Prom is a night for teens to dance and celebrate, with all their friends, everything they have accomplished that year. And each girl will be wearing that dream dress, of course.

Prom is one of the most exciting times for a teenage girl. Although exciting, it can be a tiring process, because on top of finding the perfect dress they have to figure out shoes, hair, nails, makeup, and finding a date.

This process can be fun, but also difficult as teens shop from store to store and search endlessly online to find the perfect dress that will stand out from the rest.

There is most definitely pressure to be fashionable and stand out. Plus, even if you find a dress you love, you have to make sure no one else in your school has that dress.

Most teens will start shopping online to try to find an idea of what they like to make it easier when shopping in stores. Sometimes, teens find their perfect dress quickly; other times it takes a bit more searching and they will have to try on multiple dresses to find what is perfect for them.

“I started looking pictures up of what style and color I wanted to wear,” said Baileigh Elmore, a junior at Southeast Valley High School in Gowrie. “I originally wanted an orange or pink dress but ended up getting a lavender/purple one that I love.”

“Each girl is different when it comes to shopping for a dress,” said Marcia Mullins, owner of Sew Formal in Fort Dodge. “Some will know exactly what color and style they want and will dive right into the dress racks, while others may not know what they want and it may take numerous dress styles to find the dress that makes them feel the best.”

“This is my first prom so it is my first time dress shopping, and I had a very good experience,” said Elmore. “My favorite part was trying on all the different dresses, even trying on ones that I didn’t really like the style or color of just to see how I would look.”

Even if you are unfamiliar with dresses or do not know which style to choose, many small dress shop owners will help you navigate through all the different styles that they have available to help find the one that looks perfect on you.

“One of my favorite parts about prom dress season is when I get a girl who is not totally familiar with dresses and helping her find a dress that she feels absolutely beautiful wearing,” said Mullins.

Some other factors may come into play while shopping for a dress such as the price. Most boutique dress shops will help teens find one that fits their budget.

“I recommend coming in sooner than later during the prom season as most places tend to book up fast with alterations and sometimes with the tuxedo rentals that have to be ordered the popular colors run out fast and get picked over,” said Mullins.