How to Choose a Dress for Prom

Prom is one of the most glorious events you will ever attend as a teenager. The prom dress itself takes center stage. Every teenage girl wants to be the best dressed and the prettiest looking princess/queen of this treasured evening. The point is, prom dresses are a very big deal. That is why it is utterly important to get it right. Your choice of dress will be something you will remember for the rest of your life. These are memories that you will cherish and often come back to even as your own daughters prepare themselves for prom.

That being said, some of the most important factors that go into choosing a prom dress are the price and the wearers body type and size. A lot of other factors come into play later on, but these three are the most sensitive ones. Almost everyone has a difficult time choosing the perfect prom dress, but with some guidance, you will find that the task isn't that much of an ordeal. All you need to know are a few basic details such as your body size, type and what colors make your eyes pop. After that, the rest will depend on what type of budget you have but once you have your options narrowed down, you can always find a dress that fits into your budget. To help you out, here are a few things you want to consider when looking through prom dresses trying to decide on the right one.

1. Know your colors

This is one of the most important aspects when it comes to choosing a prom dress, the color. Many people go for different colors for different reasons. Some like red because, to them, it signifies the love of life and love. Some go for black because they are looking to make a statement of sorts while others go for white because most wedding gowns are white and they are purely hopeless romantics. The reasons for choosing a specific color for your prom dress should be both veiled in vanity and guided by simple pragmatism. Let's start with vanity:

- We all know you need to look stunning. This is not an option. You therefore have to choose a dress that brings out your best features. Aside from the make of the dress and the length, the other prominent character that helps a dress bring out your best features is its color. If you are a blonde, you have an abundance of options. A white, black, or even any shade of blue dress will do. Find something that flatters both your hair color and skin tone. For brunettes, you might want to go with jeweled-toned bright colors. Prom dresses that come in white, beige, gold and silver will do the trick. You also want to pick something that compliments your body shape. If you are plus sized, pick a slimming color like navy blue or dark green. Black goes particularly well here. Accessorized with silver or various jewel-toned accessories. Bottom line, go for something that compliments both your skin tone and hair color.

Now as far as pragmatism goes, besides looking your best, you want to choose a dress that is within your reach and actually adds value to you. This means, you have to work within a sensible budget. Some girls chose to make their own prom dresses. This works if you are artistic and a capable designer. For those of you who aren't, the only way to get some leeway with your prom dresses is to look at other ways to cut the budget down. This means, either cutting down on the accessories or choosing a dress that is within a reasonable price. This does not mean that you will be going to your prom in a run down dress. There are many wonderful gowns that are within a reasonable price range.

2. Bring a friend and be unique

The thing about prom dresses is that they may be a dime a dozen but very few really stand out. It is therefore not uncommon to find two ladies wearing the exact same dress on the very evening. This without a doubt can be very embarrassing and uncomfortable not to mention the generic look it will bring. That is why it is important to be rather choosy in your selection and to be sure that no one else from your school has bough the same the dress. Most stores keep a log nowadays of which students have bought which dresses and the school districts they come from. This will help you avoid that awkward moment when you waltz in only to find a dozen other girls wearing the exact same dress. It is always prudent to bring a friend when shopping for prom dresses. And by friend we are including your mother. Someone whose opinion matters to you and you know deep down that they would never knowingly steer you wrong. Do not bring too many friends with you. This will only make the decision making process 'murky' due to the wide range of different preferences. Besides, bringing your mother is only pragmatic, she is the one paying for the dress after all.

3. Do NOT lie to yourself or use wishful figures

Many ladies buy prom dresses that are either a size too small or a little too tight hoping that by the time the set dates comes around, it will fit just fine. We applaud your weight losing efforts but weight loss is often an oscillating game. One week you may lose a pound or so and gain two the following week. 90% of the people who set weight loss targets for themselves do not achieve that target by the set dates. This will only heap on to an already stressful preparation phase. It is best to buy a dress that fits you as you currently are.

When looking for prom dresses, do not be afraid to do most of your shopping online. After all, you will have a bigger variety to choose from and you don't even have to do all that walking about.