... School proms - aaargh!

[woollyideas]

Okay, I admit I'm a bit of an old puritan about these things, but AIBU in thinking my DD's school should not be promoting limo hire etc., at its 'Prom Fair'?

Actually, the very idea of them having a Prom Fair has left me frothy! Whatever happened to the good old, low-key 'leaver's disco'? Why are parents expected to spend fortunes on a load of old consumer shit professional make-up artists, tiaras and limos? What sane parent would want to pay an entry fee to go to a 'Prom Fair' to browse the wares of the limo hire companies, tiara makers, photographers, etc.?

Who are these parents who think this sort of expenditure on a night out for a teenager is okay? At DD's school last year one of the parents asked whether they could land a helicopter in the school field? WTAF? (Normal state high school on south coast BTW).

Prom Fayre? Fuck that. Is a bit off having a blatantly commercial event like this.

But, proms are fine. It's a bit bloody off calling them a vile yankee thing. I remember going to mine and loving it.

I think it's quite a nice thing to look forward to once all the exams are over. Most kids will be leaving a lot of friends behind when they leave school/go to other 6th forms. So it is a nice thing in my book. Along with all those other heinous imports, school leavers clothes and yearbooks.

Mind you, I am saying that asa mother of someone who plans to get their dress from TK Maxx . DD won't be spending a fortune, and there is none of that ghaslty monetary competitiveness at her school.

YANBU A prom fair is just ridiculous.

DD wasn't sure, at first, if she wanted to go to hers but decided she'd rather go than regret not going later on. She was glad she did but we didn't spend loads of money on it.

I bought the dress from Ebay and got shoes from New Look and a bag from MissSelfridge. She also bought a necklace that cost about £5 and she did her own hair and make-up.

Her dad took her to the school where there were coaches waiting to take them to the venue. Then he picked her up again later, couldn't have afforded a limo, even if she'd wanted one. She never asked.

Pics on profile if anyone's interested.

She looks gorgeous. Love the colour of that frock.

Oh, and there wasn't one helicopter. There were two!!

My dd loved her prom and I really enjoyed helping her choose her dress and get ready. I'm really looking forward to my two other girls going to theirs. My next to reach year 11 is a Ds and I can't wait to see him all dressed up in a tux.

Prom fayres are a bit over the top though. I agree it can be expensive and it must be difficult for some families.
We hired a limo but 15 families shared the cost so it was ok. You can get some lovely prom dresses in TK Maxx for around £30.

Lovely dress angel your dd looks fab. My dd did her own hair and make up I wasn't forking out for that as well.

She does look lovely chaoticangel, love the dress. I have all this yet to come.

I got ripped off over this prom business. DD1 had a prom and I spent about £200 on her dress faints.This was 6th year prom. Add on hair etc and it costabomb. Saying that she has used the dress for formal occasions since so not a complete waste of money.She paid her share of her own limo from her part time job. Cos there was so many,it worked out about £16 each.

I did offer to buy DD2's dress but she is more cost concious than her sister :o, so she borrowed DD1's friends dress (DD1 and DD2 arent same size), borrowed my shoes and bag. So her hair cost £25, she did her own nails and makeup, and her share for her limo was £15,so all in all £40 for her :)

She looked equally as stunning.

TK Maxx for DD3 in 4 years methinks. Saying that ,more shops are doing prom suitable dresses at cheaper prices than they did when DD1 was going to hers nearly 6 years ago.

I balk at the helicopter. Some eejit wanted one for a primary school prom near me.

DS1's Primary had a Prom when they left at the end of Year 6. A few of the girls went in a limo. Each to their own but we live in a tiny village and no one is more than an 8 minute walk away from the school so they ended up spending half an hour circling the village so their parents felt they got their monies worth. This led to the little 'darlings' hanging out of the windows and sunroof sneering at anyone they saw who was actually walking

Most of the girls were in full ball regalia, with teased hair and full make up. Not one boy wore a suit, they were all in standard school disco fare of smart jeans and a shirt apart from the odd couple in comedy t-shirts :)

DS1 missed it entirely. We were away at a festival that weekend and due to leave straight after school. He had the choice to go to the prom while we set up camp, then come back for him but he was spectacularly uninterested and said he would far rather come and set up at the festival and have a nosy at who we would be neighbours with for the weekend.

DS2 is in Y6 now. Fortunately his school (we moved between prom years) seems to just do a normal leavers disco. He really isn't a formal attire sort of kid and I would have had a battle on my hands to stop him wearing a football shirt with a suit jacket :o

She looks lovely chaotic, beautiful colour frock.

Aww, I think proms are nice.

Thanks everyone

That was end of school year before last, she still has the dress and hasn't worn it since, no opportunity, but it was worth it.

GerOrf I do like the proms but I think some go overboard.

We didn't have anything like proms or discos or any sort of party when I left school. When we were in the Upper Fifth, the last year before the Sixth Form, we were all taken on an expenses paid outing organised by the PTA. No, there was no Alton Towers or Thorpe Park and Chessington had only a Zoo then. The whole year (about 80 students pupils) was taken to Greenwich Naval Museum where and we all remember it we saw Nelson's underpants.

my ds(18) loved the prom, its just a nice excuse to dress up and go in a limo! was good at getting some to knuckle down for gcses too, as they had to conform to certain things before being allowed to go.

We live opposite a high school and watched the prom procession last year.

Limo...white limo...white limo...classic car...white limo...limo...white limo...big pink hummer limo...horse-drawn carriage...limo...black hummer limo...normal car decked up with ribbons and cross looking girl sulking in the back...white limo...pink thunderbirds type thing...pink limo...some other sort of classic car...limo...white limo...

Didn't know we had so many limo hire places in our town.

I feel like that man on Friends now, the word limo has lost all meaning to me and my point has gone.

DS enjoyed the sight of all the cars, but I agree OP, a Prom Fayre sounds a bit to me. I suppose my time will come when DS is older.

a prom fair WOW REALLY !!
dd had her prom last year they didnt get a limo they all went on a coach from school no helicopters no limos just a bunch of giddy 17/18 year olds with pretty clothes on

although 1 girl did show up in the car park in a sports car and a HOOGE dress , i think she was a fan of gypsy wedding

got dd dress online was cheaper than debenhams and was just a beautiful as everybody elses
, I think its lovely before i thought it was a load of tosh but seeing them all done up looking like adults in their finery and not kids in their uniform was amazing , and i sobbed a little
, I do see it can go over the top but you dont have to enter into all the faff if you dont want too ,

YANBU, I get sick of it. At my dds school they have one in Y11, then a short dress one in Y12, and then Y13. i have 2 dds and it is another added expense I could do without.

I think my ED wants a dress from John Lewis which is expensive. She now has part time work so she can pay for it.

Total waste of money when there are university expenses coming up.

I don't mind the 1 in Y11 so much but wish they could forget the Y12 one.

Oh Lord.

One reason I'm glad to have boys.

What a load of cack. I doubt I'd be able to hide my disdain at the whole idea

dd2 had her primary prom a few years ago she didnt get a limo they were all bitching about who was allowed in whos limo so she told them to stick it , she walked to hers with her friends via grans to see her dress which i got for a tenner in a sale ,

I've been dreading all this american nonsense for years, but the time has come, dd will have a prom this summer thank goodness yr 6 was just a disco. I thought I'd found her a dress at the weekend, it was in a charity shop window and was lovely, but by the time I got her down there to try it on it was gone. If I can get her a cheap enough dress I will be able to afford for her to get her hair done properly, get her some nice new shoes etc. There won't be any limos though, if she's lucky I'll wash the mud off my R reg Renault before I drop her off. .

Can I just ask if all the girls wear long dresses? Or is a shorter style acceptable?

Imagine seeing your child get booed because you don't or can't afford the best car.

Indeed. I'm a teacher and, while I admit that I love going to the prom and seeing our Year 11 kids all dressed up and looking soooo proud, I hate the driving up thing. The best 'arrival' I've ever seen was a boy pushing his girlfriend in a wheelbarrow. I thought it showed great imagination and was a clever 'two fingers' to all those who felt a limo was essential though the feminists may not have liked it

I have no problem with them having a prom tbh. We had end of school balls back when I left school end of 80s/beg of 90s. Prom is just another word for it.

But a prom fair - no way!

I don't think a school should be running a prom fair - that makes me feel really angry tbh.

However, parents only spend as much as they want/can afford to. There will always be some idiots who go mad (helicopter indeed - snort) and others who keep their heads at a time when all around may be losing theirs.

DD1 finished Yr 11 last year. Her dress was around 40 pounds in a boutique sale, her shoes were 20 pounds in TK Maxx (and have been worn a lot since)and her bag was about 20 pounds from John Lewis (but we will both use that again). She did her own hair and her friend did her makeup. Another friend's dad took a group of girls to the prom in his car. None of her friends went mad either - I think the most expensive dress in her friendship group was about 80 pounds from Monsoon.

They had a lovely night and all looked gorgeous. Can post a pic of dd if anybody wants to be nosey!

Liking the wheelbarrow idea.

not looking forward to this. Well perhaps we will (still) be overseas

Pixel - dd had a short dress. I think the year group as a whole had a mix of long, cocktail length and mini tbh. V few of them went for the full on big dresses.