Pro

Spring time signals prom season to high school students and CCHS’s prom is the last weekend in April this year. Students love when prom season comes around. They think nothing of the hundreds of dollars that they are spending on whatever luxuries they feel is necessary for them to enjoy their prom night. Every year this night gets more expensive, some spend so much it’s laughable. For the typical female the perfect prom dress has to cost at least $400 dollars. For some teens this may seem like a lot but it’s really not if you have been dress shopping before. The expenses don’t stop there the perfect dress has to have perfect accessories among them long gloves and tiny purses with a lot of glitter. Theses items run hundreds of dollars as well. The overall cost to attend prom increases rapidly when you go all prince and princess, for example:

• Dinner $50-$100
• Prom tickets – $50-$100, however Chavez does not offer couple tickets at a discount.
• Limousines charge around $100
• Hotel $90
• Makeup and Hair – $90-$200
• Pictures range from $30-$200
• Corsages are about $40
• Accessories $50-$150

If your prom is being held in a fancy hotel, ballroom, or a nightclub it may be more costly than if it is being held in your school gymnasium. Remember, ticket prices usually include entry into the dance, the dinner, and the beverages, so find out before you plan to do a big dinner first! A lot of proms don’t provide a full dinner, so you may decide to go out to eat. It depends on where you decide to dine. This cost will vary depending on your choices. You may decide to go to a salon to get your hair, makeup, and nails done, or you might opt to do it yourself. The cost of your gown is completely up to you, and your budget. You may stitch one up yourself, go to a “one-of-a-kind” boutique, visit a thrift store, or hit a department store. It depends on the type of flowers. Most prom committees arrange for a photographer to take portraits of couples at some point during the evening. You will probably receive a price list beforehand. They may be prepaid, or you may need to pay at the event, so don’t forget your cash or check. You may choose not to get formal photos and use your own camera. Hey, that’s cool too. Renting a limo is an extravagant option, but it is very common. The best approach is to get a group and split the cost. Either way prom is a must to attend for any student regardless of cost.

Con

Juniors and seniors dream of attending prom; the memories, fun, and glam but are they ready to spend a lot of money? Is it worth four or five hours? For one typical night to remember, you are most likely going to pay $1,000 dollars or more and spend the majority of the time waiting to have pictures taken. Then there are the outfits.

For the guy, a typical outfit consists usually of a tuxedo that has accessories to match their dates dress. Tuxedos range from $75-$300 and dresses range from $150-$850. This often is the bulk of the prom cost.

Besides outfits there is also dinner, tickets, transportation, after parties, cosmetics, pictures, flowers, and any other accessories. Typical cost for these things are as follows:

• Dinner $50-$100
• Prom tickets – $50-$100, however Chavez does not offer couple tickets at a discount.
• Limousines charge around $100
• Hotel $90
• Makeup and Hair – $90-$200
• Pictures range from $30-$200
• Corsages are about $40
• Accessories $50-$150

Schools should make going to prom easier for their students. Ticket prices are higher than they should be, and there should be a couples price in order to help alleviate some of the costs. Prom is already expensive to attend and in California not as many teens are working part time jobs due to work permit requirements that differ from much of the country. and there’s students who battle hardships at home and would kill to go to prom but can’t because of all the rules and regulations in order to go. If you are lacking the funds for the above necessities then there are always the options of going to work, a date night to the movies, or even a day trip to the bay would all be less expensive than going to prom. So if you cannot afford much of the above, go enjoy your high school sweetheart.