<p>I like “naturist proms” myself. Saves a fortune on clothes, there’s no place to pin flowers, no place you can go outside the restricted space, and no place to hide bottles or drug paraphrenalia. AND it’s educational, and the kids remember it forever. ;)</p>
<p>mini mini mini…</p>
<p>there are just some bods that need to remain covered… ;)</p>
<p>Well, the OP asked for novel ideas…;)</p>
<p>For my daughter’s Winter Ball, we went to the local department store (Macy’s) & they put on her make-up for her (I don’t wear any & my sister who does was travelling). Also, I was able to buy her dresses on sale & bought 2 dresses for $80.</p>
<p>Son has a tux (for band), but didn’t choose to attend any formal occasion.</p>
<p>Our school includes dinner as part of the price of the evening & it’s about $60 or so/person, all at the same hotel.</p>
<p>Some HS have recycled prom dresses for sale or to borrow, I believe. Our kids’ HS invites the girls to donate their dresses after prom. </p>
<p>I’ve read about some kids (like my nephew) who combine with friends & all rent a limo together & divide up the cost. After the prom, they dropped off the girls & had a sleepover at his house with just the guys.</p>
<p>Back in the 70s, I sewed ALL the clothes I wore to proms & banquets. Nowadays, it is often cheaper to buy on clearance than sew. Am I showing my age?!?!?</p>
<p>If kids are intimidated by nice restaurants, this would be, to me, the thing to splurge on. Internships, job interviews and all the things coming up are important things to prepare for. I was very thankful to my parents and my school advisor thias summer when I was an intern at a bank and needed to feel at home in good restaurants. Many of my college interviews were also at good restaurants. Life just happens fast from now and prom is another growth opportunity.</p>
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<p>That is soooo true. Nowadays, by the time you buy the pattern ($$$), the material, and the notions, you will have spent as much (or more) than if you get the dress on clearance.</p>
<p>(I’ll show my age… I have some old patterns that cost 25 cents each. My mom has some that cost even LESS!)</p>
<p>My prom costs…it was cheap!</p>
<p>-Hair was done for free by a friend
-Dress was 30% b/c of a school discount at a local place - only cost 150ish
-Shoes were comfy flip flops I could wear again, since you couldn’t see my feet ($20)</p>
<p>-Prom tickets ($70/couple) and flowers ($20/couple) were covered by my boyfriend</p>
<p>-Two splurges were nails ($40) and a limo ($150/couple)</p>
<p>kk06 dress=$150; nails = $40; limo=$150; tix=$70; flowers =$20. That’s $430, of which you covered $340. If that was “cheap”, what is your definition of expensive?</p>
<p>If you did the naturist prom, you could still do the nails. ;)</p>
<p>Actually, that doesn’t even cover the cost of whatever the date wore to the prom–tux, new dress shirt, shoes, whatever. It seems pretty high to me too–$150/couple for a limo doesn’t sound like a great bargain, nor $150 for a dress or most of the rest of it. Yikes! I guess I’m grateful son has declined to go to the prom.</p>
<p>mini - a garland of dandelions in the hair might set off the whole look? ;)</p>
<p>Hey, if the whole point is to look nice so you can end the evening with all your clothes off, why not begin it that way and spare the expense?</p>
<p>(You can see I’m an incurable romantic, or simply cheap. Don’t worry, my wife is even more so.)</p>
<p>My daughter wore a dress that was on sale at Macy’s to the Winter Ball. Not sure how much it was, since I bought two dresses for $80. She wore sandals she had purchased for orchestra from Payless shoes for under $15 years prior. She borrowed one of my evening bags, had free makeup from Macy’s and rode to the prom in a van with her girlfriends (driven by parents). We picked her up after the prom. The ticket cost $40, I think & included dinner. Total cost of the evening for the event was under $100, including $8 for professional photos (she & friends chipped in & took group photos deluxe package & divided it up).<br>
Some of her friends borrowed dresses & footwear & accessories from friends or relatives, so that was free for them. Some had their hair done, which was extra. No flowers were allowed at the ball, so that was a savings as well.</p>
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<p>mini mini mini… </p>
<p>Prom is not the garden of eden… and it’s not a time for “show & tell”</p>
<p>HI mom…</p>
<p>No flowers allowed at a prom in Hawaii??? Wow… I thought flowers were a basic accessory in that beautiful state.</p>
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<p>Okay… If this is going to be the case then why don’t we just change out the hardwood dance floor and install wall to wall mattresses…</p>
<p>They purposely try to keep the “formal” events lower key so they say NO FLOWERS for the Winter Ball. They do allow flowers for the Junior & Senior Proms & I believe sophomore banquet only. Boys can get a garland (lei) as well, which can cost considerably more than a boutinaire.
At another private school, ALL kids have to board the bus at school & be driven to the banquets & many of the functions. They don’t have Proms, just “functions.”</p>
<p>I’m not a parent but I’m super excited about my low budget prom. I am going in a school bus with 25 other people. The bus costs $400, so we’ll all pay about $20. We’re getting Thai food catered, so that is $10. I am wearing material I bought in Africa for $2 and my friend is designing it into a dress. I am getting hair done at a salon ($50), and buying $40 worth of makeup and getting a free makeover at Bobbi Brown. I already have the shoes I’ll be wearing.</p>
<p>I’m just glad to see that parents, schools, and kids are starting to realize that prom doesn’t need to be a 1000 dollar nite. I don’t know when the trend started (to make them soooo expensive) because when I went to proms in the 70s, we didn’t have all those “extras” like limos, etc.</p>
<p>When I was a teacher, I remember one colleague who told me that she not only had to buy a 500 dollar gown for her d’s prom, but she also had to spend almost the same amount for the designer “after prom” outift (a very dressy, chic number). The idea of an “after prom” outfit was totally new to me. We always wore our prom gowns to wherever we went afterwards. I remember thinking, if this is the “new standard” what are all the modest income girls doing??? How can they compete with this??? </p>
<p>Frankly, I was disturbed that parents were buying into the pressure to go along (and write the checks) for all these new non-essentials. From the sound of it, the after prom party becomes really a fashion show where all the girls parade around in their second expensive outfit for the evening.</p>
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<p>Ok Mini, when I wrote the title, I knew I was going to have to prepare for you…</p>
<p>Mini’s idea for an after prom outfit…hmmmmm…</p>
<p>Not Birthday suit… cuz everyone saw that at the prom</p>
<p>Not Fig leaves… cuz they’re scratchy (and those parts are sensitive)</p>
<p>Maybe… the girls in Saran Wrap and the boys in condoms in the school’s colors</p>
<p>I’m sure you will come up with something better…</p>
<p>Too much money and guilt out there.</p>