I Don’t Know Who Needs to Hear This But…

There are very few things we love more than a good meme, and right now, there’s a hilarious one that we just can’t seem to get enough of. We first saw it on twitter,

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and then we laughed and laughed and cancelled the subscription to a fitness app that had been long overdue. The internet then did what the internet does best, takes a great idea and runs with it. The memes were everywhere. Then today, we came across another one that made us stop dead in our tracks and go, hmmm, oh yeah.

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I’m going to say it again for the folks in the back *clears throat,*

Ladies and dress-wearing gentlemen,
Do not spend $450 on a prom dress. What is the budget you have in mind? Great. Now divide it in half. Awesome. Now subtract $50. Better.

That is the amount you should spend on a prom dress. I saw this tweet and laughed out loud. We’ve been meeting about corsages and boutonnieres for lovely couples and groups of friends over the last few weeks, and with prom season upon us, I really wish someone had told me this when I went to prom. It is 2019, the retailer options that teenagers have these days is so wide that I literally cannot keep up. Every day I am inundated with new fashion sources, and that doesn’t even cover the brilliant minds and creative souls that are designing and PAINTING their own dresses.

You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a good time. The markup on formal gowns, especially during prom & wedding season is alarming. You will spend, easily, double the worth of the gown. Here are a few tips go get you through prom season without breaking the bank:

#1. Shop EARLY

I know, it is so easy to leave things lingering until the last minute. So if you are sixteen, or the parent of a sixteen year old, GO BUY A PROM DRESS this year. Dresses go on sale as soon as the weather starts to cool down. You will find a beautiful dress for a fraction of the cost. Don’t wait until Spring of your graduation year, or you’re spending $450 on a prom dress.

#2. Don’t be set on a single style

We all have ideas in our minds of what the perfect dress is going to look like. We’ve picked out the colour, the cut, the shape and just how big the poof is. What we haven’t done, is tried on a bunch of options. It is so easy to get tunnel vision when looking for a dress we think we know we want. If you only try on that ONE style of dress, of course you’ll end up finding the one you imagined. But try something else, try one with straps or sleeves, try one with a shorter hem or a fuller skirt. If you open your mind to various options, you instantly open up the retailers available to you. It’s okay to try them out and see if there is another cut or style that works better for your body and your budget.

#3. Negotiate bulk deals for you and your classmates

Talk to some local vendors about negotiating services for all of your classmates. Get in touch with a chauffeur service and see if they would be willing to provide all transportation for your school that night. Talk to a florist and see if they’ll make all of the corsages and boutonnieres. It is very likely that they would be willing to provide you with a lower cost if there is a higher return at play for the vendor.

#4. Worry more about the memories, not the monies

Do you know what I remember about my prom? How much we danced and laughed. You could not pay me enough to describe a single dress from that evening. I have no idea what anyone’s hair looked like, or how their makeup was done. I remember dancing in massive circles and laughing out loud on the dance floor. I remember staying up all night at the after party, I remember stripping out of the dress the first second I got. I don’t remember the shoes I wore, but I remember that I took them off about twenty minutes into dinner.

Wear a dress you love. Wear shoes that you’re comfortable in. Do your hair in a way that makes you feel pretty. Wear the red lipstick.

In ten years, when you flip through those photos you are going to look ridiculous no matter what you’ve worn, you will laugh at your makeup, you will question a particular pose, or try to remember that person’s name.

So, again for the folks who just joined in– DO NOT spend $450 on a prom dress. Spend it on flowers. Kidding.