Dress Prom

Once you have your prom or homecoming dress picked out, you need to make sure you accessorize it properly.  It’s important to note that necklaces aren’t as one-size-fits-all as we think they are.  It’s important to get a necklace that looks good with both your dress and your body type.  Make sure you try necklaces on when you’re shopping.  It’s the only way to know exactly how it looks on you.

Most necklaces will measure one of several standard lengths, but there’s a lot of variation from there.  Just because you and your best friend both have necklaces on a 24” chain doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to worry about being too matchy-matchy.  In fact, if you’re built differently than your friend, the same necklace would look different on both of you, anyway.  If your build is larger or smaller than what’s considered “average,” necklaces will fit you differently.  If you have some necklaces that you really love, let them be the guide for the length of necklaces that you’re buying for your prom or homecoming dress.

A great way to make wearing necklaces easier is to shop for adjustable ones.  Many necklaces have extra links at the end so you can adjust the length.  Oftentimes, these extra links are decorated— so you have a little extra fun in the back, too!

You’ve got the perfect dress, the perfect hairdo, and a great date.  But what’s all that worth if you don’t have the perfect picture to remember the night?  We’ve got a few tips for the different prom poses that photographers like to use.

Facing Each Other

• You and your date should stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
• Your front hand should be on your date’s chest, right below his shoulder.  Your other hand could go around his waist or neck— whichever works for you.
• His hands should be around your waist.
• Tilt your heads slightly toward one another.

Back to Front

• Your feet should be between his feet.  And his feet should be about shoulder-width apart.
• Your back should touch his chest.
• His hands will be on your waist, and your hands can be on top of his.
• Tilt your heads slightly inward toward one another.

However your photographer decides to pose you, you should remember to smile naturally.  You don’t want to look back on your prom pictures and see a strained smile!

If props are available, go ahead and use them!  Boas, sunglasses, hats, etc. make great additions to pictures.   But take a few traditional portraits, too.  You’ll want to have those.

Well, among other things Diamonds and pretty jewelry are just such a delight to wear – don’t you just get a boost of confidence when you wear that special necklace or bracelet? Together with our Bridal Wedding Dresses sister site, DimitraDesigns.com, we see quite a few pretty engagement rings and breathtaking jewelry come through our doors. Hale’s Jewelers, a Greenville Jewelry Store, is a favorite of many of our customers, and we just love them, too!

Hale’s prides itself on offering modern, stylish jewelry that has a timeless elegance to it. Just take a look at their Diamonds, and we know you’ll have to tear your eyes away from the screen! Their Gemstones are just as beautiful, and we love how vivid and dashing they are.

Hale’s Jewelers is one of the finest jewelry stores here in Greenville, and we’re proud to showcase them on our blog today. Take a look around their site, and we know you’ll fall in love!

It’s the middle of the summer, so we’re sort if in the off-season for formal/semi-formal dances.  But that doesn’t mean that you can’t do something good with your prom dress.  You’ve already gotten some joy out of it, but are you going to wear it again?  If the answer is “no,” why don’t you consider donating it?  After all, the prom is a rite of passage for many high school girls.  But not everyone can afford a beautiful piece of formal wear.  There are a number of organizations around the country (probably one near you!) that take prom dress donations.  Here are a few things you should remember before you donate your prom dress.

• Make sure the prom dress that you’re donating is still fairly current.  Ideally, you want the dress to be fewer than five years old.

• Some donation organizations have guidelines.  Some might only accept tea length or full length gowns.  Check that out before you make your donation.

• Make sure the dress is in good condition.  Nobody’s going to want your soda-stained prom gown.

• If you see something wrong with it, take it to the cleaner’s before you donate it.

• See if the donation organization will take other prom items like jewelry, shoes, purses, or wraps.

• Donate the dress well before prom season.  Girls will need time to shop!

• You can get a receipt so you can apply the charitable donation to your taxes.  Win-win.

Back when beauty pageants first started, they were reserved for women over the age of 18.  But recently, child beauty pageants have taken on a life of their own.  Open to girls under the age of 12, these beauty pageants have some great benefits for the contestants.

• Little girls often go through their mothers’ closets looking for fun things to wear.  We think of that iconic image of a toddler plodding around in her mommy’s high heels.  Beauty pageants let them know what it’s really like to wear pretty clothes like that.

• The different rounds in a beauty pageant can allow girls to develop skills that they’ll use later on in life.  The interview portion is probably the most important.  It helps girls learn how to be comfortable speaking in front of a group.  It also gives them an opportunity to express their opinions.  After all, many people fear public speaking more than they fear death.  Pageants give little girls a head start in overcoming that fear.

• The talent portion works in much the same way.  Each girl finds something she’s good at, and she gets to perform it in front of a crowd.  This is a great way to overcome any type of shyness.

As long as the little girls have well-grounded parents, pageants should be a positive experience for everyone involved!

Everyone’s eyes are going to be on you.  How do you handle the pressure?  What do you do to prepare?  Well, there are a few things we like to keep in mind when we think about getting ready for that big pageant.  And DressProm.net is ready to share those tips with you!

• When you’re on the stage, hold your head up high.  You’ll have great posture if you walk like you’re already wearing that crown on your head!

• Don’t compare yourself to the other contestants.  You’re being judged on how well you carry yourself.

• Perform your talent for as many people as you can.  The more advice you get, the better!

• To prepare for the interview portion, make sure you are up to date on the news.  You want to have an idea of your opinion on just about everything.  There’s nothing worse than being put on the spot.

• Think of something funny before you go on stage.  This will ensure that your smile is natural and not plastic.  (One of our friends actually carries around a picture of David Hasslehoff from his Baywatch days.  We’re not sure why, but she finds it hilarious!)

• Keep double-stick tape in the dressing room.  You just never know…

• Oh yeah… have fun!

You know us, we’re always on the lookout for great photographers. There’s such a variety of talented South Carolina wedding photographers, and each has his or her own personality, and we’re here to showcase them to you! We came across Bella Rose Photography, and their Bella Rose Photography Blog. Lisa, the lead photographer at Bella Rose Photography, has extensive experience in art, design, and photography, and is now a full-time photographer. Her and her team shoot 20-25 weddings a year, focusing on boutique style weddings that require only the most beautiful photography.

Want to get a taste of the different couples Bella Rose Photography works with, and all the different photo shoots and beautiful photos they have taken? Just visit their Photography Blog, and we’ll know you’ll just love their photos! We’re so pleased to see the fine work of Bella Rose Photography, and we wish them continued success!

Patrick Hall Photography, a Charleston Wedding Photographer, had us at hello – well, as soon as we read the quote they listed on their “About” page: “Take care of all  your memories. For you cannot relive them.” – Bob Dylan. It’s so true – life flies by, and it’s important to preserve all of life’s great memories so you can treasure them years from now. Patrick Hall Photography, of Charleston, South Carolina, has the talent and expertise to ensure your wedding and special events are photographed beautifully.

It’s one thing to be able to work a camera, and it’s another to be able to capture the emotion of the day within photographs. We hope you’ll take a look through the different photos on the site and also the Patrick Hall Photography Blog, and we know you’ll just adore them!

It happens sometimes— you break up with your boyfriend or your date gets the flu.  For whatever reason, you’re stuck going to that big dance alone.  How do you handle it?  Whatever you do, don’t sit at home feeling sorry for yourself.  Go out and have a good time!

• Get dressed exactly as you were going to before.  Get your hair done.  Make sure your focus remains on the most important thing:  You!

• Try to get together with a group of friends that might also be going stag.  Ideally, if you can get in with a mixed group of guys and girls, you can take turns during slow dances.

• What about the picture?  Okay, you have to get something taken!  Get together with a group of friends and do something silly.  You’ll want to remember how much fun you had!

• Think about it this way:  You’re free to dance with whomever you want.  You don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings.  Make the most of that freedom!

• If you absolutely can’t imagine going without a date, see if any of your friends have brothers or cousins that you would be comfortable going with.  Make sure it’s someone you trust.

Most of all, have fun!

Every girl wants to look beautiful when she walks into that big party.  It doesn’t matter if you’re toothpick thin or fabulously curvy— you should be able to look as pretty as you want to.  The average woman’s dress size is a 14.  Seriously, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14.  So why do most high-end fashion houses cater to that small percentage of women that are a size two?  Lucky for you, DressProm.net has a full line of plus size prom gowns to make you feel like a princess.

Don’t hide it!  Pride it!
You can’t camouflage your waistline by covering it with layers and layers of fabric.  It’s actually going to have the opposite effect you want.  Find a dress with a cinched in waist or belt.  It will actually help create curves and make you look fabulous.

Boastfully bust-full
Accentuate your bust line with a dress that has an empire waist.  It’ll actually serve double-duty.  Your waist will be defined (like we talked about before), and your “girls” will look tastefully accented.

It’s hip to be hip
If your hips are a problem area for you, then you need to pull the attention elsewhere.  Don’t wear something form fitting on that spot.  A-line dresses are the perfect style for hiding problem hips.