Prom is an American tradition. In Australia, it is generally referred to as the Formal and the occasion is just as important. However, it has only been in recent years that it has become more extravagant and, therefore, costly.
In many cases, parents and daughters are already considering the right prom dress a year before the event! In some cases, this is a good idea as it gives you time to put money aside and find the perfect dress, as well as the other accessories such as a bag, shoes, and jewellery.
The problem is a prom dress alone can cost anything from $50 to thousands. Not everyone has unlimited funds at their disposal. That means you need to start budgeting.
Work Out Your Budget
Your budget is simply a list of everything you spend each month and the money you have coming in. Ideally, you should have more coming in than going out, allowing you to save some money each month.
This will make it easier to cope with emergencies and prom dresses.
Work out your current budget and decide how much you can put aside. This is when planning early helps. As little as $50 a month starting a year before prom can give you $600 for a dress and accessories. That’s a good budget.
Check Out Dresses
Young women will often be excited about the prom and choose the most stunning dress in the shop, regardless of the price tag or how it may look on them.
Before they get carried away, you should encourage them to go online and check out the best prom dresses near me. You’ll find some stunning dresses at affordable prices, and they are easy to order.
Ordering via the internet isn’t an issue when you have time to spare. It’s easy to order, try it on, and return for a different one if the size or look is incorrect.
In most cases, a prom dress is only worn once. You’ll need to bear that in mind when setting the budget and choosing the dress.
Check The Rules
Schools generally have rules and guidelines regarding what is acceptable at prom. It’s important to verify these first. It may not affect your budget but it will help to ensure you get the right dress instead of making a costly mistake.
Stick To Your Budget
If you’ve taken the time to work out what you can afford then make sure your daughter knows how much you have to spend. They also need to know if this figure is just the dress or the accessories as well.
Tell them and make sure you stick to your budget. Your daughter simply needs a dress that she feels comfortable in and looks fantastic in. That doesn’t have to cost a huge amount of money, it just means you’re prepared to spend the time looking at dresses with her and trying different ones on.
If your budget is really tight you can consider hiring one. But, with the prices of prom dresses, as shown above, this shouldn’t be necessary. It’s always harder to relax in a rented dress.
