With my youngest child’s senior prom now behind her I’m relieved to say I’m done with high school proms. No more nail biting over whether we’ll find the right dress. No more arguing over how much is an appropriate amount to spend on shoes, hair styling and accessories.
And no more fretting over whether the gown she picks out will make her look like a princess or a porn star.
When my husband found out last year how much her dress for the junior prom was going to cost (nearly $450, with alterations), he was apoplectic. He was speechless when I pointed out that the entire tab, including hair, prom tickets, shoes, earrings and other sundries (including an $80 underwire, strapless bra) would push that price tag to nearly $800.
I had to explain, patiently, that for girls, prom these days is really a dress rehearsal for a wedding.
This year we did better, but still didn’t get out completely unscathed. All told, prom this year was about $600.
According to an infographic on the Huffington Post, we got off pretty cheap. The average price of a prom is more than $1,000.
I’ve gotten used to these costs, but I still think it’s crazy.
How much do you think is too much to spend on prom?
