Prom is approaching, and while everyone thinks of it as one of the biggest nights during high school – full of glitz and glamour – the events leading up to the night are anything but.

It all starts with trying to find the perfect dress.  This may sound like a simple task, but in reality it may just be one of the most stressful parts of the entire process. The big variety of dresses makes it difficult to narrow it down to exactly what you’re looking for. Also dresses can range anywhere from 100-1000+ dollars, depending on where you look.

Even though there are so many dress options, it’s extremely common that someone ends up with the same dress as you.  Many see this as basically the worst thing in the world, others may just find it to be stupid. No matter what, this is still a stressful and pricey decision for anyone.  

After finally finding a dress, it’s time to figure out shoes, accessories, hair, makeup, and nails.  Shoes and accessories are extremely important for the entire look, but they can both be at least $50 and go up to around $150. To complete the full glam look, one needs to get nails, makeup and hair done either by themselves or by professionals. Nail costs can range from $25-$80 (depending on what you get done). Hair can range from being $75-150, and makeup can be around $50-100 or more.

On top of all these things, the price of the event itself is around $125 per person. Many groups may then pay extra for a limo or party bus and maybe even a photographer.

Overall, one can easily pay at least $1000 on prom; some will end up spending even more. So if you are planning on going to prom, just remember that a few hours of fun comes with a huge price.