Prom expenses

[Anonymous]

DH and I are debating a "budget" for our teenager for Senior Prom expenses. Any thoughts on what is appropriate? I think that we should pay for dress and shoes. DH thinks that we should give her a flat budget that she can allocate as she wishes. For example, $150... If she gets a "deal" on a dress, then she can use the extra $$ for her food and limo costs. (She is going in a large group -- no date.)

[Anonymous]

I hope you are using $150 as an example number -- that won't even come close to the bare minimum of expenses.

[Anonymous]

Hmm I graduated 8 years ago. My dress was somewhere around $80 I think and shoes probably about $30. We went to Olive Garden for dinner which seemed nice at the time - probably about $20 spent. Oh and had my hair done for $30 but hated it and brushed it out.

We got our makeup done at a makeup counter.

Total cost - 160.

I think you should give her a flat amount of money and let her spend as she chooses.

[Anonymous]

My niece just graduated and her dress was $400 !! I was in shock

[Anonymous]

I would allocate a reasonable amount for dress and shoes, let her know if she wants a $400 dress the incremental difference is on her.

I would do the same with dinner.

The limo, if you can afford it, will ensure safe transportation. I'd be inclined to just cover that, but understand the costs and not authorize anything excessive....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece just graduated and her dress was $400 !! I was in shock

That is obscene.

I just bought my wedding dress for half that!

[Anonymous]

Christ. I went to prom (FCPS) over 20 years ago. My expenses were as follows...

Dress $500+
Shoes $100ish
Hair $50 including tip
I did my own makeup
My share of hotel room $75 -- a bunch of us got a room together and spent the night
We also had a limo that the girls paid for -- can't remember exactly how much I paid, but it was at least another $100 or so
Boys paid for dinner

I am the one who said earlier $150 wasn't much.

[Anonymous]

It seems low to me, too, but maybe that is because in 1983 I desperately wanted an Albert Nipon dress that was $500. My parents said I could have it only if I got a full scholarship to college, and I didn't. I bought a dress I hated for $60-80, and somebody else had the exact same one.

OP should set the budet that works for her family. I've bought my girls (young elementary school age) dresses for special events that probably cost more than any dress my mother has ever owned, and I am fine with that. My budget is different from hers. If my circumstances are the same when it's senior prom time, they can have the designer dress without the full scholarship. If they are more like my parents' circumstances were, then no designer dress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I are debating a "budget" for our teenager for Senior Prom expenses. Any thoughts on what is appropriate? I think that we should pay for dress and shoes. DH thinks that we should give her a flat budget that she can allocate as she wishes. For example, $150... If she gets a "deal" on a dress, then she can use the extra $$ for her food and limo costs. (She is going in a large group -- no date.)

I guess your DD is a senior so I assume she might have a dress from another occasion. Some girls borrow from friends or do swaps. Most girl's wear short now so if she wants new there are very reasonable dresses at macy's :
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=442846&CategoryID=18109&LinkType=PDPZ1

How large is the group? Any dates or all single ladies? Get her a little flower for her hair or something since the girls on dates get something from the boy . You have to go with the flow on transportation and dinner - so it's what's left over from that to allocate for a dress/shoes.

I assume she already has heels or dress shoes as a senior so the $150 range is OK. Prom can be a really delicate issue if it's a big real date event. If your DD is at a single sex school it would be good if you could get a group of guys to go in the group. Non-dates just a fun event.

[Anonymous]

We just went through this for junior prom. Girls school so some of these expenses are odd because the girl pays.

Dress - $150 (from the outlets, short dress, can be worn again)
shoes - $80
hair - $80
nails - $45
2 prom tix (incl dinner) - $130
flowers for both - $50

one person got a party bus for transportation so we had no expenses for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece just graduated and her dress was $400 !! I was in shock

My wedding dress cost $400. That's just ridiculous and unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My niece just graduated and her dress was $400 !! I was in shock

My wedding dress cost $400. That's just ridiculous and unnecessary.

So did mine- in 2005. I think a $400 prom dress is fine, IF mom and dad pay $100 - $150, and DD pays the $250... Otherwise, no way!

[Anonymous]

9:03 here. Having spent a recent weekend prom dress shopping (and she ended up with a $150 short dress) I can tell you that $400 for a long dress is not unusual. Dresses that are advertised as "prom" dresses are largely hideous although less expensive. The cheapest long dress we saw at the BCBG outlet where plenty of girls were prom dress shopping was about $275.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Christ. I went to prom (FCPS) over 20 years ago. My expenses were as follows...

Dress $500+
Shoes $100ish
Hair $50 including tip
I did my own makeup
My share of hotel room $75 -- a bunch of us got a room together and spent the night
We also had a limo that the girls paid for -- can't remember exactly how much I paid, but it was at least another $100 or so
Boys paid for dinner

I am the one who said earlier $150 wasn't much.

In my opinion - spending $500 on a prom dress is outrageous. My daughter just went to prom and we spent $200 on her dress, and I thought that was too much. My daughter works, so I agreed to pay 1/2 of her dress and that was all (only because her grades have not been up to par. if she had very good grades, then I would agree to pay most). She paid for her own nails, hair, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:03 here. Having spent a recent weekend prom dress shopping (and she ended up with a $150 short dress) I can tell you that $400 for a long dress is not unusual. Dresses that are advertised as "prom" dresses are largely hideous although less expensive. The cheapest long dress we saw at the BCBG outlet where plenty of girls were prom dress shopping was about $275.

I don't doubt that it's not unusual in DCUM circles, but that doesn't make it sane. $5K for a wedding gown isn't unusual either, but IMO it's a stupid expenditure of funds.

Parents have the power to say "no."