(Prom)pted to spend too much money? Navigating the costs of the big night

By Sarah

Prom season is a time of many mixed emotions: excitement, stress, and chaos. In order to have the perfect night, high school girls must find the prettiest dress, take the best pictures, have the longest-lasting makeup look, etc. This is just a glimpse into a girl’s checklist leading up to the big night. As a teenage girl that just went through junior prom myself, I can say you’re not alone in this overwhelming (yet rewarding) experience. For many, a primary cause of stress is the dress. This is due to many factors, including social media/peer pressure build-up around every girl having the “perfect” prom dress, expensive costs that teenagers can’t pay themselves, and limited in-person stores dedicated to prom dresses. Luckily, there are ways to save money so that prom doesn’t become more of an expensive event than it needs to be.   

Prom can be a significant financial burden, with expenses adding up quickly and often unexpectedly. The high cost of prom didn’t appear overnight, as even fourteen years ago teenagers and their families- at a time they’re preparing for college and all of its expenses- were having to spend over $1,000 for a one-night event. A 2012 Visa survey found that the average spending for everything prom-related was $1,078. Additionally, the report states “parents surveyed who fell in the lowest income brackets (less than $50,000) plan to spend more than the national average - $1,307,” (e.g., parents making $20,000 to $29,999 will spend more than any other income bracket at over $2,600). This is significant because families with lower incomes may have less financial flexibility, but are still willing to spend above the national average on a single event. In comparison, price breakdowns of the average prom experience in 2026 were $950-$1,100, according to dress retailer Amarra. This shows how average prom costs remain high over time. 

Prom, being the huge event it is for high schoolers, provides a glimpse into how teenage girls choose to spend money on prom and why they make the financial decisions they do. I surveyed 40 high school students (from juniors to recent graduates) across 10+ different states to gain insight on their spending and attitudes toward prom. There were twelve total questions with four question types: multiple choice, short answer, ranking, and multiple choice grid. The survey asked about topics from prom attendance to planned budgets to openness to wearing a secondhand dress. Almost 50% of respondents reported that cost was the most important factor out of five options (cost, brand, dress originality, trendiness, and time spent shopping) when choosing their dress. This shows that girls go into prom planning with an awareness of how much money a dress could be. However, there’s a difference between having a planned budget and actually spending that amount of money on your dress. When asked about any discrepancies between the two, these were some of the responses: “I found a dress that I really loved and it was a little over my budget but very worth it”; “I was expecting prom dresses to be more expensive but I actually found a more affordable option from Princess Polly”; and “I knew that dresses were expensive but I got mine on sale and it was not from a prom dress store…” These quotes show the variety in girls’ shopping experiences that are ultimately for the same event. The money issue causes some students to question whether attending is even worth it. From the survey, one girl wrote “It’s expensive for a dance that wasn’t even fun.” This is important to consider, because in some cases the experience will not justify the cost to attend. However, this doesn’t mean prom should be written off; it just means that students must think about new ways to effectively cut costs, because you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great night. There are lots of different ways to save money when planning for prom, but first let’s dissect the dress.

It’s crucial to plan ahead by determining what your estimated budget will be for a dress, and also how much you’re willing to stretch that budget if necessary. When it’s a high schooler’s first prom, that student and their families might not know what they’re getting themselves into or what to expect financially, because prom is just known for being a big, expensive night, with no prices clarified beforehand. This means girls have choices on how to spend their money and energy for prom. For example, the innovative type could sew her own dress; the eco-friendly type could re-wear a dress she already owns; the proactive type could buy from the sales racks in the off-season. Another way to save money on dresses is to set up a group dress exchange, which is a great option for girls with leadership skills or entrepreneurial qualities. This could be two girls simply coordinating to swap dresses for their next prom, or a more structured exchange between lots of girls that are able to find someone else with their size, until a network has formed where every girl in the group has another girl’s dress. Dress exchanges are a great opportunity to form a bonded community between girls before prom has even started, to make the special night even more fun. 

If you’re not up for any of the previously mentioned options for cutting dress costs, don’t be discouraged; the next resort should be to utilize your local thrift stores (i.e., the Goodwills, the Village Discount Outlets, and the Plato’s Closets) in your area. You might be surprised by what you’re able to find, which was supported by my conversation with a retail worker at Plato’s Closet who explained that while their store is known for casual clothing finds, you can normally always find a small collection of prom dresses in stock- sometimes even brand-new with the tags still on. This is another great way to potentially save money on the dress. When respondents from my survey were asked to rank how open they were to wearing a secondhand prom dress on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the least open, 5 being the most open), 63% answered a 4 or 5. This shows that the majority of girls are not opposed to secondhand dresses, yet there is a disconnect between the amount of girls willing to buy secondhand compared to the amount of girls that actually did. Only two surveyed respondents reported that they wore secondhand dresses, which suggests buying secondhand is easier said than done. This may be due to the lack of awareness girls have of options other than paying full price for a new dress or the fear of judgement for not having a brand-new dress. 

The paths I discussed earlier are just a few routes to take; but the great thing about prom is everyone gets to choose their own adventure depending on what that person wants out of the experience! Sometimes it’s all about going above and beyond to have a night to remember, even if that means putting a strain on the bank account, or sometimes having a good time means knowing you saved as much money as possible by making cost-effective choices. Every girl is going to be different, so what matters at the end of the day is understanding yourself and knowing what you want out of the experience. 

While prom can be a stressful time of planning and navigating costs, there are many paths students can take to save money. This makes it important to think outside of the box and stay open-minded when looking at your options. I saw how difficult it was for girls to decide how to spend their money for this big night, so I built a solution that would address the issue of the cost and stress of prom. I created a website that focuses on educating teenage girls on spending money on anything prom-related. It is meant to make the prom dress shopping experience easier, allowing a forum for girls to be matched with their perfect dress at a low-cost, their nearest thrift stores based on zip code, and somewhere to list/exchange their prom dresses with other users.  If this website could make the shopping experience during prom any smoother, then my work would be worth it and my goal would be accomplished.