Grad Dress Craze: How to pick your grad dress

I’m a girl in grade 12, so naturally, finding my grad dress is probably the most fun I’ll have this year.
So the question is…should I get a sweetheart neck, strapless, one-shoulder, a-line, asymmetrical, gown, short, long, halter, poofy, sequined, or rhinestoned dress?

Yeah, okay. I don’t even know what to choose. But I have some quick tips~

1. Start early. Like now is a good time, not too early. You need to account for changes in your body in case you gain or lose weight. I just got back from Las Vegas, and I went to buffets for all 3 meals, so yep, you get where I’m coming from. Grad is in May but you know how indecisive girls are. Plus if you’re shipping your dress in, getting it custom made or altered, you need the extra days to try it on and see if it’s what you wanted it to be. Plan 4-6 weeks ahead.

2. Get your school girlies to start a grad dress group on Facebook. That way, no girl gets the same dress and trust me, it happens. It’s also fun to get girl advice on what to wear and how to wear it. It’s all good inspiration and feedback.

3. Look at lots of dresses. This is probably the most exciting part because you get a feel for what your dress could be. The possibilities are endless and your inner girly girl definitely comes out. Just by Googling: grad dresses, formal wear, gowns, prom dresses, homecoming dresses, you get so much dress eye-candy. I did that on Instagram and that’s how I found my dress. Go crazy on Pinterest looking at runway dresses. It’s actually so much fun.

4. Know your body shape. Everyone’s different and not everyone has to look like the models from the runway to rock a dress. You can look flattering in your dress by just getting to know yourself. Check these links out, they help you determine your body shape and list possible dress types.

5. Get something that suits you and your style. For me, the dresses look amazing on the models in the pictures, but unfortunately, I’m not that tall, so a short dress would be more flattering. I’m definitely going for a minimalist look because I want to do my hair up extra special and have fancy accessories. Go for something tight if you want it to flatter your figure, or go for something flowy and long if you want the elegance and princess feel.

6. Try stuff on. Even if you’re ordering online, get a feel for what fits and looks nice. Trying things on also allows you to nail your dress size down. It’s just helpful. Oh! And while you’re at it, try on accessories and shoes that are potentials for the grad night. If you want to, you should do a dress-rehearsal (pun intended) of your finished look with makeup, accessories, shoes, and dress. If you’re me and your smile is crooked like ashdiuaksd, you might also want to practice your smile.

7. Shoes and accessories make all the difference. The safest bet is for your shoes to be a neutral color or if your dress is already really simplistic, this is the part where you go crazy with color. My go-to shoe choices would be nude pumps or black heels. This page explains shoes well. My rule with accessorizing is that if your outfit is already really intricate and detailed, no need to clutter it with more details. Simplicity in that case. However, if you’re just going for a simple white sheath dress, have fun wearing peacock feather earrings and a gold necklace. <– My plan haha.

8. Know your budget. Save up and talk to your parents. These dresses aren’t the cheapest things. Kijiji surprisingly has a lot of reasonably priced dresses. There’s also an organization called the Cinderella Project. They believe that financial circumstances shouldn’t limit a girl from having the best night of her life just because she doesn’t have a dress. Basically, these wonderful people got together and they collected a bunch of beautiful donated dresses to give to girls that don’t have one.

Extra tip. (Just from experience) The night of your grad, I’d put on your dress before doing your makeup and hair. Depending on how you put on your dress, it could smudge your makeup or mess up your hair. Just put a coverup over the dress…with a plastic table cover or shower curtain?

TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES, OKAY?