Prom Gown???

[dislal]

My DD 16 is going to the prom with her boyfriend

Where do you buy your prom gowns? bridal shop, mall store, somewhere else

What kind of gowns are popular this year? straight, long, short, poufy

How much do you pay for one? I was thinking under $150, is this reasonable?

What else am I expected to pay for? tickets, flowers, boutineer (sp),

Any other things I need to know?

TIA

 

[WDWBarb]

My DD (16) and I just finished her Prom shopping today. It was so much fun! She got a more traditional gown (reminds me of what I wore in 1985, lol). From what we saw, just about anything goes this year (short, long, poofy, straight, outrageous... )

We are paying for her ticket and the boutineer. I'm assuming her DBF will buy the flowers. I'm thinking about springing for a limo (she doesn't think my Prius will be appropriate.. )

We spent about $200 for the dress and had to shell out even more for the "perfect" shoes. But this is her first Prom and she's spent the last several years fighting an illness and we're wanting her to have a very special time.

 

[Shelby5514]

Macy's has a great selection of Junior size prom dresses. I'd say that 75% of them are short, 25% long. Most of them have been marked down to 40% off already and quite a few are at 75% off ($19.99 to $14.99)! There are some really cute styles.

(I am the markdown lead at Macy's and Monday we are marking quite a few down even more!)

 

[Kimberly]

I caught a bit of slack for this... but I just wore a black cocktail dress to my prom. I never was into the poofy or long dresses. Just wanted something simple, mature, but not ridiculous looking, either.

You can EASILY get one for under 150 dollars.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Dillards also has some really cute dresses.

 

[ilovejack02]

My DD 16 is going to the prom with her boyfriend

Where do you buy your prom gowns? bridal shop, mall store, somewhere else

What kind of gowns are popular this year? straight, long, short, poufy

How much do you pay for one? I was thinking under $150, is this reasonable?

What else am I expected to pay for? tickets, flowers, boutineer (sp),

Any other things I need to know?

TIA

Have lots of friends with DD's going to prom. They buy from all over the place, but a few are buying from boutiques. Some of the places keep up with who bought what for what prom so that hopefully two girls won't show up in the same dress. : )
From what I have seen the girls are all over the place with the dresses, short, long, slinky , poofy .. guess it just depends what the girl likes. At some of the schools here the Seniors tend to be dressier than the lower grades.

 

[njmom47]

Last year, dd got her dress which was the previous year's style for $250 (they took $100 off ) but it was exactly what she wanted. Boutonniere I'm pretty sure was under $20. The boyfriend paid for the bid, limo, and her corsage. And that was her Junior Ball! This year, she found her dress at a small boutique a couple of towns away, but they have a list so that no one else at her prom will have the same dress. I'm not thrilled with her dress, but it is SO her! It's $285. She also found shoes there for $59. Jewelry will be extra, but dd did her own hair and makeup last year. Tanning, mani and pedi will be part of the primping as well. So...who knows what the final tally will be for this year?

 

[Princess_Meghan <3]

I always got my formal dresses from DEB or Macy's. Both my prom dresses were $150 or less each, and it's only been a year since my last prom, so I think that's perfectly reasonable.

My sister paid $550 for her dress this year . she tried the dress on without checking the price tag, and she fell in love with it, and then no other dress would do. She went to a shop that specialized in prom dresses, though, so most of them were really expensive.

As for styles, just about anything goes- whatever your DD likes will probably be fine. My junior year I wore a short dress, and last year I wore a long dress. I remember seeing such a huge variety of dresses last year, and it honestly just depended on personal preference.

As for other things, your DD may want her hair done (at least). I always had my hair and make-up done, but a close friend of my mom's did it for a really good price. If your DD does want her hair done, make sure she has pictures to give the stylist an idea of what she wants. She may also want her make-up and nails done, too. Most girls had their hair done for prom, at my school at least.

Formal dress shopping was definitely one of my favorite parts of high school, so I hope you and your DD have fun shopping!

 

[MichelleVW]

My DD (senior this year) likes the pouffy dresses. . Last year we paid $490 for her dress, and don't even know what we paid for hair and shoes. Her prom dress for this year was $530 including alterations. I told her she has to wear the same shoes but I will pay for her hair.

Tickets are free at her school for seniors and she is going with friends in a suburban.

I would love to be able to spend less than 200 on a dress, but it never happens.

 

[wilderness01]

Very common around here to spend $500+ on the dress alone. Tickets are $150.

 

[gopack]

Dresses in department stores are usually much less expensive than dresses in boutique/specialty stores. We bought my DD prom dress last year at a Merle Norman store. We found that a lot of the dresses in the dept stores were really shopworn and had faulty zippers, pilling etc. The specialty stores usually keep each dress in a garmet bag and help you get in and out of the dresses so they stay nice. You can expect to pay between $200 to $350 at the specialty stores. If you purchase from a dept store your daughter may see her dress on several people. I think all of the styles you mentioned are "in" so your daughter can pick which she likes the best!

Around here the guys pay for the tickets, dinner, flower, and limo if that is how they are traveling. The girls pay for the boutineer and sometimes the pictures.

Don't forget to book hair, makeup, and nail appointments early if she is interested in any of those services.

I hope my daughter will be able to reuse these pricey dresses for college formals. I have tried to steer her towards more traditional styles.

 

[laurie31]

If you want to stick with that price range, just stay out of the more expensive stores. We like David's Bridal for prom. DD found a dress there this year for $165, but we decided to think about it, and later found the exact same dress in a consignment shop for $75.

There are several consignment shops around that only take designer clothes in mint or near-mint condition, they aren't all just cast-off clothing. You might can find something very nice within your budget that way.

 

[ilovejack02]

There are several consignment shops around that only take designer clothes in mint or near-mint condition, they aren't all just cast-off clothing. You might can find something very nice within your budget that way.

We used to have one here that bought out dress shops that were going out of business . You could always find great dresses there, at amazing prices.

 

[clh2]

This was my shopping experience with DD's and her prom dress

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2669003&highlight=prom

I was hoping to keep it under $200, this was closer to $250. Since our month has been so busy (same going in to April) that I really regret not getting the appropriate undergarments at the bridal salon. Hindsight...it continues to be 20/20.

One thing you may want to check is Craigslist. SO many dresses started coming up on CL starting on March 1st. (We bought DD's dress 2/28).

Oh - and have fun shopping...for me - this will be a treasured memory!!!

 

[johnsontrio]

Before you buy anything I would make sure your DD knows what the girls from her school are wearing to Prom. My DD told me that she needed an over the top dress for her BF's Prom but a short dress would be fine for her school. We looked at last year's photos on FB and did not see one short dress. Then she told me that she didn't think BF needed a tux, that the guys all wear suits. In looking at his school pics and her school pics, the guys are all wearing tuxes, but the tuxes that they wear now look like a suit with a vest and regular tie underneath. She didn't recognize the difference. They aren't wearing the cumberbunds and bow ties like the old days.

Evidently, the girls go all out when they attend Prom at the boys school but then they are a little more casual when they attend their own, while still wearing a long gown. We have ordered 2 dresses. For his Prom, it is a mermaid style print gown with asymmetrical shoulder straps and rouching that is adorned with sequins and gemstones. The gown for hers is also mermaid style but a single color, strapless, and only adorned on the bodice. Both cost more than I wanted to pay, but she loves them and she has always bought sale dresses for every dance up until now. In fact, the dress for his Prom cost more than I spent on my wedding gown. At least she will wear the same shoes for both.

http://studio17prom.com/search.php?mode=search&page=1

I have run into a few of her friends from school and they have shown me photos of their dresses. They all are wearing the big pouffy, ball gowns and dresses similar to what DD is wearing. I haven't seen one yet that looks like it came from a department store. I do believe that this is regional or even particular to certain schools. For example, we saw very mature dresses that the sales staff told me would not be appropriate for a Catholic school Prom. These had large portions of the back cut out and also some with the center of the front missing down to the waistline.

Good luck, hope she finds something she loves. It was fun shopping with DD for Prom.

 

[momof1princess]

when DD13 and i were shopping for her valentine's dance dress last month, we saw some GORGEOUS prom/ball gowns (floor length) at jcpenney. seriously, they were the most beautiful dresses i've ever seen in my life, and i was SOOOO tempted to have DD try one on, just for kicks, lol.

 

[Longsx3]

My DD is attending Prom with her BF who is a senior, we bought her dress at a boutique and it was $329, plus alterations. Our favorite dress over $600, if it were her prom I might have considered it.

 

[pixiewings71]

OMG some of these prices are more than my DD23's wedding dress....and we just bought the wedding dress last month!
when DD23 went to Prom she got her dress on clearance at JCP, it was under $50, fit her perfectly and looked great on her, she bought their tickets and her DBF's boutinerre (I have no idea how to spell that lol), he paid for her corsage and his suit. DD23 has always been a bargain shopper tho so I expected that from her. I was in JCP not too long ago and they had some really cute dresses for very good prices, I would check there for sure.

 

[Art 1]

After having to buy prom dresses for 2 daughters I can tell you that Saks and Bloomingdales seem to have the best selection.

 

[dislal]

Thank you all for the responses, we are getting ready to head out to look for dresses. Wish me luck. I hope it will be a good girls day out(no little sister). It's so hard having 2 girls, I feel guilty when I don't take them both shopping at the same time, but I think DD16 needs a special day just for her.