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

Fortunately my DD was interested in all that malarkey. Her and her friends didn’t want to go to the prom. They felt the Leavers Assembly was bad enough. So we didn’t have to bother. The worlds gone mad.

My sis who never has any money and always struggles got roped into keeping up with the Jones’s and also spent several hundred £’s on a prom dress a few years ago for my niece. She wore it once tried to sell it on a FB site dropping the price about 3 or 4 times and still had no takers so ended up giving it away.

Lovely I’m so glad she went x

I paid £550 for DD's prom dress in 2022. She also had her hair dyed, put up, nails, lashes and make up professionally done too.
Do I regret it? Not one single bit!
It does not in fact make me a mug etc as some unkind posters have called others. It's my money to choose to spend as I wish. I didn't get into any debt or anything like that.
My DD had never planned to go to prom and hated school. I was so glad she decided to go and still look at the pictures regularly now.

We were utterly skint when daughter needed prom dress, we ended up in tk.maxx and paid £30 for a “ GUESS “ designer dress, rsp £200, or look on ebay,also look at bridesmaid dresses as there are top designer dresses starting at pennies on auction, its all about being savvy..and bybthe way, her pals in £500 dresses looked no better than she did x X

Wow. This all sounds so stressful. Horrible behaviour! Hope you’re ok now x

I think each to their own and what they feel is right for their child. There are many reasons why some will spend more and some will spend less. School in general was a very difficult time for my daughter, she wouldn’t allow a fuss on her birthday for two years. So as prom was approaching and her mental health improved, she agreed that I could make a fuss and I enjoyed every second! Didn’t really think about the cost of the dress, hair appointments, nails etc. What I did treasure was seeing her smile, glow and enjoyed the time we spent together. We really look back on that time fondly and she talks about it often. Very happy memories.

I didn't have one, but back then it would've been a discounted number from Debenhams

You spent,,,,£450, for a dress and then more....I find this quite disturbing. What does that teach your daughter about the value of money etc

There's no need to spend money on lots of things but people do ,again if posters can afford it and are happy to spend ££££,s on a prom dress that's their perogative.

Nope no chance. Only paid £12 for my wedding dress. I'd absolutely do vinted these days.

Have you even actually met any teenagers? Give them a smart phone and access to social media and They. Can. Find. Out. Anything.

MI5 should just recruit nosey 14 year olds IMO.

DD is year 11. We've given her a budget of £200 for prom and she can spend it however she likes. If she wants to spend more she'll have to take it from her own money. Her plan is a fairly cheap dress and shoes, no bag, will do her own hair and make up but might buy some new make up, might get her nails done.

She doesn't feel we've been tight, I've negotiated her father up substantially from what he thought was a fair budget and this is an amount we can afford.

If there is one thing on which everyone on this thread seems to agree, it is that most of the dresses are sold or given to charity shops, so they aren't single use.

Low or single use clothing is environmentally unfriendly. The whole idea of prom is heteronormative. That's enough reasons for me to want to see them end.

I have no problem spending money, but I prefer doing stuff to buying stuff

My daughter bought her dress and shoes on Vinted for a total of about £20. She's only ever worn them once. Other girls at the event spent hundreds.

Only if you buy into the hype. Ridiculous.

Ages a poster on MN said she set a £10 limit and got her daughter to choose a lovely dress on Ebay and there was a lot of choice. I got a gorgeous dress a couple of years ago for £3 on Vinted so a cheap dress can be done. Also some charity shops have Prom dress sections.

Well yes, I am an odd puritan. And proud to admit it!

As for the pps making out that prom-craziness critics are miserable fun-sponges...no-one's suggesting the kids shouldn't have a party and a celebration.

There's just no need to spend a grand on kitting out your daughter! Why would anyone do that when they will look lovely in an outfit costing less than a tenth of that amount? It can only be motivated by one-upmanship which is both unkind to other less affluent youngsters and pretty vulgar.

I'm just shocked that parents encourage extravagance and excess. You'd think they'd be the sensible ones - I could understand teenagers having crazy ideas.

DD bought one second hand for 70. We were prepared to pay for alterations but it actually fit like a glove. It was a vintage style dress. I paid for her hair to get done... 30 quid and she got some shoes from ASOS for 30 quid. I gave her 30 quid for some new makeup (which she is still using 18 months later) and she bought some vintage style jewellery at a charity shop.
She and her friends are quite arty and enjoy shopping around for unique items.
No lycra in sight 😂
Total spend 160 plus I gave her 20 quid to spend.
It's a state school in quite a naice catchment area and very few went overboard with limos etc.

My children are privately educated and , as with everything, there's a whole mixture in terms of expenditure. Just as there is at state schools I imagine.
If DD wants to spend a lot on a dress I shall let her because I can afford to and because she likes clothes and fashion. She's very creative and loved design and art and playing with colour and shape

Agree. It says more about those people than anything else. Imagine not being comfortable with your own choices so you have to sneer at others.

Unheard of when I was at school in the 70s.
DS wore a suit for his Bachillerato presentation and after party in 2010.
Proms are just another American import most people could probably do without but feel forced into spending cash they haven't got to ensure their DCs fit in.

No one needs to go on several long haul holidays a year but plenty of mumsnetters do by all accounts ,as I said I dont have daughters and my son refused to go to his prom, my youngest is disabled and whilst his special school does have proms it will be low key
But I can't see the problem if people have the money
This thread also has a lot of undertones of sneering at people who go do spend a lot for their child's proms.