Forget what you heard: prom is now a whole thing.
From the outfits to the hair to the make-up to the flowers to the pre-prom presentation, it’s now a Swarovski-encrusted, glitter-glam, professional make-up artist affair—and it has the price tag to match.
The Michigan Chronicle reached out to parents, hair stylists, designers, make-up artists and florists—among others—to ask what it costs to send their children to this event.
Tamela Todd shared with the Chronicle that, bundled with her youngest daughter’s graduation, she is spending almost $4,300. The price breakdown:
- The prom dress = $800
- Prom car rental = $200
- Photographer = $275
- Decorations = $400
- Party favors = $245
And that’s not including hair and nails for the actual prom day.
“This cost can be a burden on families, especially those with limited financial resources,” Todd said. “Some parents may feel pressure to spend more than they can afford in order to give their children a memorable prom experience. Additionally, prom-related expenses can add up quickly, especially for families with multiple children attending prom in the same year. I know by our daughter being our last child to graduate and the baby of the family we have over-spent for her prom experience. I suggest parents to save for this a year in advance.”
Je Donna Dinges, who owns the resale boutique Margaux & Max, said that customers have a wide price to choose from, from $175 to $400, as the higher priced dresses are high-end couture such as Badgley Mischka. She reported that the average price paid so far this prom season has been $175.
Designer Adrienne Topp told the Chronicle that her custom-made gowns run about $1800 on average. Raeshawn Bumphers, founder and CEO of the bridal shop Pink Poodle Dress Lounge, said prom dress spending at her store is between $399 and $750. Designer and CEO Latricesa Myonne, who owns the House of Myonne, reports that her custom gowns run from $850 to $3000.
What the gown-wearers are looking for varies. Dinges said the teens are looking for “discreet peeps”; Topp noticed the teens are going for “fancied feathers, bling, flesh-tone illusion fabrics with large arrangements of Swarovski crystals on the bodice, and fluffy, wavy or splits in the skirt.”; Bumphers commented that her customers want “sequined mermaid dresses with feathers and long-length hemlines as long as wedding trains”; Myonne said her clients seeks “African style, mostly from Nigeria.” The colors for the gown range from shimmering silvers, gold and champagne to red, orange and royal blue.
Of course, prom means a face to the gawds—and make-up loving folks are going to the professionals for the perfect look.
Self-taught make-up artist Tina Jones stated that she’s charging $90 to $120 for her services. Melinda C Johnson, CEO of Melinda Christie Beauty, said her price depends on if the client comes to her or she travels to them. If the client visits her, Johnson said her fee starts at $125; if she goes to them, she charges $250. Tiffany Elder who runs Aisha Tiffany Make-up Artistry & Skin Studio said her prom make-up service runs from $95 to $150, depending on the services and the location. Ashley Hosey who owns Ashley Valentina Artistry commented that Michigan make-up artists are charging on average $100 to $350, which is in line with what her colleagues have said.
Johnson observed that the prom-goers want “glitter, strong creases and mega-lashes.” Elder said her customers are going for a “soft glam with a little dazzle,” with an even skin tone, either sparkling eyeshadow or “subtle bling” with a color liner or a neutral, nude or soft ombre lip with gloss. Jones agreed that prom-goers are going for “full faces with glitter and rhinestones.” Hosey also said that rhinestones are the thing ever since the TV show “Utopia” featured them. She also noted that her clientele is looking for a cat eye, a soft “cut crease” eyeshadow and a minimum foundation and eyeshadow face because “teens still want to feel like themselves.
And hair? That, too.
Kelli Williams, owner of Hairfidence, said this year’s prom ‘dos, especially lace fronts, are “very Met Gala, very glam.”
Of course, there are the flowers, particularly the corsages and boutonnieres. Brandy Bradley, the proprietor of B. Blooming, said the former runs from $25 to $50, and the latter goes from $15 to $25. Floral installations, such as florals decorating staircases, are also popular and start at $500, Bradley noted.
The price of prom is prohibitive to some teens who’d otherwise love to go. So, a few of the responders told the Chronicle that they know of organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha who are donating prom dresses or they themselves offer their services free of charge to young women who want to go to the event.
“I do it because it breaks my heart to watch kids want to celebrate this great event but can’t afford to do so,” Williams said.
Considering the money dropped for these goods and services, a couple of the interviewees compared proms to weddings. Prom has become the new wedding in the sense that it’s the middle- and working-class version of a family coming out to society, to flex their ability to “afford.” Both events harken back to the debutante and cotillion balls of old, where the teen or young adult was the representative of how a family raised a “proper young woman” who knew how to “handle herself” in public.
About Post Author
