Ladies, this is considered by your mothers the second best, most important dress of your life compared to your wedding gown. I’ve found that pre-season is the best time to be searching for a prom dress as everything that was in from last year is on sale and all the new styles are just now coming in and still at affordable prices. Prom dress shopping can be stressful and exciting but one thing is for certain it is definitely an experience. Some people bring a huge entourage as if the girl is shopping for a wedding dress and other just go with whoever is paying for their dress. Whoever is coming along with you here is my guide to making your shopping as fun as possible:

1. Set a clear budget: Prom dresses can be expensive, even up to over five hundred dollars! Setting a clear budget, that takes alterations into consideration, is the best way to start looking for a dress. There are stores for every kind of budget from the most expensive to the least, but be prepared for not all dresses are tailored to every girl (being 5’0’’ this is a well-known fact) and some alterations may cost more depending on the fabric and embellishment of the dress.

2. Plan your route ahead of time: Personally I recommend starting at the lowest price stores then going up to your maximum, glitzy dress stores. This lets you find what dresses work with your body type, simpler dresses that you may fall more in love with than the extravagant gowns, and for some satisfies their mother’s need to put them in those atrocious, who-designed-that gowns. Visit places you may not expect to find formal gowns as well, even a bridesmaid dress is beautiful and works great for prom, plus many bridal stores carry a “Prom” or “Special Occasions” department.

3. Research a place for alterations: There are some stores that won’t trim your dress because it is too elaborate, or they charge outrageous prices. Take your time, especially if you know you are going to need it, and look for someone who will fix the dress for a fair price.

4. Shopping online: Unless you’ve put the dress on in a store, you may be sorely disappointed by your online buy. A tiny screen shot of a dress doesn’t do it justice and when it arrives on your doorstep you may find yourself reconsidering. Sometimes you find hidden gems when shopping online but unless you know for certain that the gown will fit you most definitely, try to find a place where you can try it on, or if you can’t measure yourself anywhere and everywhere.

5. Who’s shopping with you: I learned from experience that bringing along women who are very opinionated aren’t exactly the best to bring along. They tend to make the experience more about them and less about you. For some, it’s a magical experience where they really want to bring their mother or their dad along and make it like a fairy tale. Others would rather mom just hand them the enchanted piece of plastic and hit the mall on their own, or with friends.

This is just a very basic guide on how to buy, what can be and is, a beautiful dress for you! Even the most basic dresses can be very flattering and fit your personality. Try on dresses that you think might not look good on you or a different type of color. You never know what you might find!