Not including graduation, the senior prom may be the single most memorable event in a teenager high school career. For young women, this is doubly true. She’s spent all year, if not longer planning for this one big day. From the shoes on her feet to the accessories in her hair, every little detail must be extensively planned and thought out.

Choosing the perfect prom dress takes careful thought, time and patience. Many high school girls are bypassing department stores, saying no to bridal shops, and instead opt to design their own prom dress! Designing your own prom dress to have it custom made is an exciting experience, but there are a few things that you need to be sure to do during the design process.

Things to consider when designing your prom dress :

What exactly do I want?: The decision to design your own prom dress is usually made because you want to stand out from the crowd and your custom made dress is a unique reflection of your style. If you aren’t a fashion designer by trade, coming up with an idea is often times the hardest part. Grab some a stack of magazines and check out what Hollywood stars are wearing on the red carpet. Cut the images out and create a scrapbook of design ideas. After doing this, take a trip the local department store and bridal shops. While the whole purpose of designing your own prom dress is to avoid looking like you purchased it off the rack, it’s still a good idea to check out the competition, see what fabrics are in, and get ideas.

What style of dress will look best on me?: This is an important question to answer during the dress designing process. Even if you were not designing your own prom gown, you still want to make sure the cut, length, and shape of the dress is flattering to your body. If you are top heavy, you probably do not want to design a prom dress that is very low cut. Besides the fact that it isn’t very classy, trying to adjust your dress all evening will make you very uncomfortable. If you are on the short side, a long floor length prom gown may or may not be the best option for you. A floor length gown may cause you to look even more short, so look to design a dress that will elongate your body. If you are plus size, designing your own prom gown may be the best option for you. But once again, make sure the style is fitting to your body type.

Where can I find someone to sew my custom designed prom dress ?: So you’ve spent the weekend coming up with ideas, you now need the person who will actually sew the dress! It’s really best to leave the job of actually making the prom gown to a professional. If you are lucky, you may have a seamstress in your family who can do this for you – if not, you need to find someone. You can ask your friends or visit local alteration shops for references. After you’ve found your seamstress, you can go about the process of selecting the perfect print and fabric for your prom gown.

Which fabric should I select for my prom gown:? Now that you’ve found a seamstress it’s time to go fabric shopping. Consult with your seamstress first, it is important to ask if there are any limitations, restrictions are extra costs added to your total price based on what type of fabric you choose. For example, silk can be a very delicate and expensive fabric. Some seamstresses will charge a little more when a client is using silk because of this. When you’re at the fabric shop one thing you will need to remember is lighting and how a color or fabric will photograph. Bring your digital camera with you and take pictures of the various fabrics that you’re interested in. After you’ve done that, go back home and upload the digital picture to your computer. Do you still like the color? Does it look the same in photos? The fabric that appeared to be navy blue in the fabric store may actually look more like a Barney purple in your prom photos.

What about my prom date, what should he wear?: It’s so easy to forget about the guys during the prom dress designing process. But coordinating with your date is really important. Check with your seamstress to see if she’s able to design a vest, ascot, cummerbund or tie for your date. Many seamstresses will due this free of charge with the left over fabric from your gown.

This should be an exciting and stress free time in your life, so remember that while you’re going planning for your prom. Above everything else, having fun is the most important aspect of this special night.