Visa Inc.’s annual prom survey revealed that families typically pay upwards of $919 per school dance. This price multiplied by the average three school dances a high schooler attends yields a total cost of $2,757.
The money students spend on dresses, suits, spray tans, makeup, hair styling, and promposals could be used for college and other post-high school funds. This begs the question of what can be done to cut the “prom cost.”
Some students have taken to their artistic inclinations in starting to design personal prom outfits and accessories.

Last April, senior Nancy Bowne faced this problem in attending her junior prom. Bowne recalls being baffled at the high prices of boutonnières and corsages, which typically cost $25 and $40 respectively. She said, “For something that lasts only four hours for one night, I realized that it probably isn’t that hard to make, and I could give it a try.” A year later, Bowne has begun selling these prom accessories. Besides for simply curbing the cost of prom, Bowne urges her fellow students to act similarly as it allows for a “deep sense of ownership of your look in being unique.”

Sophomore Mia Cohen saved over $200 by making her own dress. Cohen has been sewing for as long as she can remember and decided to sew her own dress since it’s always been a dream of hers.

She only spent $50 on the supplies and in total, the hours of labor took only a week. With just a sewing machine and some fabric, Cohen had hundreds and had a unique dress no one else was wearing. “This will be my craziest project yet, but the joy of wearing my own dress that I made will be so worth it,” she said.

For non-artistically inclined students, thrift and consignment stores are “lifesavers” for prom participants on a tight budget. Thrift stores like the recently opened Goodwill in Cherry Hill or Red, White, and Blue in Berlin offer discounts on prom dresses and suits in various styles.
Additionally, Haddonfield’s Lavish Loft Consignment Boutique, has an entire upstairs area dedicated to evening gowns. Sophie Steele, Eastern graduate of the class of 2018, found her junior prom dress off the consignment store racks for $30 with a retail price of over $250. This is especially important considering that, according to polls taken of Eastern students, approximately 60% of female students paid greater than $200 for their dress.
Besides this, the advent of e-commerce apps and websites, including Poshmark, Tradesy, and Vinted, has allowed former high school graduates to sell their dresses online for cheap prices as well.
Cost-cutting techniques for prom can also be applied to stylistic services, which frequently cost upwards of $100. Hair averaging $50 or more and makeup at least $30. Most Eastern students agree that spray tans prove unnecessary, and in reference to makeup and hairstyling, the general consensus is to suggest asking one’s friends or family to help.