Would you/have you spent hundreds on a prom dress?

No chance one came from Joe Browns one from China and one from pretty little thing.

That's what's so sad. The prom may be their one and only once in a life time opportunity.

It's a school dance. DD bought a £50 frock from Asos. There were no limos, nails or make-up artists. All the girls did similar and they all looked fabulous.

Sometimes I've seen the boys and girls from our local comp congregating by the village hall waiting for their limos. It's bizarre.

I think you should definitely only spend what you can afford. I have three dcs who have all gone through proms (2 dss and 1 dd). Honestly the loveliest girls were not the ones in the most expensive outfit, it was the girls who had picked the dresses which suited their body shape and colouring.

If they have the money and want to spend it that way, that’s really a matter for them.

I do have the money but wouldn’t. My choice.

Username checks out!

Dd found one online for about £120. 2 weeks later we went into lockdown and she never had a prom.
dress is still hanging in her wardrobe unworn!
2 years later dd2 chose a suit from
asos for about £100, she wore it and looked amazing. Her friends came round for the afternoon and they all did each others hair and nails etc. we did have a very fancy car but only because our friends have a classic car company and incredibly kindly offered to loan one to dh to drive the girls.
Otherwise we’d have just dropped them in our normal cars.

My Dds bought shoes from primark and 1 hired a limo with friends i think it was £20 each, tbf my eldest is 32 so things will be more expensive now.

DD would look amazing in a bin bag, but she works hard and has been through a lot too and I will be happy to give her a decent budget to spend up to. She loves fashion and design and will enjoy the process of trying on lots of dresses. But the money will come out of savings/ ready money not debt

I spent a fair bit on ball dresses (we had them at end of 5th form and end of 6th form and I went to lots of balls at university too). A beautiful dress for a special night seems fine to me. Why it's no different from spending on a dress for a wedding or a NYE party or something.

We paid £99 for dds and another £40 to adjust it,

dds prom was 2021 so just after covid and there were still restrictions so she didn’t have the typical prom. So I probably would have spent a bit more but no more than £200.

my own wedding dress cost £250! 😂

I think some can cost that much, but there’s plenty around for a fraction of that.

My DD got her prom dress from Amazon, she’s not really into dresses and dressing up so just wanted something simple. A local seamstress shortened it and added some sparkly straps for £25.00

I did treat her to an updo (I can’t do hair to save my life) from my hairdresser and a manicure from my nail lady.

She wasn’t interested in limos or anything like that, she got a lift with her friend’s mum and I picked them all up.

She’s worn it a few times since and I’ve just posted it up to uni for her to wear for a Christmas ball so we’ve had our moneys worth from it.

I didn't begrudge our younger DD's their prom dresses as they kept them and as they've got similar tastes they were able to wear them again when our eldest DD got married and they were bridesmaids. Think they were about £160 from Coast and they had 2 good outings.

It's when people spend money they don't have that it gets silly.

No just a parent who thinks her daughter deserved a special night to celebrate the end of 5 years of hard work at school. If I can afford it then why shouldn't I.

This is not new. Mine was £250 in 2007

never.

£126 for dds dress online. Bought matching ribbon for dhs car and the dogs collar. Her date bought a matching tie.

I was shocked at how much money spent on dresses/shoes/hair/make up/transport for a 2-3 hour party. I know parents who casually dropped well over £500 for the dresses alone! Madness.

My DD's was last year. She sourced her own vintage second hand dress that looked amazing on her for just under £100, sourced some absolutely amazing second hand platform shoes off Vinted for £40, and did her own hair and make up. We gave one of our older son's mates £40 to drop her off in his much cooler than our car - a flashy sports car - and her brother went with them for the drop off. She looked stunning and was quite happy with her prom and after-party experience.

And you are rude! Why should they do each other's hair and make up! Being pampered is all part of the experience. If myself and other parents want to pay for that then it's nothing to do with you. If you want to do things on the cheap that's on you.

You are a retailers dream.

I wouldn't ever spend that much on a dress. My wedding dress was only £50! I'd help her find something on Vinted most likely, I'd happily buy two or three dresses even from there for her to try on, and probably then donate the ones she didn't wear.

No - its incredibly wasteful.
I would encourage my child to make the right choice rather dictate.

I have strong ideas about money and about think for yourself (which i got from my parents)
I'd have done something similar to what my parents would have done so something like

a. "if you want a £300 dress, Fine" For every £1 you earn and/or save towards it... i will match it. (This would be done with good notice not a month before...)

Or

B. I will give you £200 ,cash for your savings if you can find a prom dress and shoes for under £100

😂 😂 😂 😂 they saw you coming.

You can buy a suitable dress for £50 or less from places like Zara or H&M or wherever.

The girls can do each others hair and make up etc.

You're a mug

Maybe some girls just actually want them because it's a once in a lifetime event and want to feel special. Nobody pressured me into buying personalised champagne flute, hanger for the dress, and silk pyjamas to wear to get ready in, or the balloons and sailboard for pre prom drinks and photos ar our house. I wanted to get them and was in no way pressured.

Please look at vinted/ eBay etc so many beautiful and once expensive dresses that have been worn once and passed along to the next prom girl. Absolutely no need to spend £££ on a dress

My DD spent about £50. Hair, nails etc, not essential really. Her and her friends did each others - there were a mix of more expensive dresses and lots of cheaper ones.