Prom is the time of year for elaborate promposals, detailed makeup and hairstyles, and, of course, show-stopping dresses. When it comes to buying the perfect dress, there’s a difference between those who are willing to go above and beyond with their price ranges and those who keep their budget as low as possible.

Dresses are one of the most important pieces when it comes to the special occasion. Prices are usually around $100 to $300 but can range widely from those averages. Popular name brands can run as much as $850 or more, but most high schoolers do not have that much money to spend on a dress.

In my opinion, spending over $300 on a dress may be going overboard. If you spend anything above that on a prom dress, how much more are you willing to spend on the other aspects of prom, like makeup, hairstyling, nails and any other “necessities” you might want? All the expenses can lead to an empty bank account.

“Students should be able to spend however much they want to have a special night,” said senior Jennifer Hundley. “However, I don’t think I would ever spend more than $300 for a dress.”

Another thing to take into account when deciding how much you want to spend on your dress is seeing if you’ll need alterations to it. If you buy a significantly costly dress and have to pay for alterations after buying it, that will be approximately $50-100 more going towards what your wearing to prom. So girls may be faced with the decision of whether they want to buy an inexpensive dress that they can spend more on altering (if needed), or spend more on one that already fits them, therefore not needing the adjustments.

Guys are not off the hook either when it comes to prom prices. Even though they don’t have the stressful task of finding a dress, there is still the cost of dinner, tickets, corsages and tuxedo rentals.

One reason I’m against spending hundreds of dollars on your attire, whether you are a girl or guy, is that you only wear your dress or tuxedo once. Then it gets shoved into the closet never to be seen again or sold online for cheaper than you originally bought it for. Yes, you might wear it once or twice more, but never for a night like that.

“I get stressed about prom because I don’t want my dress to get messed up,” said West Forsyth junior Allie Gauntt.

Spending too much can lead to more stress. The high school prom is something to look forward to, not stress about, and having a price budget can help limit this.

“A budget is almost necessary because it is just prom and you really shouldn’t be spending thousands of dollars,” said sophomore Maggie Taquey, who plans on attending Reagan’s upcoming prom.

I understand why some want to go all out for the special occasion and that is fine if you have the money and really want to, but many do not have the luxury of doing this just for one night where most people look back and admit that it wasn’t even the best night of their lives, as the cliche saying has it. Because while prom can most certainly be a highlight of high school, it is not a life-changing memory, like graduation for example. Prom isn’t a necessary event to attend and a good portion of students choose not to.

It is also not necessary to break the bank just to find a stunning dress that you’ll love. I have seen high schoolers get their prom dress for as low as $10 because it was on sale or they just found an amazing deal, yet no one can tell the difference between a bargain and a $1,500 dress. If you save some money on the dress aspect of prom, then you can spend a little more on other things.

However much you pay for that perfect prom dress, it should make you feel beautiful and help you have a fun night. While budget should play a significant role in deciding which dress is for you, the most important factor of is that your dress makes you feel special.

“I don’t really think that the price matters because whether you get a $500 dress or a $20 dress, it’s about feeling confident and super-pretty,” said senior Hannah Bullock.