(Post) Prom Series: Thinking WAY Ahead

Most schools have already had their prom, or will very soon, as the rest of the school year winds down. The prom shopping and excitement for this year is all done. Now it's just the wait for summer vacation, and graduation for seniors to come in a couple weeks. Anyhow, I had a great time at prom, and I hope that all of you that went had a good time too! I know that a lot of you probably didn't go for several reasons; not old enough, you didn't have a date (trust me though, you can still have fun without a date), or maybe prom just really isn't your thing. But if you have any wish, at all, to go to prom, then you most definitely should. It's a really fun and memorable night. 

I do know however, sometimes the reason that some people don't go to prom is because they just can't afford it. And believe me, I know how expensive prom can get. Dresses can range anywhere from a $100-$500 or more. Then getting your hair, make-up, and nails done, not to mention accessories and prom tickets, can add a lot more to it. Some people just simply can't afford to pay that much for one night. However, this shouldn't completely stop you from going... There are ways to save a lot of money. Choosing to do your own hair, make-up, and nails can save a ton of money already. You can also save a lot of money on your dress if you think way ahead.

My Prom Dress, It Was Only $10!

Do you guys wanna know a little secret? I only paid $10 for my prom dress. I bought it way back in August as I was doing my back to school shopping, so the price was marked way down from the previous prom season. As prom season starts to come to a close, many stores are going to start really marking down the price on prom dresses, so you can get them at a huge discount. My favorite store personally to look for discounted dresses is Debs. They have so many gorgeous dresses, already at the lower end of the price range for prom dresses. You can also consider looking for homecoming dresses on sale here, my homecoming dress was $5 on sale. You can also find huge markdowns on casual clothing at Debs as well. :)

As time goes along, the prices will get lower and lower, but so will the selection. The selection was very small when I bought my dress in August, but I still found a really pretty dress that I loved. If you want to look earlier and have more selection, the markdowns now are still really good, any money saved is good. If you do choose to wait however, you might just find a dress for under $20! 

Don't let a high price tag be the only reason you don't go to prom. Look for discounts after this season and prepare for the next season. Sure your dress will be from the last season, but that doesn't mean it won't look absolutely beautiful. Plus then you'll have a dress that you didn't have to spend a ton of money on. Honestly, nobody will even know the difference unless you tell them, and if you did, they might be very impressed!

Prom Series: Hair and Make-Up: Professionally Done or DIY?

Prom is approaching fast! It's a little over 3 weeks away for me. Over the past couple months I've made a few posts on my Prom dos and don'ts, dress shopping, and looking for accessories. As prom approaches it's time to start thinking of the last major details, hair and make-up! There are endless possibilities on how you can style your hair and make-up, and it can be hard to choose what to do. Do you want to do an updo or leave your hair down? Or maybe have your hair half-up half down? Do you want go with neutral make-up, or bright colorful make-up? Then there's the option to get it done professionally or to do it yourself. So many things to think about! 

The first decision is to decide whether you're going to get your hair and make-up done professionally or do it on your own. Choosing to have it done professionally almost ensures that it'll be done perfectly, and takes the stress off of trying to do it yourself, but it can be costly. If you don't want to spend the money, you can always do it yourself and still get a very nice look. However, if you do choose to do your own hair and make-up like I am, you'll need to know what you're doing sooner so you have more time to practice. The worst thing you can do is wait until prom night to try doing your hairstyle, just to find its more difficult than you thought it would be. I would at least practice the look at least two times, or until you get confident with it. You can also opt to get together with your friends and do each others hair, but you'll want to practice on each other as well. Remember, you want your friends to look just as great as you do! Never try doing a hairstyle for the first time when you need it to be perfect... or more importantly, don't try to figure out what to do hours before prom!

Get some kind of idea of what you want to do with your hair and make-up at least two weeks before the big day. Go ahead and google prom hair and make-up ideas and get some inspiration. Keep your hair type in mind when looking for a hairstyle. Some hairstyles may not work as well on shorter hair, and some might not work on longer hair, and some might work no matter the length of your hair. When you find something you like save the picture so you can refer back to it later, or print it off to show your stylist.  If you are doing your own hair and make-up for prom, you may want to use YouTube to find prom make-up looks and hairstyles so that you can get a how-to on the look. If you can, practice along with the video, then try it a few times on your own until you get confident with it. Never try to do a style for the first time on the big night! Two of my favorite YouTubers to look to for hairstyles are Lilith Moon and CuteGirlsHairStyles. Check them out, they have some amazing tutorials!

How you decide to go about your hair and make-up is completely up to you, and what you prefer. For make-up I personally would like to go for eyeshadow colors that match up with my dress, and a half updo. You may decide to go for a more natural or more colorful make-up look, and a full updo, or even leave your hair down and give it some nice curl. Whatever you decide on, pick something you love. It's all up to you. make it a look you'll be proud of!

As I start to wind down on my prom series, I would like to wish everyone a fun and safe prom. Make it one of the best nights of your high school life. :) 

Prom Series: Accessorize and Glamorize

Of course the dress you wear to prom is the most important part of the outfit, but you can't forget the right accessories to pull the whole look together. With that said, your shoes and accessories should compliment your dress, not try to compete with it, as with any other outfit. So as you start looking for the accessories to go with your dress, keep in mind my few basic tips. 

First of all you want to have your dress first, this goes without saying. You can't accessorize a dress without knowing what it looks like, LOL. Never try to pick out a dress from the accessories you get. After you have your dress the next thing to look for is the shoes. If you have a long dress, shoes won't play a huge part in your outfit. They should at least be a color that compliments your dress and be in a nice style, but they don't have to be extremely fancy. If you have a short dress, your shoes will play a bigger role, and you may want to consider getting slightly fancier looking shoes. And please, if you are like me and don't walk well in heals, don't feel the need to get heals. You'll want to be able to walk and dance comfortably and confidently... without the fear of falling into the punch bowl! LOL! There are plenty of pretty flats, and even shorter heals that you can pair with your dress. 

When it comes to everything else, which accessories you should pick will depend on the style of your dress. If you're dress has a lot of studs or decorations throughout it, you may want to tone down the accessories and use something more subtle. If your dress has a high neckline, you may want to skip out on a necklace completely. Accessories should also not clash with one another, on any day, not just for prom. If you choose to go with any statement accessories, you'll want to tone everything else down. Don't try to wear huge earrings with a huge necklace, it only looks bulky. Wear smaller earrings with a statement, or vice-versa. Remember to choose your accessories in colors that compliment your dress. If you can get a little bit of the dress color in them as well then that's amazing! 

You shouldn't overpay for your accessories, and the budget for your accessories should not exceed the budget of your dress (unless you get your dress for a VERY low price, which is possible as I'll put in a future post). I would say a good budget for prom accessories would be about $50-80 including shoes. You can adjust this number however you'd like based on what you can afford. You may want to consider getting your accessories at the same store you get your dress so you can compare them all right there, but it's only an option. My favorite store when it comes to accessories is Claire's, they have so many pretty accessories for a very reasonable price. Most of their accessories are under $20. You can get all of your accessories, minus the shoes here. You can even pick up a tiara if you are like me and daring enough to wear one! :) 

What are some of your basic tips when it comes to shopping for prom accessories? 

Prom Series: Shopping For THE Dress

Without a doubt, the dress you wear to prom is the most important part of your outfit, everything else just helps to pull the look together. With so many choices on prom dresses out there, it can be really hard to choose the perfect one! Do you want a long or short dress? Puffy or more slender? What color do you want? There are so many choices! So many pretty dresses to consider, so many places to shop. You may also have a budget to consider when choosing your prom dress. So where do you start?!

Before you begin shopping, you should set a budget to avoid over paying for your dress. You don't need to break the bank to find the perfect dress. Set it high enough that you can find a nice dress, but low enough that you'll be able to afford it. Do keep in mind that most likely you'll only wear this dress one time, unless you have another formal event to go to and decide to wear the same dress again. So as a good rule of thumb, I would say a budget of $200-300 would be good for a prom dress, but this all depends on your preferences and what you can afford. 

After you set a budget it's time to start shopping! Always feel free to check out a variety of stores. Different stores offer different dresses, so if you can't find the perfect dress at one store, don't just settle for any dress, check out another store! My personal favorite store when it comes to dress shopping is Deb, they have so many pretty dresses for less then $200, and they also carry a great range of dress sizes. If you have a Deb shop near you check it out! Feel free to check out both large department stores as well as smaller specialty shops. With smaller specialty shops you also have less risk of someone else purchasing the same dress. Checking out a variety of stores allows you to see many different options, and allows you to price compare.

When it comes to looking for the dress, have an idea of what you want, but keep your options and your mind open. If you see a dress that interests you at all, try it on. Even if it's not what you originally planned on getting, it may turn out to be the perfect dress! Please, try on more then one dress, even if you LOVE the first one you try on, another one may be even better. You may even want to consider trying on the same dress in a different color, sometimes color can make a huge difference! Try things you may not have considered before. You may have always thought your dream prom dress was a long puffy dress, but maybe your perfect dress is a slim shorter dress. You never know until you try! :) 

Remember, dress shopping should be FUN and not at all stressful, and you certainly shouldn't do it all on your own. Go dress shopping with a group of friends or female family members, they can help you out a lot! They can give comments and judge on how the dress looks on you. Plus you can help out your friends, and have some laughs while your at it. Try on something ridiculous just for fun and to see how they react. Make dress shopping a big day of fun. Go out for lunch, check out different stores, and have some great conversation. Make it a day to remember!

What are some of your tips when it comes to shopping for a prom dress? Did you already buy your dress? What is your favorite store for dress shopping? I would love to see some of your suggestions in the comments section! :) 

Prom Series: My Dos And Don'ts

The big dance is coming up in a few months, and it's time to start preparing. It's time to start thinking of what kind of dress you want and how to accessorize, how to do your hair and make-up, and everything else related to the big day. But before I get into any of that, I'd like to share my list of prom dos and don'ts. These are things that I see as essential to having the best night you can, with no regrets. You want to remember your prom as a night of fun, not as a night of disaster or regrets. You only get four proms at the most, if you are invited your Freshman and Sophomore year. Some of you may even be like me, and only get one prom your senior year. Some of these things are more serious then others, but it's all for having the best night of memories as you can.

Dos and Don'ts

Dos:

Do- At least go to your senior prom. Even if it's the only prom you go to.

Do- Wear a dress, and do your hair and make-up in a way that makes you feel beautiful. It's your night!

Do- Go with friends, and hang out with your friends while your at prom. Even if you have a date, spend some time with your best friends as well. Take some gorgeous pictures together!

Do- Bring a camera, preferably not just your phone. Take lots of pictures!

Do- Attend post-prom activities planned by your school if they make them. 

Do- Remain true to yourself. No matter what, stick to your values. 

Do- Hang around people that want the best for you. (Everyday, not just for prom.)

Do- HAVE A GREAT TIME! :)

Don'ts:

Don't- Skip y:our senior prom. It's a great night of memories, and you wouldn't want to miss out on one of your biggest high school memories. 

Don't- Feel as if you need to go with a guy. You don't need a boyfriend to have fun. 

Don't- Go alone. Like I said, go with friends if you don't have a guy to go with.

Don't- Feel as if you need to break the bank to get the best dress and look you can get. There are plenty of ways to save money.

Don't- Feel that you need to wear heals. Remember, you are going to be dancing. So you should pick shoes you feel comfortable in. There are plenty of gorgeous flats that you can wear as well as heals.

Don't- Spend the whole night on your phone. You should bring your phone in case of an emergency, but don't spend the whole night texting or on Facebook and Twitter. You can post about if after the dance. Prom is a rare opportunity. You can text any other time.

Don't- Go to someone's after party that you don't know very well. There is a potential that there could be things there that could get you into trouble. Also don't stick around a friend's party if drinking and drugs are involved.

Don't- Give in to any kind of pressure. Prom night can come with many pressures to drink, smoke, try drugs, have sex, and try things that can get you into trouble. Don't give in to please anyone else, or to "have a sense of adventure". Stick around people that support you and your values, and that don't want to see you get in trouble.  One mistake, in one night can change your life for the worse. Stay true to yourself,and your dreams.

What are your prom dos and don'ts?