Hey everyone!

Now that you've all gotten a chance to get to know me a little, it's about time to jump into the actual "prom-talk." When you hear the word prom, the first thing everyone thinks of THE dress. Every girl wants her dress to stand out (in a good way of course!), be different from every other girl's, and be pretty affordable. (P.S. -- Here are a few pics from my prom last year. Do you like my dress? Leave me a note in the comments section!)

OK, like Devin said last time, the first thing she does is buy a gigantic prom magazine and scan the pictures for dress ideas. That's a great way to start if you have no idea what kind of dress you'd like. Once prom season begins, all mags have special prom editions, so I strongly suggest picking a few up next time you're at the supermarket.

Another great place to look is online. That's where I usually start. I find it easier to look around the department store websites first because they have smaller collections. Try Macy's, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales. These stores have a good variety and are relatively cost effective. Some of the sites that specialize in prom dresses are faviana.com, tiffanydesigns.com, and cache.com. If you find a dress you really like online, find a store locator and call one near you to see if the dress you want is in stock.

If you're not much of a planner and you'd rather just go to the mall and look around that's cool, too. However, don't get discouraged if you don't find anything. The stores in the mall are constantly restocking and shipping in new things, so go back every couple weeks. I can guarantee you'll see something new every time you go.

Tip: When you're trying on dresses, DON'T limit yourself to just a few select dresses. Take it from someone who has tried on hundreds of dresses at this point, haha! You may like the way a dress looks on the hanger, but it may look hideous once you put it on. BUT there are those dresses you never thought you'd try on, and once you do, you never want to take it off because it looks so good!

So, moral of the story is that as far as prom dresses go, keep your options open...wayyyyyy open! Never say "there's nothing out there for me" because there IS something out there for everyone!! Just look everywhere you can think of, and remember TRY ON EVERYTHING! :)

More next week!
xo, mary