Prom: Find your dream dress for less
Big dresses don't have to cost big bucks. Check out the Dream Dress Dance for free prom items this Saturday.
Prom season is upon us. If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress that may only be worn once, there are ways around it.
Thrift stores such as Goodwill end up with formals and other prom goods from time to time, and they often feature these items at the front of the store or in a special section. Because most formal gowns are very lightly used, this is an easy way to pick up a like-new dress for a fraction of the cost. Even if it doesn’t fit perfectly, some of the money saved could go toward alterations.
Shopping for formal items in the off season is also smart. By the end of May, department stores (like Macys, J.C. Penney and Belk) have formal dresses deeply discounted. Consider buying one that’s not a perfect fit (slightly long and wide) to account for any body changes and shoe options. Alterations can also be taken care of with the money saved.
Trading in or donating your used dress can also have its benefits. Now through Saturday, J.C. Penney stores are accepting gently worn prom dresses to be donated to underprivileged teenage girls. After donating, you’ll receive a 20 percent discount coupon toward a new prom dress at the store.
Another option for those wishing to donate their used dresses is the Dream Dress Dance presented by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley.
The event is currently collecting formal dresses and other prom-related items to give away. Donations are accepted at the Pulaski Jackson Hewitt location, 313 N. Washington Ave.
If you’re shopping for these items, the Dream Dress Dance will be giving everything away on Saturday, no strings attached, and everyone is welcome. Attendees will also have the opportunity to register to win prom packages.
Dream Dress Dance
What: Formals and other prom-related items will be available for free.
When: Saturday,
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: The Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley, 44 W. Fourth St., Pulaski
Contact: 980-4282
Do you know of any other ways to get a bargain on prom goods? Share it below!
March 30, 2011 - 8:00 AM
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When I was in high school, we had a big prom dress and formal wear sale within our school. It was a great way to get rid of your old dresses and potentially find a dress that you loved for fairly cheap. Plus, many people sold their old siblings’ dresses, so you didn’t have to worry about wearing the same dress as one of your classmates.
Being a seamstress (and having made my own wedding gown and a few homecoming dresses over the past few years), I’m more than happy to make someone their perfectly fitted one-of-a-kind dream dress at less than half the cost of one purchased at a store brand new! OR, we can take an “older” prom/homecoming/pageant gown and refashion it into (I’ll say it again) a perfectly fitted one-of-a-kind dream dress at less than half – or in that case probably even less – the cost of a new dress.
My daughters have several dresses and they are still in style. I will have to encourage them to donate their special occasion dresses so it will allow another young lady to have a “dream” dress.
It makes perfect sense to me and it helps facilitate a closet that needs to be cleaned out.