Prom Dresses

[njmom47]

I'm glad those days are over!
DD#2 dated a guy a year older when she was a junior (2 dresses that year), and a guy a year younger when she was a Senior (2 dresses that year as well).
We purchased 2 dresses, the other 2 she borrowed from friends.
First dress was $250 (purchased in January, so it was a leftover from last year) but it was exactly what she wanted. We bought it at a small local bridal boutique.
The second dress was almost $400 but it was SO unique and SO her, we couldn't NOT get it. This was also purchased at a different small boutique.
They will put you in "the system" so no one at your school buys your exact dress.

DD did her own hair and makeup (she has since graduated hair styling school so she knows what she is doing). She will also put the word out for ds's prom that she'll do hair or makeup for a much cheaper price than a salon.

Thank goodness the next kid is a ds (tux, flowers, limo rental only).
We don't have Deb around here but when we were in VA we shopped there and dd#2 loved the store!

Good luck!

 

[MKCP5]

I can't tell where you are located so my idea may not work. I'm in Texas where larger flea markets have stalls selling cheap formal dresses for Quinceaneras. They are not made of quality material, but do hold up for one night.

We are in greater Boston, land of everything expensive hahaha I am such a bargain hunter! Coupons! Groupons! But this has me a little stymied. But I'm working on it!

 

[jstbcuz]

Look for groups on FB in your area. I know we have an Osage County Buy, Sell & Trade and also a Lyon County KS Formal & Semi Formal Group. Lots of choices on there. Im sure someone would be willing to ship it if you would want to pay shipping.

 

[Fire14]

I'm way past Prom age but i got both my dresses at Deb. both years my shoes cost more than dress. I did own hair. No nails or makeup for me.

 

[perriwinkleblue]

If you are close to Stoughton, Fairy Tales Formals rents any dress for $60. They have some pics online.

 

[MKCP5]

If you are close to Stoughton, Fairy Tales Formals rents any dress for $60. They have some pics online.

Wow! We are not close, but it won't be more than an hour away. Totally worth it if we can find something! Thanks so much! This will definitely be one of our options!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Last year we bought DD's dress at Dillards for $119. She found one in a prom dress shop at the mall, but it was way too expensive and I didn't like the quality either. This year we really lucked out, I saw a post on slickdeals about some dresses on Amazon and we bought this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Jump-Juniors-...1&keywords=jump+juniors+red+carpet+bling+gown

for $38! I figured for that price we would take a chance on sizing and it fits perfect plus she loves the color. We'll get her shoes at payless.

She said a lot of girls she knows had great luck at the thrift shops, but I never seem to.

 

[Eureka]

My oldest is a senior this year and has been to many formal dances. The most I've paid for one of her dresses is $180. The cheapestwas $79. All were bought at Macy's, Penney's, Deb and Dilliards.

No way am I shelling out $400-$500 for ONE dress!

I was going to second the Macy's idea. Last year I had to buy a dress for a black tie wedding. My aunt and I went to Macy's where I found a navy lace, kinda sparkly dress for $99. This was at the end of March for a May wedding, and we saw tons of teenage girls looking for prom dresses there.

 

[nhmommy]

Yes you can try a search. You can also post a status report asking asking friends for yard sale site recommendations.

 

[minnierocks]

Not sure where you are located but I would first check local consignment shops. I have seen prom dresses that are nearly new. Other suggestions would be to ask around...many of the girls around here have multiple dresses because we have a Jr/Sr prom. They go to their proms and their boyfriend's prom at a different school and don't wear the same dress. They sell them once they graduate for $50 or so. Then I would check out clearance racks...although we have found that many of the dresses that are left are like size 2 and most girls don't wear that size. The last suggestion that I have would depend on your income, but sometimes they have prom dress giveaways that girls from low income families can go pick a dress at no charge. Good luck! Proms have become way more expensive than they were when I was in school!

 

[Deesknee]

My DD went to 4 proms.
1) ask any mom you know to get the word out DD is looking for a prom dress. If your dd would be embarassed for others to know price is an issue. Tell them she is not crazy about the styles/colors out there this year, or that she is looking for something "unique" so as not to show up with the same dress others are wearing. You will be amazed at how most moms want to help younger girls deal with proms.
2) consignment shops & don't be afraid to make an offer on one.
3) We had good luck at Macy's, but we waited until the last minute. (prom was the following week. We did have a back up incase DD didn't find anything.
4) pm me your dd size. (I can see if my DD still has any prom dresses. She's only early 20's so they aren't that old).
5) if you have attended a wedding recently. See if your dd would be interested in one of the bridesmaid dresses. Any of the bridesmaids your dd size maybe very willing to unload their dress for a price.

good luck. If it makes you feel any better.,,my DS's ended up spending more as the male going to the proms than my DD did. Tux, girls flowers, tickets. And very little options for boys getting bargains on renting tuxes. (although there are incenstives from tux shops).

 

[scrapquitler]

If you have a Windsor in your local mall you might have some luck finding a reasonably priced dress there. I haven't shopped prom dresses for my daughter, but I had to find her a dress for a semi-formal (short dress) last year and when we were in there looking for it, we saw lots of long dresses that would have worked really well for prom and the prices were reasonable (definitely lots of choices in the $100-$150 range, and some even less than that). The semi formal dress my DD got was about $50..


Their website: http://www.windsorstore.com

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Can I just say it is AWESOME that all these teens are looking for ways to cut costs?

When I went to prom 15 years ago it was all about who could spend the most. You didn't dare tell if your dress was borrowed, from a thrift store, or on sale. It is nice to see kids learning the value of a dollar and enjoying a night with their friends instead of trying to outdo each other.

 

[danygirl]

oldest DD got her junior prom dress at jcpenney, I am sure it was not more than $100 or so. Senior year she needed a long gown to perform with the New York Voices (pro group that came to school) and she agreed to wear it to prom as well. We got it on clearance at Lord and Taylor and had some small alterations made. She was stunning.

Younger DD did the Cotillion thing in 8th grade. We borrowed/shared some dresses, got some online and some at penneys.

There is no way I would pay $500 for a prom dress. Save the money for college, you are going to need it then. Believe me, this time next year she will be wanting to have that money for something else!!!!

For makeup DD went to Sephora and had her makeup done at the counter. She and her friend did their own nails. One friend had a party at the house and the kids had dinner there rather than spending a fortune. The kids had a great time.

 

[ktlm]

We are in greater Boston, land of everything expensive hahaha I am such a bargain hunter! Coupons! Groupons! But this has me a little stymied. But I'm working on it!

Look online at David's Bridal. They have a ton of prom dresses for under $250. Looks like they have a few locations, not too far from Boston (Dedham, Natick, and Danvers), where you could go look for something. If you see one you like online, you could always call the store and see if they have it in stock before going out there.

 

[minushka72]

Davids Bridal in Dedham or Deb. I know there is a Deb store at the Hanover Mall. Not sure where near Boston you are. I'm in Quincy. Also check Sears. JC Penney and Sears are also at Hanover Mall.

 

[mommagoof]

I typed in Junior Prom Dresses on Amazon and there lots of pages of dresses,so as low as $20.00

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Do you have a Ross Dress for Less near you? I was in one two weekends ago with my DD13 and they had 2 racks of prom dresses.

But she's not at prom age yet but it was fun to watch her look through them for fun.

 

[PelletierBears]

My daughter found a very pretty dress for her sophmore social last year at Sears and they had a great selection of prom / social dresses all at reasonable prices. We had the best luck at Sears.

 

[sk!mom]

DD16 went with a short dress last year for prom. She was a sophomore and didn't like the big long dresses. Sort of a cross between these two:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/as-u-wi...juniors/3470447?origin=category&BaseUrl=Short
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/jessica...e-dress/3453311?origin=category&BaseUrl=Short

Short and straight but all lace. We paid around $70 at Nordstrom. Her shoes cost more than the dress but I was OK with that as she chose shoes that she has worn many more times.

So my advice, if borrowing doesn't work out, then set a budget and look in your price range.

I will say that DD goes to a very large school ( about 700 per class) therefore every dress style imaginable is represented at prom. I can imagine that a smaller school might narrow the choices deemed suitable unless one wants to stand out.

DD wants a long dress this year so I will definitely be paying more. Sign up on David's Bridal and they text you a coupon.