Prom is a magical night in any young woman’s life. You want to make sure you have your gown, shoes, accessories, hair, and makeup in order earlier to avoid stress as the day inches closer. These are the reasons to start prom dress shopping early.
Avoid the Rush
It may seem premature to begin your prom dress search in January or February, but stores will already have the racks stacked and the gowns online by then. It will allow you to search through all of the dresses and leave you time to decide which is the best one for you. So, if you’re stuck between red and blue, mermaid or ball gown, there’s no need to make a rush decision.
You’ll also avoid the last-minute rush and stress. Prom dress shopping is typically competitive—everyone wants to look their best! And if your dream gown is trendy, it’s most likely another’s dream dress too, so the earlier, the better.
Allow Time for Alterations
Another reason to start prom dress shopping early is to allow time for alterations. Most tailors need two to four weeks to complete their alterations. When you purchase early, you allow enough time for your tailor to fix the issues without the stress of a time constraint. If anything goes wrong during alterations, there’s plenty of time to correct the problem.
Something to remember is that the more embellishments and layers your dress has, the more complicated it will be to alter.
Shopping Logistics To Know
Before you begin your dress shopping, layaway, pre-order, and special ordering are a few important terms to know. Layaway means you’ll order your dress and then pay for it a little bit at a time. Remember that you won’t get the dress until you’ve finished paying for it, but it will allow wiggle room in your budget.
Some stores now allow you to pre-order a prom dress. Pre-ordering will guarantee you get the dress you want. Stores can also special order a dress for you. If they don’t have the correct size or color, the retailer can order the dress especially for you.