Prom Time – Why is it so Crazy These Days?

Why is Prom so crazy these days?  It just gets worse every year.  I remember when I went to Prom.  We had our prom in our cafeteria at school.  We decorated it, ate supper there and then danced and had fun until it was over.  There was a photographer at the prom, we all lined up and took our pictures in front of the themed background.  Everyone’s pictures were basically the same.  The main cost for prom was either your dress or tuxedo.  There were no limos, no fancy dinners, no professional photographers, we even painted our own nails, applied our own makeup and fixed our own hair.

Now it seems that the focus is more on getting ready for the prom and taking the perfect pictures instead of just enjoying the actual prom.  I have heard of kids going through all the expense and preparation, making their entrance at the prom, and then leaving to go have fun somewhere else because the prom is boring.  I think it has to do with the fact that everything is posted on social media now.  When we were kids, the only things you knew about prom was what was going on in your town or at your school.  Now everyone knows what everyone does all over the world almost instantly.  They look, compare, and think that they have to compete with what someone else did.

They even compete on how they are asked to prom.  This is a fairly new phenomenon.  Promposals were not a big thing when my oldest was in high school 6 years ago, now they are all the rage.  Even couples that know they are going to the prom together still have to go through the process of coming up with some elaborate way of asking so it can be shared on social media.  Pinterest is full of promposal ideas to help the less creative kid come up how to wow their prospective date.

The girls get spray tans, their nails done, makeup done, hair done, it takes them a week to get ready.  They hire professional photographers to take their pictures at fancy houses, parks, downtown or wherever they can think of to outdo everyone else.  We live in a rural area so most of the kids have vehicles, but they hire limos or party buses to take them from the prom location to a restaurant and back again.  The amount of money spent on one night of fun is crazy to me.

A lot of kids don’t even attend the prom because they can’t afford to do all the extravagant extras that they think are required.  Now there are programs that help provide dresses for girls that can’t afford to spend a fortune on a dress for one night, but I haven’t seen any that provide tuxedos for the boys.  Most people think that is no problem since the boys can rent one, right?  Wrong, the very basic tuxedo starts at $99, and that is not what most of the kids are choosing.  The rental places will tell them that the cheaper version will look boxy or doesn’t include something that they really need.  My son requested the cheaper version at the beginning, and the man helping us showed us a couple of coats to choose from.  When it was all chosen and rang up with a $40 off coupon, it still cost $166 for one night rental.  When my son asked about the cost difference, he was told he picked a more expensive tuxedo than the special.  We still got off cheaper than most, some pay $300 or more just for the tuxedo rental.

Even just having the corsage and boutonniere made can cost a lot of money.  I have heard that it costs a lot to have these made at a florist, but do not have any direct experience since I made them for my oldest son and am in the process of making them for my younger son as well.  Not everyone can do this though, so they have to purchase them.  Just the supplies cost $30 and I didn’t have to buy everything required since I already had some of the basics.

I don’t know how to change it, but do wish the kids could just enjoy a simple night of fun without going in debt or causing their parents to spend money that they should be spending on other things or saving for college or retirement.  It is up to each family to decide how much money is spent on prom and how it is spent.  Many kids have to have jobs so that they can afford to do what the other kids do, when it would be better if they could just concentrate on their schoolwork and being a teenager.  They don’t realize that all these material things really are not important.  The relationships with their classmates and friends are what are really important.  They don’t realize how quickly these years go by and then they have to work to provide for their families and spend money on things that are really not important in the long run.  I wish everyone could live a simpler life, but all I can do is live my life the best way I know how and teach my kids the value of money, relationships, family and faith.

How is Prom time in your house?  Is it crazy expensive or do you do it frugal?  Leave a comment and let me know how Prom is where you live.

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