My Prom Dress Journey

Prom season is a stressful time of year. With so many options available and so much pressure upon people to look a certain way, it's no surprise that people find it so stressful. I went to a school that had several different proms that I've been to since I was in year 7 - and they're honestly a journey...

My first prom was in 2007 when I was 12 and my prom dress was a spotty spaghetti strap number from Tammy Girl (anyone remember Tammy) I remember buying it from a BHS in Blackpool and was so excited! I wore it with a pair of black ballet flats and had my hair in a style that was so of its time and was very much not a look. To be honest, I wish I had something like https://www.promdressfinder.co.uk/ to help guide me a bit! I remember finding hair pins in my hair for days - and struggling to comb out all that conditioner...

My second prom in 2008 was a better affair and I remember wearing a strapless dress that gave serious 2000s vibes complete with bow belt and all. Thankfully my hair wasn't as tragic then but I remember my mum putting my hair in rags for a bouncy curly look - complete with a hair band. For me, the makeup was a throwback to 2000s style with an icy blue eyeshadow and a blush that was almost certainly way too pink for my complexion. But we all make style mistakes right?

I then had a bit of a break with proms until year 11 when it was much more of a cliche affair. Hosted at quite a fancy hotel, it was our 'graduation' from secondary school and the girls went very overboard with our dress choices which resulted in me wearing a very puffy blue strapless dress that was bedazzled...It was very prom. I even had the whole prom half up hair look going on which was surprisingly bridal and not a look Id go for again honestly. As I wasn't living in the UK at the time, the dress was custom made and I wish I'd spent a bit more time researching and planning what I wanted to wear.

In year 12, I went basic and wore a dress from Tesco (i know!) that was purple and ruffled. With a year 12 prom being of very little significance, I didn't think it worth trying to get a fancy dress when it worked perfectly fine. I had a great night and because it was a short dress to begin with, it meant I could get away with it for the after prom...

And my final sixth form graduation prom I wore an off shoulder deep red dress that gave me renaissance vibes in the best way...There was quite a lot of fabric going on and again it felt very prom. I think my least favourite part of it had to be my hair which wasn't curled or styled in the way I wanted it - with tighter hairsprayed curls as opposed to the loose beachy vibe I was after. Whilst this dress was custom made, I half wished I'd just gotten something off the rack to make my life easier.