It is the biggest night of the year and highschoolers around the country are waiting and anticipating for that one night to come… Prom. Asking out that one special person to prom is the first step is figuring out how to ask them in that special way. Once you get your date the prom planning starts.  Dinner, limo, tickets, corsages, dresses, suits, and everything in between are all going to cost money. Soon prom goes from having the greatest night with your friends to not draining your wallet from everything that comes with having to make prom amazing.

For girls, prom tends to be more expensive and more tedious than for guys. With girls, they have to worry about finding the perfect dress. And after that task there’s the hassle of getting makeup, hair, and nails done, and photography. This all adds up to a very expensive bill. Between the struggling economy and unemployment, high school students will have to most likely dip into their savings to cover this event. Most that cannot cover this cost will have to ask the people who can – their parents.

Once the night starts the money goes. Everyone’s idea of fun is different, but for most students prom night starts with a comfortable dinner at a nice restaurant.

“I don’t really want to go to a really expensive place for dinner. It’s probably better to go a little cheaper on food, so you have money left for the stuff that really matters,” senior Cory Guziar said.

The price also depends on how many people are coming to dinner. Prom dinner will always be a bit more expensive if you are a group rather than just with your date, and it is always good to bring a little extra cash if you plan on getting dessert or leaving a good tip. Everyone should be paying for their own meal, and depending where you go it can go anywhere from $15-$30 per person.

After dinner, then it’s time to go to prom.  Most kids’ choice of ride is a limo if they are going with three or more couples and plan to pay extra to ride to prom with style. The average cost for a limo for the evening is around $400. It is always cheaper to split the cost between the couples so all of you can equal pay for their seat. It all depends on your budget.

Everyone wants to remember this amazing night forever, and what is a better way to remember than prom pictures? There are some good deals on picture packages, but pictures can cost anywhere from $35-$175.

This memorable night will live on forever. Once the night is over, altogether a student could have spent up to $1500. Most LP students will remember this special night for a long time… and so will their wallets.