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Original poster

To say the price of prom dresses is absolutely ridiculous?!!

160 replies

BLUEcups · 12/02/2025 10:13

So DD is in year 11 and the school prom is coming up and so the pressure is on to buy a dress….. so I start having a look on line and the price of them is astronomical! WTF!

I see all over SM photos posted by bridal shops saying “She said yes to the dress” and giving you options to book your time slot to find it 😳

Then there is the links to hairdressers, make up artists and limousines! 😭 I mean it’s clearly a money making scheme but Jesus wept, in the current climate, it must be so difficult for some parents to be able to afford it.

The dress’s I seen either didn’t have prices on and the ones that did, were between £220-£500 and I was gobsmacked.

What a joke, especially considering the dress is unlikely to ever be worn again.

So my question is, what are your tips for finding a cheaper one? I can’t afford £250 plus the rest and I can’t be the only one.

OP posts:
jellyfishperiwinkle · 12/02/2025 10:22

I've seen loads online for £50-£100. You don't have to spend that much.

Even with my wedding dress I got it ready to wear but paid a tailor to alter it to fit perfectly.

Dontjudgeme101 · 12/02/2025 10:22

Quiz is still around, here in Brighton in Churchill Square Shopping Centre. Tkmaxx is worth a try.

TeenToTwenties · 12/02/2025 10:22

You don't need to spend that much.

For a start there is preowned via Ebay or boutique second hand or charity shop.

We got 2 from Ebay and paid for alterations, both came in at under £150. ( We would have needed alterations for anything due to height of DDs.)

Cynic17 · 12/02/2025 10:22

You don't have to buy a "prom dress". My niece wore a very stylish jumpsuit, cost around £30, and she looked fab.
Don't fall for the hype and marketing, OP!

ThighsYouCantControl · 12/02/2025 10:21

I agree the cost of going to the prom for girls at least, is bloody insane going by what a lot of my friends on SM are saying as they all seem to be buying them now. My daughter got her prom dress from vinted for £20 about a month before her big night. I paid for her ticket, nails and shoes which together cost nearly £100. Which is nothing compared to what some parents spent- limos and flash cars were popular ways to arrive.

CerealPosterHere · 12/02/2025 10:21

Since school prom dd has also had dresses made to measure and shipped from china for like £80 a dress. Not sure what company. Possibly found somewhere on eBay. The dress was nice though.

NebulousDogwhistle · 12/02/2025 10:20

I went to a charity shop sale last week and could have bought 8-10 prom dresses for £10 in total, two with tags still on.

There are loads of dresses in charity shops, on Vinted, on Ebay. Quite frankly once you've paid for hair, makeup, accessories and a limo why would you splash out for something she'll wear for a few hours and never again?

CerealPosterHere · 12/02/2025 10:20

Second hand
or somewhere like Quiz? Is that still going? Was a decent cheaper option when dd was dress hunting.

Lisa593 · 12/02/2025 10:19

I guess the answer is to get a dress that isn't officially a 'prom' dress. Get something that she will wear again. Do her make up yourself or get her to do it, and she can do her own hair. If her friends are all going in a limo then they might all share and all pay towards it, otherwise just drop her off yourself or with a friend.

2chocolateoranges · 12/02/2025 10:18

set A budget and stick to it, if she wants a more expensive dress then she needs to save her own money too.

my dds dress was beautiful and it cost £100. We didn’t go to a boutique or a fancy dress shop, she ordered it online from coast and it really suited her.

some of her friends dresses were so expensive, much more than my wedding dress, I just couldn’t have justified spending that money on a dress for a prom.