by Alyson Haley and Lauren Gasek
As prom rapidly approaches, many students are preparing to make this night the best of their lives. This year, the class of 2017 has started earlier than ever in their preparations this year.
We surveyed several sophomore, junior and senior classes who have been to prom already or are preparing to go this year, and we asked them about the process of preparing for prom.
Your Experiences
According to our survey, the dresses cost generally more than tuxedos. The boutonnieres and corsages cost around $25 each. Students bought their prom attire both locally and through larger chains, such as Giggi’s Boutique and Men’s Warehouse. Most students chose local hair salons, such as Sereni Salon downtown and Sully’s Barber Shop, but some girls chose to have their hair done professionally as far away as Boston and Rhode Island.
These surveys also told us that March is the most popular month for promposing. Around a month would then go by before most of the students bought their dresses and tuxedos for the special night. On average, the overall price that individual students contributed to prom ranged from below $600- $1000.
(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)
Infographics by Alyson Haley
Shopping Close to Home
Located just around the corner from Hudson High, on the edge of Washington Street rotary, is the relatively new yet very popular Giggi’s Boutique.
Giggi, the founder of the shop, started out only selling bridal dresses. But since then, her store has become very successful, and she started to supply prom dresses as well. Meghan, a sales assistant, said that this year, girls are actually buying their prom dresses earlier than ever before. She has seen many prom dresses bought as soon as November. Some girls have even been seen more than once in the store buying more than one prom dress for the different proms that they have been invited to and are planning to attend.
Dresses at Giggi’s start at as low as $200, but the majority of dresses cost between $300 and $800. People are generally drawn towards Giggi’s because they carry more of the popular and trusted brands like Sherri Hill. Also, along with the popular brands, Giggi ships in dresses from all across the country, some of which are one-of-a-kind.
Prom on a Budget
But what if students don’t want to spend all this money on one night, or don’t have that money?
Fortunately, volunteers from around the Metrowest area come together throughout the year to prepare for this issue. The Princess Boutique is an organization that has been running since 2009, which helps girls with a financial burden make sure they have the perfect outfit for prom. It is made up of more than fifty volunteers, mostly parents whose children attend schools in the Metrowest area.
The organization relies on donations that come in from the area as well through advertisements and word of mouth. The group has been set up in the gym of Marlborough High School for the past several years after first being showcased at Nashoba High School.
This year, the Princess Boutique received an average of 2,000 dresses, and Katherine Hennessy, one of the leading volunteers of the organization, says that there are rarely any girls that leave without dresses, and dresses are rarely ever left over in the end as well.
Girls sign up for appointments to come in and pick out their dresses, and they can also take home a pair of shoes, as well as jewelry, accessories, and even things like make-up, shawls, and gloves. There was plenty to go around for all who attended the Princess Boutique.
Prom is the time when you get to splurge a little bit, and really pamper yourself. If that means spending almost $1,000, then why not? But that isn’t the only option. There are still several ways that you can have the night of your life and save money.
by Lauren Gasek
Take our quiz to learn what princess has your dream prom look!
