a special night.

Yeah, we probably could afford to spend that much, but I would see that as the same as just burning the money. Not a priority at all for us.

 

[princesspiglet]

I just can't fathom spending so much money on a dress I (or my daughter) will be wearing for one night!! My wedding dress was $300, so there is no way in hades I will be paying more than that for a prom dress!!

I am a bargain shopper and have found beautiful formal dresses for military balls and cruises at JCP, Kohl's and online (Amazon) for under $100.

I will be painting my daughters nails, doing her makeup and a friend will do her hair. We wear the same size shoe, so she can wear one of my dress shoes. I seriously do not plan on spending more than $400 total for everything. Even though I can afford to spend more, it's ridiculous to do so.

 

[powellrj]

Lets face it, those of us who post on the budget board are a different breed! Even though many of us could spend $600+ on a dress, I think most of us would have a heart attack at the very thought of it!

My DD found an expensive dress that she just loved and while I would have shared the cost with her, it wasn't important enough for her to pay part of the cost of it. I wanted her to realize that just because you have the money to spend, is that how you really want to spend it. She decided that a limo and nice dinner were also important to her and wanted money to go to those things too.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Jumping in because my DD17 won't even talk about prom yet--too involved with the college process and her AP classes. Which is fine, but I don't want her to get caught at the last minute.

Because she wouldn't talk about it, I went to JC Penney, just to scope things out. I found a really cute, short party dress that would look adorable on her. They only had one, and it was a size 1 (DD is very tiny). I bought it on a whim, and she loves it. Now, I'm still willing to go prom dress shopping with her, when she's ready, but at least she has a back-up dress. And I figure she can wear this dress for another senior or colleg efunction, if she doesn't end up wearing it to the prom. Around here, it's a junior/senior prom, and the juniors typically wear short dresses, while the seniors wear long ones. But, since DD is so tiny, she'll need a dress that doesn't overwhelm her.

 

[mndisneylovinmom]

Well, your circumstance is clearly very different from many. To be honest, even if I had it, not sure I would spend $900 on prom for my daughter.
I don't know if I feel jealous, or annoyed, or what emotions your post brought up for me, but I'm also not sure of your motivation in posting this on what was a discussion about how to make this work for a family who is struggling.

I hope both of our daughters have a wonderful time at prom. It is a special night.

On my, I didn't mean to make you, or anybody else feel ANY emotions about, a prom for someone whom you don't even know!

I was posting, because I was admitting to the fact that we were quite different in our thinking about this.

Prom is a pretty special moment in a girls life, around here that night is a very big deal... Including a grand march outside where all can see the type of vehicle the prom goers arrived in. It's just done this way! She and her date will be arriving in a brand new mustang.
Most of her friends are going as well, have spent what we have, or close to that.
Where we're from, this is just the way it is done. Has been for years! Most importantly, they have a awesome evening filled with great memories!

That's just the way it is and you either like it or ya don't, but if you don't, I really don't care --- don't bash me or get on your high horse because this is how we roll.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

They may do things differently where you are, but this is a budget board. I also noticed that you couldn't resist slipping in the arrival parade, and the vehicle your DD will be riding in. It may not be your intent, but it does come across as bragging. The only other people who mentioned vehicles were talking about considering overall costs and how to budget for everything.

Personally, I don't get the huge focus on spending money for a prom. My DD's a senior, we're way too busy worrying about money for college. DD is way more interested in that versus how much her dress cost for a one-night event. But hey--that's how WE roll!

 

[pocomom]

There are many different ways of handling prom. When I was a kid the school tried to move junior prom back to the gym, feeling like the prom spending had gotten out of whack - of course the students were outraged and in the end we had no junior prom. The years after it was held in the gym.
My stepdaughter's prom they had a bus to drive the kids to the prom from the school and back both for safety and costs... No limos!
Personally, I'm happy some schools have taken a stand on making prom more reasonable, but for us it was still a special day so we did splurge a little on a professional fiting and alterations (cost more than the dress! but the total was probably still less than many girls) and getting her hair done. We did her nails ourselves, and did facials a couple of days before at home too. We also made a point of planning time for a photoshoot with some of her friends. She felt beautiful and special, but we stayed within our budget and that was my goal! Call me sentimental, but for me it was one more last chance to see my little girl playing dress up, and was worth every penny. But having her feel special could have been done on any budget really, with a little effort.
OP I'm glad your dd got to feel special during her dress appointment, and that she found something she loved! Enjoy the day and take lots of pictures!

 

[JessB320]

On my, I didn't mean to make you, or anybody else feel ANY emotions about, a prom for someone whom you don't even know!

I was posting, because I was admitting to the fact that we were quite different in our thinking about this.

Prom is a pretty special moment in a girls life, around here that night is a very big deal... Including a grand march outside where all can see the type of vehicle the prom goers arrived in. It's just done this way! She and her date will be arriving in a brand new mustang.
Most of her friends are going as well, have spent what we have, or close to that.
Where we're from, this is just the way it is done. Has been for years! Most importantly, they have a awesome evening filled with great memories!

That's just the way it is and you either like it or ya don't, but if you don't, I really don't care --- don't bash me or get on your high horse because this is how we roll.

Well someone sure has their panties in a bunch. You really think coming onto a thread that is about helping a struggling family make prom happen for their daughter, just to brag about the stupid amount of money you spent on your daughter is a good idea? Then you get offended when you get called out on being insensitive? If that's how you roll (and who over the age of 15 even talks that way ?!?!?)why don't you roll on out of here then?

 

[ManyMinnie]

my daughter is finally old enough to go to prom... We're excited. Reading posts, we are not the norm. I see a lot if posters are spending very little.
My daughters dress is absolutely gorgeous, she tried it on and we both fell in love. It was $650,
shoes: were $75 ( but I used a coupon I got on my phone and saved $25)
hair, mani, and pedi: $75 combo deal special
spray tan: $60 ( 3 different times to build up to a nice color)
jewelry: we do not have yet
Flowers : her boyfriend is buying and estimate was $45-$60
Her boyfriends boutineer:$25
His tux rental( he's paying for) $75-$100
Tickets to dinner: $60

Next year we will have another daughter old enough to go too, and the year after yet another daughter!!

Coming into a thread where the OP and others are struggling to purchase a prom dress for their daughters to brag about the obscene amount of money you wasted on your child is tacky, thoughtless and insensitive.

I see in a further post you still don't get it.

 

[Pigeon]

On my, I didn't mean to make you, or anybody else feel ANY emotions about, a prom for someone whom you don't even know!

I was posting, because I was admitting to the fact that we were quite different in our thinking about this.

Prom is a pretty special moment in a girls life, around here that night is a very big deal... Including a grand march outside where all can see the type of vehicle the prom goers arrived in. It's just done this way! She and her date will be arriving in a brand new mustang. Most of her friends are going as well, have spent what we have, or close to that.
Where we're from, this is just the way it is done. Has been for years! Most importantly, they have a awesome evening filled with great memories!

That's just the way it is and you either like it or ya don't, but if you don't, I really don't care --- don't bash me or get on your high horse because this is how we roll.

That's one of the more gratuitously insensitive, hurtful and classist traditions I've heard about in a long time. If my kids' school did that, I'd be raising a stink, no matter what kind of car we drive. Kids whose families don't have a lot already have a hard time, what's the point in highlighting that, other than to be hurtful?

 

[MKCP5]

I am the OP in this post and I have to say thanks to those who understand and have responded to the posts about the excess that some people are going to with prom.

I understand that there are all kinds of people in the world, and everyone has a different level and standard of living. But this is the budget board. I was kind of pouring out my heart to look for ideas and help because like any Mother, I would love to be able to give my daughter what she would like for a special night. Despite working as hard as we can, and my husband and I both having good educations and working two jobs right now, at this time in our lives, like many Americans, our financial situation is very rough. I am incredibly grateful to the local area womens club who have stepped up to help young women like my daughter so that despite a difficult financial situation, she has a beautiful dress that she feels beautiful in.

I know she will have a wonderful evening, filled with fun with her friends, creating special memories. Money cannot buy that. Additionally, she has learned a life lesson from this experience that than money could never purchase. One of compassion and service to others.-- She can't wait to volunteer and help other girls in this situation next year!!