Skip the Rental: 5 Reasons to Buy Your Prom Dress

Although renting prom dresses online can seem like the height of convenience, there are serious perks to buying prom dresses online instead! People may try to talk you out of it by focusing on how you can rent cheap designer prom dresses and then send them right back, but let’s consider why you might want to actually own your own formal dress. Read on for 5 reasons you should totally buy your prom dress this season.

5 Reasons to Buy a Prom Dress

1. Rewearable Investment - Let’s plan ahead here. Will you be going to more than one prom or formal event, such as other dances, fancy weddings, and the like? By buying your prom gown, you now have a formal dress that you can wear again to future fancy events without having to pay additional rental fees! Do you also have friends or siblings you could swap styles with? If you don’t want to wear the same style, you can swap your prom dress with a friend’s or sibling’s to save you both some time and money. Either way, the dress you buy can be worn more than once.

2. Affordable - You can definitely snag yourself a gorgeous designer prom dress for cheap if you know how to be a savvy formal wear shopper! For example, shopping in the off season (like after the previous prom season) can help you snag some serious deals for cheap prom dresses! Often, these deals are even better than designer gown rental fees.

3. Alterations Allowed - Rental companies might let you try on different sizes of prom gowns, but sometimes that’s just not enough to find a snug, personalized fit. If you buy your prom dress though, you have the option of getting it altered so that it fits you perfectly. Need to add a strap for comfort or bra cups so you can skip the bra with a dramatic backless style? Again, a seamstress can save the day by tweaking your prom dress (but only if you own it).

4. Memories Preserved - For us sentimental gals, holding on to a preserved prom dress helps keep the memories of such a magical night alive. Each time you have a chance to rewear it, you build on those memories! If you eventually share the formal dress or pass it along to a friend or family member, then you both can reminisce about all the fun you enjoyed while dressed up in that special prom gown.Rental companies might let you try on different sizes of prom gowns, but sometimes that’s just not enough to find a snug, personalized fit. If you buy your prom dress though, you have the option of getting it altered so that it fits you perfectly. Need to add a strap for comfort or bra cups so you can skip the bra with a dramatic backless style? Again, a seamstress can save the day by tweaking your prom dress (but only if you own it).

5. Minimal Effort After Prom - When you buy your own prom dress, you don’t need to worry about the rules or timeline for rental returns, or even the fees for late returns. Simply treat your formal dress as you do the rest of your clothes by making sure it gets properly cleaned and stored until you need it again.

Now that you know the perks, are you “sold” on buying a prom dress? Of course you are! If you’re shopping online, it’s key to make sure you explore the best prom dress websites to snag yourself an authentic and affordable designer prom dress. For a start, check out PromGirl’s options for prom gowns under $200 to find a trendy look that fits your budget!