While I would like to think I have become somewhat of an expert on this subject, if you have a teenager, you know things are always changing, so the minute you get comfortable thinking you’ve got this, it all changes again. I will say after 2 dances last year and 3 this year, I have learned a few tips and tricks I thought I would pass along for any fellow moms of teens.

First, to give some background, my daughter is 17 and just finishing her junior year of high school. I know, cue the tears! She did not have any dances her freshman year due to Covid so her Sophomore year Homecoming was the first chance to attend a formal dance. After 5 rounds of this, here is what I have learned so far.

1. If going in store, go right when the stores open, especially if you have a Windsor near you. Around dress season, they get insanely busy. We tend to go on a weekend morning right at opening time and by the time we are done, the store is just starting to get crowded.
2. Have your daughter look at dress styles online ahead of time to get somewhat of an idea of what they are looking for, although I would also encourage them to try on styles they may not think of. A couple of our favorite dresses were ones she would have never chosen if she had not been willing to try them on.
3. Color-The last 3 dances, she has had a specific color in mind. While I initially thought this would be limiting, it was actually very helpful in narrowing down different shades she wanted to try. She was more open to color for Prom since long dresses presented a whole other set of challenges.
4. Be patient and open-minded. We initially picked 3 prom dresses from Macy’s and bought all of them since they could be returned. After coming home and trying them all on again, I knew she wasn’t completely happy with any of them. She ended up finding a dress online at Nordstrom that required alterations but she, ultimately, was so happy with her final selection.
5. Timing is everything. With Prom, we got an earlier start by about 6 weeks and I am grateful that we did with the changes and alterations that were needed. We did shop for her Winter Formal dress about 6 weeks before the dance, and by the time the dance came around, she wasn’t happy with her dress selection. Again, they change their mind so fast you have to roll with it sometimes:)
6. Compromise-Teenagers love their dresses short these days so I compromised on length but said that the top needed to balance it out. Fortunately, Prom requires a long dress and hers was not too revealing at all. All I can say is “Pick your battles”.
7. Online Shopping-Make sure you review the return policies for anything purchased online. You would be surprised how many stores there are that either don’t allow returns at all or have a very restricted exchange policy. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s the ones with the cutest dress options.

In the end, I wouldn’t trade these shopping trips for anything and I know I am going to treasure the memories for a long time to come. She has 3 formal dances left her senior year and I can’t wait to be a part of each one.