To ask how much you're paying for DD's prom dress

[concernedforthefuture]

I have a younger DD (8) so have this to come . Colleagues were discussing prom dresses for their 16yr olds. I was staggered to hear that they (and most of their classmates) have all bought their dresses from a wedding shop... at a cost of around £250-£350 .

It's not just the dress though.. they're getting new shoes, accessories, nails, hairdressers, make-up artists (with trials too!) etc. I'm only in my late 30s but this seems so different to when I left school and feels like an absurd amount of money to spend on a 16 year old's night out. We don't live in an affluent area and these aren't wealthy families (to the best of my knowledge).

Is this the norm nationally? Had I best get saving

@cariadlet £800 !!!

If it will be worn again then spending up to 200-300 on a good quality dress can be worth it. If it won’t be then £50 max.

£450

2 years ago but

Dress £45 from ASOS (and she has worn it to 2 Uni balls as well)
Shoes - £25
Hair and Make-up - £0 - her and her friends had a hair and makeup party before the event and did each others'
Transport - £0 - where we live (Sweden) it is tradition that everyone meets in the park and then walks together behind the High school flag (although some did regret their choice of high heels I heard)

Prom dress at 16, £69 (Debehams). Just bought Prom dress for age18(Asos)), £60. Some of the girls at the end of year 11, bought their dresses from New Look, not obviously a prom dress but they either liked it or it was in tehir budget and there shouldn't be any pressure to buy something really expensive unless you would consider that to be your normal budget.

Dds yr 11prom dress cost £80 or so, shoes from Primark.

This year's sixth firm prom dress cost even less from ASOS. She's not the make up and nails type so that was easy. I agree op, some people do go Out but you don't have to.

My daughter was given a dress by a friend's daughter - she had bought it on the sale and never worn it but it would have cost around £ 150.

A friend of mine did her hair and makeup and I gave her £ 20 as a thank you.

Her shoes cost £ 20, she borrowed a handbag and shawl, her ticket was £ 15.00

All that for 90 mins of salad and speeches in the school hall!

I also spent around £ 10 for drinks and crisps for her to take to an after party at a friend's house - where she spent the next three hours!

You know. I’m almost 50 and we had a formal. My school and DD schoolhave done formals since the dawn of time. It’s not a new thing.

Dress bought online for £50 or so, £20 to get it altered, shoes she had, bag was mine and jewellery - she wore her granny’s pearls and earrings and engagement ring (my mum is dead and would have loved to have been involved).

Oh and her friend did her make up.

And she looked stunning.

Hired from a different town than the school was in. Lots of same dress different colour situations. The local dress hire owner definitely had a job lot of frocks from the same supplier.

I'll be spending about £50 on my dd's it's a high class venue too, and they have to tour the city
It's amazing what you can pick up in the sales.

YIKES. Dd has gone for a nice high street dress (£50-60) and will get some strappy sandals and do pretty hair etc but nothing crazy. She looked lovely when she tried it on and was happy. Don't feel pressured to spend more than you want to, just get something she's happy in that suits her shape and colouring and it'll be perfect. Hope she has fun!

No such thing as a prom when DD34 & DD32 left school.
But am already dreading DD10s prom. Right now she hates dresses and skirts, & spending any time in the bathroom...but I'm guessing that will change in the next 6years. (Hoping for a change in using the bathroom very soon!)
Even though shes only in Year 5 she is already 5'7" with size 9 feet. God knows how tall she will be by prom time but I bet finding a dress will be a nightmare.
And as a single parent...a very costly nightmare too!

£50 from Debenhams, £20 for a little bag that will probably last a lifetime and she is buying her own shoes. I will pay for a hair-up if she wants.

Dds (for this year) was £85 from chichi London, lots of her friends have bought from the same website. I did have to get it taken up though as she is only 5ft 4.

Also, Sandals were £20 from boohoo and bag £15 from quiz.

A friend with dc at my children's school said a lot buy from Debenhams. She went to a dress agency and bought a second hand dress for £60 which is a good idea

Dress from Quiz will end up being about £75 including alterations. Shoes very cheap from New Look.

Had a haircut she would have had anyway this week, then she'll do it on the night herself, and will also do the makeup.

I think a friend is doing nails, and there's also about £7.50 as a share of the cost of transport (all going in a vintage bus).

Dearer than DS - a suit that he has worn for concerts a lot since, and i think a new tie - but not outwith the realms of possibility.

My DD is wearing a gown I can no longer fit into - she looks bloody amazing in it! She loves vintage, so win, win. She will be doing her own nails and makeup, so she is going to cost me very little. We live in a poor area though and I am horrified by what other parents spend on dresses, fake tan, shoes etc, and their DDs insist they can never wear the same thing twice. It's not always the more affluent parents coughing up the money, either.

It’s crazy! A lot of people local to me go way ott too. I know someone who got a pair of Louboutins in addition to the dress!!

£60 dress
Shoes £20?
Bag £15?

Did own make up and hair and car was from dads work so he picked up friends too

£65 from ASOS. She went on to wear it again for a family wedding (it wasn't full length) and for a Christmas party. She's just bought a new one from ASOS for £60 for her Year 13 ball. Both dresses are gorgeous and she had many compliments on them.

I paid for my own in 2007... Cost me £200. Lady in the shop was shocked when I got my card out as was with mum. I still wear it as a ball gown when the occasion comes up (3 times in the past 12 years) doubt it'll fit now though 😂
Mum paid for my shoes, wrap and for my hair to be done, family friend did my makeup for a packet of cigarettes.
I worked to buy the dress myself because I knew what I wanted and wanted to do it myself because it was a big part of the money management lesson my parents taught me throughout my teenage years.

My DS went to charity shop for theirs. Our local hospice has a floor dedicated to prom and wedding dresses in one of their shops.

Dds was £360

£50 for hair and makup

Probably 100/150 on accessories

Prom ticket obviously

There was a dress she loved for 1k and because she had been so unwell at the time we said she could have it

But she said she would be too scared to eat in it plus it would need to be taken up and we would lose about £300 worth of material!!!