To find a good place to buy prom dresses, look up the brands you love. They'll usually have a list of official retailers and online stores where you can safely pick from. This is the best way to ensure your dress will be from a real brand with high-quality standards. Check their return policy, just in case anything should go wrong. Even if the dress doesn't fit properly, you may need to send it back or change the size. This gives you time to try on the dress you buy without worrying that the store won't give you your money back should the worst happen. 

So you've found the dress and you're getting ready for prom night. Make sure you have a plan for getting your dress on, without rubbing off your freshly applied makeup all over the front. If you're getting your makeup done professionally, wear your casual clothing to the appointment. Then, once you're home, you can figure out how to get the dress or straps over your head without touching your newly applied makeup. The same goes for doing makeup at home. Keep the dress packed away until you're ready to get dressed after makeup has been applied.

Take a shirt or t-shirt and pull it from the bottom, off your arms, and over your head,  keeping it around your neck and using it as a facial barrier between you and your dress. You can then wiggle the dress neckline over your head, over the shirt and simply pull the shirt off your neck once its on. Sounds a little complicated but its worth the effort for one night!

If you're wearing a long prom dress, one of the worst things that can go wrong is puncturing the fabric with your heels, or tripping over the front. The front of your dress should just barely sweep the floor, not drag around or make you trip as you walk. If it is too long and you don't have the chance to have it taken up or hemmed, try to gracefully pull it up to the side with one hand as you walk. You can also wear wedges or block heels to avoid stabbing through the end of your dress with a very pointy stiletto! 

A lot of trendy prom dresses have complex or plunging necklines, as well as sexy open backs or are even entirely backless. These dresses are beautiful but they can present a problem. They're hard to wear with your standard bra. Thankfully, there are many solutions to conceal your modesty and make you more secure in your dress. This includes many new bra innovations such as stick-on backless bra cups that easily 'cling' to you during the night. 

You can also find halter neck bras and designs with a deep plunge or that are even open at the front. This makes it a lot easier to wear your dress, without having to skip underwear completely. Some of the biggest prom fails include visible underwear or falling out of your dress on the night. The same goes for your panties too. The best choice for prom night is a pair of 'invisible' briefs that don't produce any visible panty lines through your dress. 

There are many talented high schoolers who know their way around a sewing machine and can create their own prom dress. However, if you don't know anything about dress patterns and sewing techniques, now might not be the time to learn. Making a dress of your own can be hard and complicated. If you don't start the process months in advance, it could be too late. You can always experiment with making your own accessories or jewelry instead, as a way to put a unique touch on your prom dress. If you are a confident seamstress, just make sure you start working on your dress long in advance, just in case you'll need to alter the design at the last minute to make it wearable.