Nothing is more exciting in a teenage girl’s life than planning for her high school prom. Now that prom season is here, many girls are on the hunt for the dress of their dreams and are starting to work on the details. But beware! Not everything might go as planned. Here are a few key things to keep in mind.

This Isn’t What I Ordered…

Look out for counterfeit dresses when shopping online. Counterfeit sites provide cheap knock-offs of beautiful gowns after luring girls in with advertisements. Avoid the stress, frustration, and cash losses by verifying that an online retailer is legitimate. Only authorized retailers sell authentic dresses, so do your research before you get that credit card out. A legitimate seller will have sufficient information, licensing data, and a physical location indicated in the “Contact” section of their website.

Read Online Reviews

Look for reviews of the retailers you are thinking of buying from even if you’ve taken the above steps. You want to avoid buying a dress that looks nothing like what you saw online. Choose online retailers who offer a wide variety of prom attire. In the best case scenarios, you could snag a trendy, gorgeous gown that’s marked down. A girl with excellent taste who wants to wear her favorite designer’s dress will always find a way!

Choose an elegant, not overly embellished dress that’s designed to draw looks to your best physical features. This year, black is hotter than ever, and Leisure Martini has a great piece on black prom dresses that just might convince you. If not, there are plenty of other colors that will accentuate your unique body type.

My Dress Doesn’t Fit!

To avoid this regrettably common prom nightmare, make sure you take accurate measurements in advance. It’s better to measure “too big” than “too small” because it will be easier to make alterations. Depending on the problem, your prom dress may need garments added or the seams let out, or it might need to be taken in.

Taking a dress in is much easier than letting the seams out because a much smaller dress might not have sufficient fabric in the seams to let them out.

The dress’s length is another common issue that can require alterations. The majority of prom dresses are made for girls over 5’9”. If you are shorter than that, you might need to remove fabric from the dress so it’s more appropriate for your. When shopping for your prom dress and taking measurements, allow for at least 5” just in case you need to get the dress altered.

Use extra fabric to make a false hem at the back if you want a high-low hem line. Also, wear flat shoes to a fitting if you’re tall. The tailor will get a better idea of what your right fit is this way. Heels might confuse them because they create the illusion of height.

Some dress retailers sell extra fabric in case alterations are needed. If you find such a retailer, buy from them. It will be much easier to make alterations then.

Start looking for your dress a few months before the prom. Ideally, you should buy it five weeks in advance. Almost all formal attire needs some adjusting to provide the best fit, so you should have enough time for this.

Find a Trusted Tailor

Ask friends for recommendations and read online reviews. You’ll be on the right track if you type “best tailors near me” in Google. It will give you the three best-rated tailors in your area. Again, do this at least a few months in advance. Ideally, let the tailor take your measurements to ensure accuracy.   

My Dress Has Wrinkles!

Don’t panic! Hang up your dress in the bathroom near the shower and turn it on hot. The steam will help unwrinkle your dress. The hotter the shower, the quicker it’ll get unwrinkled. The dress should be hung in a spot away from splashing water. The wrinkles will be gone in a few minutes.

You can also unwrinkle your dress using a hand steamer. Again, the steam should be very hot. If it is, big or small steamers will work. Again, it’ll take a few minutes for the wrinkles to come out.

If neither of these are an option, iron your dress inside out on the lowest possible heat setting. Put a towel or cloth over the fabric while you are ironing if you want to be extra safe. Dresses made of highly flammable materials like taffeta shouldn’t be ironed.

One final option – put the dress in a dryer on the “air fluff” setting. Again, you should turn it inside out before you do this. Keep in mind that unwrinkling doesn’t take a whole cycle.

Overcome any Nightmare by Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

The right people will help you get over the trauma a prom nightmare has caused, no matter how severe. A great prom starts with a big group of people. Get all your friends to come to a pre-prom party, where you can enjoy a meal together, take pictures, and do other fun stuff. Why not rent a limo? It’s the most reliable form of transport and quite affordable if a lot of people split the bill.  

You don’t necessarily have to limit invites to members of your inner circle. This is one of the last times you’ll ever see all your classmates together in one place, so invite everyone you like!

Don’t Stress, It’s Prom!

Even if things don’t turn out as planned, don’t let that keep you from having a good time. For example, movies might have you believe that the perfect date is the most important part of the prom, but it’s simply not true. A great prom experience is a combination of good company (friends) and a well-fitting, eye-catching dress.   

TheDressWarehouse, an online retailer boasting a notable selection of top-quality prom gowns and dresses, explains that special occasion attire is cut differently than regular clothing and makes a nifty size chart available on its website. This will alleviate your efforts to find a beautiful dress that is also a perfect fit.

Author Bio: Jonah Levine is the Creative Director of TheDressWarehouse.com. TheDressWarehouse.com was launched in 2018 as the go-to online source for amazing prom dresses on sale. With 10 years experience in the industry, Jonah works daily to scour the evening wear markets to find the hottest styles and to negotiate the best prices for special occasion wear on the internet.