Americans love to do things big, and prom is no exception. Each year, the pre-parties seem bigger, the limos longer and the heels higher. These upgrades are putting a heavy financial burden on students and families. According to usnews.com, the average household with a student attending prom spent $978 on the event in 2014. On the heels of this study, and with prom arriving tonight, Hi’s Eye staffers examined the cost of the WHS prom.
Attire
Of all the money spent nationwide on prom, the highest cost remains tuxedos and dresses. Girls may end up spending as much as $500 on a gown, according to heraldtribune.com, and guys who buy a tuxedo are often burdened with prices starting at $200. According to jos.a.bank.com, for example, the least expensive tuxedo for sale is $268.50.
Senior David LaVelle, who rented a tux, said, “I didn’t realize that renting the tuxedo was just one of the things I would be spending huge sums of money on. Prom…added up to a ridiculous amount of money.”
According to a Hi’s Eye survey of 100 girls attending the 2015 WHS prom, 45 percent spent $151–$300 and 31 percent spent $301–$500 on a dress. However, the cost of dressing to the nines doesn’t end there, as 44 percent spent $101–$250 on accessories.
According to the survey, 31 percent spent $151–$200 on hair and makeup. Commonly, girls research hairstyles online and then replicate the style themselves or hire a professional. Junior Cami Sullivan, who plans to go to a local salon for her prom ’do, said that her salon “charges $80 and up depending on how long…my hair is.”
Party and After-Party
The basic cost of prom is the $75 ticket. According to the survey, 59 percent of girls said that their dates paid for their tickets, 20 percent said they paid for themselves and their dates, and 18 percent said that they paid for their own tickets only. Senior Johanna Mermer said: “I offered to pay for my half, but [my date] wanted to pay for both.”
Prom-goers also encounter transportation costs. According to a representative of Limo Springfield, which has a service designated specifically for prom, the price of a limo rental for one night is a minimum of $1,000. Some students opt to rent buses.
Senior Anastasia Smolenski said she plans to take a bus to prom and then the beach. She said, “I just feel like the bus is [a] safer option [than driving] for everyone getting down shore, even though it’s more expensive.”
In the survey, 71 percent plan to head to the shore after prom and 3 percent plan to go to a lake or mountain home. Meanwhile, 17 percent plan to stay home, and 9 percent marked “travel or other” on the survey. These activities cost 45 percent of the surveyed girls $201–$500 and 37 percent $200 or less. For 18 percent, these activities cost $501–$700.
Senior Andrew Marino said: “I’m going to Seaside Heights…. Everyone hates the cost…but we’ll have a good time.”
Even though many students are aware that the cost of prom has increased in our current economy, 53 percent of girls said that they had not predicted just how much money prom cost. Smolenski said: “It was definitely more expensive than I thought because there were so many expenses I hadn’t thought of….My advice to [underclassmen] is to definitely save up.”