BASICS TO STRESS FREE PROM DRESS SHOPPING

Although prom dress shopping is fun and exciting, it can also be stressful. We have the best ways to cut the stress and make your experience quick and easy.

• Online Research: Be prepared! You can minimize your store time if you shop online ahead of time. If you find a certain style you love online, buy it there or print it out and bring it to the store. It’ll be much easier to have an assistant help you when you have a reference than if you try to describe it from memory. This will lessen your time at each store and help you find your dream prom dress in no time.
• Know Your Budget: Are you paying? Are your parents? What can you afford? Narrow it down to a few stores and a few dress options that you can afford. Prom dresses can get very pricey if you don’t do your research ahead of time.
• Know Your Style: Knowing what style you like and looks best on you is very important when you’re dress shopping. It helps you narrow your choices and lessens your store and ‘try-on’ time. You also have to be aware of what style you are searching for so you wear the correct bra and underwear. Some dresses require halter or strapless bras while others require thongs or full coverage underwear. Everyone has tried on a strapless shirt with a regular bra, buy it, and realize it’s not quite right with a strapless. This happens with dresses all the time as well. So know, before you go!
• Eat Before You Go: Just because you are trying to shed those extra pounds for the big night, doesn’t mean you need to starve yourself when looking for the perfect dress. If you buy a dress with a little room, you can always get it taken in closer to prom night. Also, long lines and trying on dress after dress can make you cranky even if you aren’t hungry. So we can only imagine if you are! Eat a meal, take a snack. Odds are you are going to be on the hunt for a while.
• Parent Friendly: Last thing you want is to battle your parents over your dream dress, especially if they are paying. Talk to your parents about the new dresses that are in style before you go. Show them pictures of what you are looking for. We know your parents aren’t going to be at prom but they and your friends and dates’ parents will be very involved in the pre-prom festivities; taking pictures, holding the party, or possibly driving you. Loving a style is important but respecting your elder’s opinions is too. Compromise is the best way to attack this issue.