Although formal may be a special occasion, spending over a hundred dollars on a dress that you will wear only for few hours is really unreasonable.

According to USA Today, the average amount of money spent on dances such as Prom or formal rose to over one thousand dollars and is continuing to go up.

The average price of a dress at David’s Bridal is almost 200 dollars according to usatoday.com. Trends change every year and following that set trend is important for girls. After Jennifer Lawrence wore blush pink attire at the Academy Awards, some students looked for a similar color for their Prom and formal dresses.

“Even just the ticket for formal is really expensive, but that’s not the only thing that I have to get,”  senior Elli Yang said. “Most of the pretty dresses are over a hundred dollars, and it is hard to believe that there are students that are actually willing to pay such money for one dress.”

Going to formal does not only mean buying only, a dress. It is typical for a girl to pair the dress with a clutch or bag, shoes and a corsage. In addition, some people pay money to hire a professional photographer, rent a limousine and get their makeup done by a professional makeup artist.

“It is kind of ridiculous that we have to spend so much money for just one day, and even though I would want to get the pretty dress, I honestly think that it is not worth it,” junior Amanda Cox said.

Some argue that the dance will not be as “enjoyable” unless they complete a perfect look that costs hundreds of dollars. Some also say that the dress can be re-used for other occasions. However, due to the changing trends and the desire to look unique every time, most female students prefer to wear a new dress at each dance occasion. Considering that students will probably not wear the dress again, buying such expensive attire is a waste of money.

There are many ways to wear a pretty dress without having to spend so much money on it. For example, students can borrow a dress from a friend, if they are the same size, borrow a dress from a shop or simply just buy a cheaper dress.

“There are dresses that look really expensive but are actually pretty cheap at Windsor or Forever 21,” senior Bonnie Sarchet said.

It is unreasonable for teenagers to spend that much money for a dress that they are only going to wear for a day. Students should not spend too much money on one formal dress because it is not worth it.