Students will be seen strutting downtown in full glam and red-carpet-worthy dresses, on May 13, at the Fort Worth Omni Hotel, for the 2023 prom. 

For most of them, especially young ladies, a lot of preparation and high expectations usually precede this magical night to remember. For example, they may want to find a date, book a hair appointment, makeup artist, get a manicure, or even a spray tan. 

On the night of prom, it is very important to look your best and exude confidence, not only for the Instagram pictures but also to create some happy memories with your friends/date. 

Perhaps the most important decision of this process will be the prom dress. 

So here are some factors to consider before saying “yes to the dress”:

Do you feel beautiful? 

This goes without saying, but obviously, you want to look your best. It is also equally important to feel your best; attractiveness can definitely be more of an attitude than just an outward appearance. 

Friends or family may prefer to see you in a different color, or a silhouette other than you actually want. However, the suggestions of your entourage don’t have to drastically sway your individual opinion. 

This could lead to the regret of buying the dress they wanted you to wear, rather than another one you felt the most confident in. 

The easiest way to avoid this is to cut down your shopping entourage to an intimate group of just a few people. This way, you can trust them to give their own genuine advice while also considering your happiness and possibly different clothing taste.

While trying on dresses, you should also keep an open mind.

You might be disgusted with the bright, poufy ballgown your mom picked off the rack right now, but maybe once you try it on you’ll start crying happy tears because you feel like a Disney princess.

Or maybe you walked in seeking something sparkly and poufy, but later realize that a simple, form-fitting silhouette is just the right kind of dress to highlight your best features. 

Also, you don’t want to go over budget.

Most students likely won’t have an unlimited budget for a dress they will only wear for one night, so affordability is generally a deciding factor.

While most formal dress shops might be selling their dresses from $300 to $500, or even closer to the thousands in some cases, it is perfectly possible to purchase a gorgeous gown online that might range from $60 to $200. 

Online shopping might also be a better option if you’re looking for a specific style of dress that’s more unique, or out of the box.

For example, a close friend of mine purchased her gothic black corset-top prom gown from Amazon in 2022.

That same year, I found a sparkly green two-piece number at lulus.com for just $60, no alterations needed.

Finding a dress that’s unique, or maybe just different from the other 500 other girls also attending prom this year may prove to be significant.

While personally, I believe we should all just wear whatever dress we want without comparison, you never know how someone will react to you walking into prom with a dress identical to the one that they picked for themselves.

If you don’t want a strange girl you don’t know giving you the stink-eye all night, you might want to follow the prom of 2023 Instagram page: @joshuaprom2023.

Girls have been posting their dresses on the page since January because it’s never too early to start shopping for the perfect prom gown!

Now, with all of this in mind, are you going to say ‘Yes to the dress’?