Best places to get affordable prom dresses!
Last month my daughter and I started on a mission. The goal? To buy the “perfect” prom dress, without spending a lot of money. The only problem??? My daughter was very picky about what she wanted. Fortunately, after a few days of research and lots of dress try-ons, I’m so excited to share with you that we accomplished our mission! We found an affordable prom dress, that my daughter LOVES! Keep reading to learn exactly where to buy cheap prom dresses!
Where To Buy Cheap Prom Dresses
It is possible to find the perfect dress….without spending a lot of money! Find out how below!
Facebook Marketplace
The first place I recommend you begin looking for affordable prom dresses is on Facebook Marketplace. This is a great place to start your search because many college and high school students love to sell their gently used formal dresses on Facebook! You can easily found dozens of options, all for a really low price!
Thrift and Consignment Stores
Don’t forget to stop by a few of your local thrift and consignment stores. They always have formal dresses in stock! We loved a few dresses from Uptown Cheapskate, but unfortunately they weren’t the right size. A few other stores I recommend you look at are:
Remember, when thrift shopping to keep an open mind. Stains can come out, with the right treatment. Dresses can easily be altered by a local tailer. Look at the possibilities of what the dress can be, rather than how it appears on the rack.
Online Stores
There are a lot of budget friendly prom dress options online! Once I started searching for them, I couldn’t believe all of the beautiful dresses we found, that were really affordable! Here are some of the stores I recommend you look at!
- Lulus
- JJ’s House
- ASOS
- Shein
- Amazon (yes! believe it or not, Amazon has a huge variety of affordable prom dresses!)
At first, we were worried about buying an affordable prom dress, worried that it wouldn’t fit right or look like the picture. But then we decided to buy 3 dresses online, all with a free and easy return policy. This way she could try on a few different options to make sure one of them would work!
Rental Shops
You might want to consider renting a prom dress! Renting is a very affordable option! We actually ended up renting my daughters dress this year and are so happy about this decision! The truth is, you will probably only wear that dress once! So why spend a fortune on it, right? Right!
Do a quick google search to check to see if there are any dress rental stores in your area. We were able to find 3 within 30 minutes of our home.
Another option is to rent a dress from Rent the Runway. This online rental store will allow you to get 4 items for just $70/month for your first two months. I love this option because you can order 4 prom dresses, try on each of them, choose your favorite to wear to prom, and then send them all back…..all for only $70! The best part? You can cancel your membership whenever you want! The dresses are all really high end, and $70 is a steal of a deal!
Online Resale Store
Another great option of where to buy cheap prom dresses is online resale stores. These are websites where sellers can list their gently used clothing for others to purchase for a fraction of the cost. I recommend looking for prom dresses on:
Clearance Sections
Don’t forget to check the clearance rack at all dress shops! It’s very common for stores to have a few, last season dresses marked down to a low price. Your best bet is to plan ahead and shop the clearance racks right after prom, this will give you the biggest selection of dresses to choose from.
Your Friends Closet
Oh yes, I did just say to get a dress from your friends (or neighbor, or grandmas best friends great niece, etc.) closet. Your friends, family and neighbors are a great place to find affordable prom dresses.
Ask around on Facebook, at church, etc. to see if anyone has some prom dresses sitting in their closet that they would be willing to let you borrow. Most people are always happy to share! It’s fun to see these beautiful dresses getting used, rather than collecting dust in the closet.
This might also be the perfect time to host a clothing swap! All of your friends can bring their gently used prom dresses to swap!
Department Stores
Many department stores will carry prom dresses, especially during the spring. When we checked the department stores, the dress prices were a little high…but they are cheaper than you will pay at a formal dress shop. Department stores are the perfect place for a nice, new prom dress, that won’t break the bank.
Discount Stores
The next places I suggest you look for an affordable prom dress is at your local discount clothing stores. Most of them will have a good selection of formal dresses to choose from. I suggest shopping at:
In Conclusion
It is possible to find an affordable prom dress! It might take a little bit of effort, but it is possible!! Now that you know where to buy a cheap prom dress….happy shopping!
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