Prom Night Expenses: Going into Debt for one Night?

18.05.12

The perfect dress, a fancy tuxedo and the must-have limo rental. No, we aren’t talking about planning a wedding—we’re talking prom.

The fanfare surrounding this high school rite of passage has flourished, and it’s no wonder that prom spending in the U.S. has increased to an all-time high.

Families with teens bound for prom will spend an average of $1,078 each this year, a 33.6% increase from $807 spent in 2011, according to a survey by Visa ( V ).

Parents in the Northeast plan to spend the most at $1,944, while Midwest parents plan to dish out the least at $696, according to the survey. If these numbers aren’t worrisome enough, according to Visa, parents who fall in the lowest household income brackets plan to spend far more on the big night than the national average.

Parents who make less than $20,000 annually will spend an average of $1,200, while parents who make between $20,000-$29,999 will spend an average of $2,635—roughly 10% of their household’s annual income. Parents earning more than $75,000 plan to spend an average of $842. But there’s one thing all families with a prom-bound teenage girl have in common: the dress is the biggest expense.

Source: Fox Business

Save the date: This week in celebrity wedding anniversaries

18.05.12

April 23

1951 - Soldier and actor Audie Murphy and stewardess Pamela Archer. A year after their wedding the couple was still receiving about 4 to 5 wedding gifts a week from fans. This was Murphy's second wife. They had two sons together. The couple was married until 1971 when Murphy was killed in an airplane accident in Virginia.

2011 - Actor/comedian Rob Schneider and producer Patricia Azarcoya Arce, in Beverly Hills, Calif. This was Schneider's third wedding. Only the couple's closest friends and family were in attendance.

April 24

1992 - Singer David Bowie and supermodel Iman, in Lausanne, Switzerland and Florence, Italy. The civil ceremony took place in Lausanne, Switzerland and the religious ceremony was held at St. James Episcopal Church in Florence, Italy. Bowie wrote songs for the religious ceremony which included elements of both the Christian and Muslim faiths. Yoko Ono and U2's Bono were among the 65 attendees at the reception.

1954 - Actor Peter Lawford and socialite Patricia Kennedy, in New York City. Lawford proposed to Kennedy on the phone while she was in Japan. After hearing her accept his offer, he greeted her at the airport in San Francisco airport with an eight-carat diamond engagement ring. The wedding ceremony took place at The Church of Saint Thomas More and some 250 guests attended the reception at the Plaza Hotel.

Source: Bellingham Herald

Sarah Burton Kept Kate Middleton's Wedding Dress A Secret Thanks To Alexander ...

18.05.12

Alexander McQueen's Autumn Winter 2011 finale

Cast your minds back to March last year when Alexander McQueen's Autumn Winter 2011 show closed during Paris Fashion Week amid a cloud of frothy dresses. At the time, we wondered whether it was a coincidence that the collection featured white gowns with full skirts, crystal-embroidered bodices and billowy sleeves of chiffon fit for a royal bride just one month before Kate Middleton was due to wed her prince.

Because you'll remember it was at this very time that Royal Wedding frenzy had reached fever pitch with persistent rumours that Sarah Burton, Creative Director at Alexander McQueen, was secretly working on the Duchess' dress. On April 29th, we found out that indeed she was – but what we didn't know is that the matchy-matchy collection was no coincidence. In fact, Burton planned the all-white finale as a crafty cover-up.

Source: Grazia