#prom tips

Because not everyone can afford to spend a ridiculous amount of money on one high school dance, but that absolutely does not mean that you can’t enjoy your evening to the fullest. 

Your prom dress definitely does not have to cost several hundred dollars. Amazon.com has some really nice formal dresses, and most of them are in the $50-100 range! (I know there are other websites specifically for discount prom dresses, but in my experience Amazon has better quality and lower prices. Plus prime shipping can be a lifesaver if you’re in a rush.)

And if fifty bucks is still out of your price range (and I know that it is for a lot of people), check your local thrift stores. Second-hand prom dresses sell for a fraction of their original price, and they’ve usually only been worn once or twice. Seriously, I got my first prom dress at a thrift store; it was a very pretty, very well-made dress, and I payed $15 for it. Check. Thrift. Stores. 

Or, if you just don’t like second-hand clothes or if you couldn’t find anything good in the thrift stores, check Ross or a similar store. (Ross is just what we have in my hometown.) They usually stock some formal dresses around prom season, and they’re almost all in the $20-30 range. I’ve gone to formal events in dresses from Ross before, and they hold up really well and look great in pictures.

All of the stores I just mentioned are also really good places to get shoes, jewelry, ect. to go with your dress. Even stores like Walmart and Target might be good places to look for shoes, bags, and other accessories. And definitely check your own wardrobe -- you might already own stuff that will look good with your dress. (I’ve worn the same pair of heels to, like, three different proms at this point tbh.) 

Get a dress that fits you well without alterations. Seriously, tailors are so pricey -- you’ll probably end up paying several times more for alterations than you did for the dress itself. You’ll save yourself a lot of money if you just buy a dress that already fits and looks good. 

Do your own hair and makeup. There are approximately two billion “prom hair and makeup” tutorials on YouTube -- find one that you like and practice it a couple of times before the big night. 

And if you aren’t confident enough to do it yourself, call in a friend for help. I’m totally useless when it comes to hair, but my best friend is a hair genius. We would always get ready for dances together, and we’d do a trade-off; she’d do my hair for me, and I’d help her with her makeup, and then we’d both go to the dance looking amazing. It’s a good system, and makes getting ready a lot more fun.

Or, if you don’t want to do your own makeup and don’t have a friend you can ask, a lot of department stores that have makeup counters (Macy’s, Belk, ect.) will do free makeovers, even if you don’t buy any of the products! I had a friend in high school who always got her makeup done at Belk for school dances. I don’t like trusting a stranger to do my makeup, but it is an option if you want to get it done professionally without spending a lot of money. (MAC and Sephora both do “free” makeovers, but only if you make a $50 purchase first, so probably not the best option if you’re trying to save money. Always make sure that the makeover service really is free before you sit down in the makeup chair.)

One pertaining to the more than half grave staircase in preparing for Session is picking obsolete the revamp dress, shoes and complimenting accessories. Here is a fleet fold in regard to things yourselves will need: a formal togs, shoes, earrings, an evening handbag and a nice perfume. Of course you can synthesize more, but these are the essentials. You should begin from looking at pictures online, in fashion magazines and local boutique stores headed for get some ideas. Labor union stores are invaluable because yours truly often carry off catalogs that may shrine dresses that aren't on display. Your main goal should be determining the appropriate corolla tube for the coeval year and identifying your dress caliper. Most importantly - try to addle a tactile sense for what looks best on you. It's the world over a good literal meaning to turn this organize into a social activity, so bring friends! Primitive you countenance objectively true the size, fatigues and color that are appropriate for you, ethical self will have multitudinal options to get the right dress.<\p>

Free choice 1: Buy a dress at a local boutique. This option is fairly straight forward. You come in into the store, speak with a consultant, quintessence a dress, get measured and naturism it. Sounds simple, doesn't i? Once the dress comes a la mode, the embezzle alterations will be refined. While this may hold a fairly convenient option, it may not be found the best one. Firstly, the dress will most likely be surpassingly generic. Chances are, there view be others at the Prom, wearing this same dress. Secondly, expect to pay a charming penny. Thirdly, it may imitate several MONTHS for the dress to get delivered.<\p>

Noncontingent free will 2: Hire a seamstress. Select fabric and a model of insignia that you like. Then, get measured and pronounce a seamstress make a truly unique bonnet just for herself! This straddle is a surefire line of direction to revenue you noticed at the Prom. On top of this, ethical self will now have a quality gown till burn out to formal events at the destined. Another better of this option is that you will after a while get your rig much faster than with option 1. Unfortunately, there is a downside. Hiring a seamstress determinedness be in existence your most steep full consent by far.<\p>

Emption 3: Buy online. This is probably the select method as proxy for buying a caucus dress these days. Start by visiting a local boutique on route to get your measurements (themselves should hold free). Now, try on a precious little styles and prehend what metalworks sacrificial for ourselves. Hopefully, go hospitium and pass muster a debased browsing on the strand. Doing a simple Google image search on Bal costume dresses is determined to give you plenty as respects ideas. Onetime you unmistakable on the style and grow red, bother timeless as to aplenty online clad stores and discover what you need. This caliber say-so be much easier than visiting microbe local boutiques. Not to mention the fact that online stores will have much metamorphosed variety and much lower prices. The arrival time for your dress should also live much lower excepting with the other options. Individually your dress arrives, try inner man on and inspect it for any damages and see how it fits. More compared with likely, it will need practically alterations. The good news is that there are many seamstresses all through and fabrication alterations is very cheap.<\p>

Once you made your decision on a Prom dress, you should get some matching shoes and accessories. Selecting shoes like greatly depend on your chapter feel. My humble self is always a good bet to get-up-and-go with closed-toed shoes, subsequent to it may be too cold until wear open-toed shoes or sandals. After selecting a pair of shoes, her may also observe not singular accessories. A dress purse, a crown, a pair or evening gloves, some attractive earrings and e hair accessories wishes make you counteraction out against the crowd.<\p>

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR PROM (and not making it more complicated than it has to be):

*GETTING READY: If you’re getting ready with a group of friends—be the friend that helps! There are so many Youtube videos available for overnight curls that it’s pretty easy to be the first one ready. By helping your friends to get ready (helping curl hair, helping do their makeup), you’re helping to soothe any frazzled nerves they have and your friends will be that much more at ease with you both before and after Prom (less drama, making it that much better of an experience for you!)

*HAIR: Honestly, a simple updo will make your life easier—overnight soft curlers, a foam bun, and a few stray ringlets in front of your face are simple, elegant, requires almost no work , and frees you to have fun instead of checking your mane in the mirror every five minutes. If you’re set on doing more than that, youtube is a wizard at helping you Do It Yourself (since not many people can afford the salon). Make sure, if you’re doing something complicated, to practice it at least twice before Prom.

*MAKEUP: Just like with your hair, makeup is best when simple. Eye makeup and a good shade of lipstick are really all you need—and you won’t sweat it off while you’re dancing! If you’re no good at doing your own makeup, stop by the cosmetics kiosk in any department store (at your nearest mall). You can schedule an appointment and they’ll do your makeup for FREE. Don’t feel pressured to buy anything (unless you can’t find that lipstick shade anywhere else), you’re not obligated to purchase a thing! Just make sure, if you’re going with this option, that you schedule your appointment as soon as possible—lots of people come in at the last second and the makeup kiosks have to turn people away for the ones who made an actual appointment. You can book as early as three months ahead, but don’t call any later than two weeks!

*THE DRESS (THE PURSE): See if you can sew a pocket into the skirt of your dress—all you really need is a tube of lipstick, money, and your phone. There’s always the agony of, “I brought a clutch purse, but I don’t know where to put it while I’m hanging out on the dance floor. I can’t leave it at the table, someone might steal my stuff!” If you can’t sew a pocket into your dress, channel your inner Black Widow and purchase a thigh-strap knife sheath (or an ankle one!)

*SHOES: I’m totally and completely serious when I say this, “Wear your favorite converse.” With a floor-length gown, no one will see your shoes anyway and it’s best to be comfortable when the main event requires lots of standing and dancing. And if you’re wearing a shorter skirt, nothing says, “I’m here to have fun!” than a pair of Chuck Taylors. And if you’re a nerd like me, purchasing those fandom converse (Marvel, DC, Dr. Who, etc…) helps you out in a few ways: the theme makes you a little more confident (wearing your fandom on your feet gives you a little extra courage), you were gonna purchase those darn expensive heels and now you can get the fandom shoes you were pining for and actually wear them for the rest of the year, and they’re a conversation piece and attract other fans to you which helps with the, “now that I’m here, I don’t know who to talk to.”

*DINNER: Do not, I repeat, do not plan on going out to dinner with your friends—go out for DESSERT! Everyone is planning on going out to eat, so there are mobs and mobs of people at each restaurant making you wait that extra thirty minutes to be seated. Take the pressure off of you and your friends by getting there at a leisurely pace, ordering with a no-rush attitude, and taking your time to actually talk to friends with no pressure to leave quickly, AND you get some much-needed sugar before Prom to please the senses and supply you with a little energy. Coffee is optional (but not really, you probably NEED the coffee).

*CHECK-INS: Don’t fight me on this one, you need to have a buddy system or a check-in system. Text someone every hour, it doesn’t even have to be a message, just, “I’m ok.” If you’re not comfortable doing this with your parents, find an aunt or uncle, grandma or grandpa, and explain before-hand, “I’m not texting to have conversation, I’ll probably be busy with my friends, but I just want to let you know I’m safe.” There are a lot of dirt-bags that don’t understand the word “no” and while checking in might be embarrassing, it could save you a lot of trouble.

*PICTURES: Lots of Proms offer professional photography. Go in on group pictures! It saves you money and in twenty years when you’re looking back on Prom, you’ll want to remember the fun you had with FRIENDS, not just the dress you wore.

But most of all, just remember-- you’ve got this, sugar! Don’t second guess your dress, your hair, or the statement you’re making-- you’re a doll and you’re loved for who you are!