Prom is one thing seniors look forward to. But with a wide variety of dresses to choose from and a huge range of prices and stores, shopping for the perfect dress can be stressful.

In a poll, 43 percent of seniors interviewed bought their dress at a boutique and the other 57 percent bought theirs at a department store. For prom at South, the most popular styles are straight v-neck dresses with open backs and a solid color, according to Madison Bonahoom ’17.

“I would prefer something that hugs my waist nicely and is a good length, and I definitely would want an open back,” Bonahoom said.

Another problem with finding a dress is the price. According to Bonahoom, some people spend up to 300 dollars on their prom dresses but she personally wouldn’t go over 150 dollars.

“I think a reasonable price for a prom dress is if you can find anything under 100 dollars that’s amazing, but I think most people paid between 100 and 300 dollars,” Zoe Evans ’17 said.

Similar to Bonahoom, Evans said she prefers simple dresses that are a-line with cutouts and something that fits well.

“I’ve seen just straight down prom dresses that aren’t really full skirts anymore,” Evans said. “Lots of red dresses this year, and things with cool cutouts like asymmetrical styles instead of just simple dresses.”

Other people, like Virginia Cinnamond ’17, don’t get the same type of dress as the rest of the class. She chose to show off a brightly colored dress from Urban Outfitters, Cinnamond said.

“(The dress) is turquoise with a high neck with jewels at the top and it has tule on the bottom,” Cinnamond said.

Not all dress searches are stressful, however. According to Cinnamond, she was in New York City on a vacation when she saw it and knew she had to have it.

“I was in New York on a little vacation and we just walked in and we saw it and it was perfect,” Cinnamond said.

As long as what people are wearing makes them happy, they will look good, Evans said.

“(The dress should be) something that fits your body well and a color that compliments you,” Evans said. “And something that makes you feel really confident.”