Prom on a Budget

Take it from a girl who knows: Prom dresses are expensive, and chances are, you will never wear one again.

I learned that lesson the hard way during my junior year when I realized that I would be attending two proms — mine and my boyfriend’s — in consecutive weekends. Fearing that my dress would get damaged before I even made it to the second prom, my mom agreed to buy two dresses that year but only on her terms — the cheap way.

And that became the challenge. How do you get two perfect prom dresses with barely any budget?

Enter the term rental. I’ll admit that I was uneasy about the plan — I didn’t know anyone who had rented a prom gown before. But when I visited a nearby rental store and came face-to-face with the perfect dress, I changed my mind.

The owner of the shop even altered the dress for free (it was the only one I tried on!), and she gave it to us for three days at about a third of what it would have cost in stores.

That dress is still my favorite gown from high school. It even inspired me to rent a gown the following year for my senior prom! And though it seemed strange to not buy them at the time, I now know that the dresses would only be taking up needless space in my already-stuffed closet.

What about you? Would you consider renting your prom dress?

XOXO,
Karen
CG! Editorial Intern