Dressing for College Formal Events on a Budget.

     As a blogger, I always think it's fun to track which of my older posts still bring in a lot of traffic to my website. In recent weeks, readers have been flocking to many of my older posts about dressing for formal events while on a budget. I knew after seeing those blog analytics that I definitely needed to give a full recap for the formal that I went to at school this weekend.

      I absolutely love formal events or any excuse to dress up more than my daily routine allows. Dances were one of my favorite parts of high school, and I have been very lucky in college to have gotten to attend some fun formals and semi-formals- everything from sorority events to getting invited back to my former college by friends of mine for their annual spring formal!

     This past Friday was the Royal Ball, which is the annual senior class formal at my college. My suitemate Caroline took a couple pictures of my outfit before the event! I found my dress a couple of months ago at Ross for only $35! Fun fact: I have never paid more than $50 for any of my formal dresses that I've worn for various events that I've attended in college. I generally prefer to spend my money on investment pieces that I will get more use out of, such as boots, purses, or even jewelry. It is absolutely possible to look great for formals while sticking to a strict budget. (Here and here are some past blog posts where I've shared other formal looks on a budget!)

      I've linked some of my favorite $50 and under formal dresses below, but I will also say that y'all should be sure to check out stores like Forever 21, Marshall's, Ross, or any local formalwear outlet stores in your area! I've had the best of luck at all of these stores before when looking for formal and cocktail dresses.

      A little recap of the Royal Ball: I thought that it was sadly kind of a dud... barely any students from my class attended! The planning committee did a nice job with the decorations, food and music, but the promotion for the event was done at the last minute, so few people went. It is a little sad that my sorority's annual formal has a higher turnout of people... and we're a chapter of only about 45 girls! Because the event was so dead, my friend Ciera (who came as my date) and I only stayed about half an hour and then decided to head out for a night on the town in Charlotte instead. Definitely a good decision, as I don't think we missed much at school. ;-)

     I did get a few pictures with my friends before the formal started:

My best friend from my former college, Ciera!

My Big in ADPi, Jess!

     So even though the event itself wasn't that great, I still had a lot of fun dressing up, and had a lovely time with two of my dear friends! And that is always something to be happy about.


     Do you try and stick to a budget when preparing for formal events as well? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below! (P.S. I did my up-do myself! That rarely happens but my hair actually cooperated that night!)


     xoxo Miss ALK