How to Organize a Prom Dress Swap

Many prom dresses get worn once and then hung in a closet or resold on eBay or consignment. A prom dress swap allows girls to exchange prom dresses, jewelry, shoes and accessories with other girls. Each girl gets new prom attire for approximately the same value without having to spend the money for another store bought dress. Occasionally you can buy cheap prom dresses at a swap.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Schedule a day and time for the swap. The ideal time for a prom dress swap is right after prom or right before the following year's prom. This way, girls are excited about prom and are interested in exchanging dresses. If you plan to sell dresses cheaply, you should wait until prom is coming up.
2. Advertise the event. You can put flyers up at schools, post a listing on Craigslist or call your friends who attended prom. The more girls who attend, the more dresses to choose from. Be sure you have a contact person whose information is provided on advertisements. If you are charging a cover charge, put the amount on the advertisements.
3. Set up rules. To be fair, people who attend the event need to bring prom attire to swap or plan on buying a dress at a cheap price. Some people prefer to set criteria that the attendees must have attended prom at a specific school in order to take part in the swap. If the attendees want to sell their dresses rather than swap, you can combine the dress swap with a dress sale.
4. Rent a facility. If you belong to a church or a social organization, you may save money by using their facility. You need to make sure you have enough room for the estimated turn out. Consider if you want a runway to showcase dresses. You may need to charge admission to cover your expenses.
5. Organize the area with tables and racks. Hang dresses in the same size together. Use tables to sort jewelry, accessories and shoes. The shoes should also be sorted by size. Plan on having full length mirrors and changing rooms available for the girls.
6. Plan events to coincide with the dress swap. This is a good opportunity to cover health and safety issues for prom. The girls can participate in a runway show to present their dresses. Local beauty salons or colleges may volunteer to do hair and makeup for the show.
7. Add activities. DJs can play background music. You can raffle prizes like hair and make-up sessions or alterations from local companies. Refreshments are standard at some dress swaps. Local alteration companies may want to set up a booth to advertise their services.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if a cover charge is necessary, girls still get cheap prom dresses.
• Any formal dress works for a swap, not just prom dresses.
• Make sure you have several helpers to keep the event organized.

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