A month of preparation and hours of getting ready all for one special evening. Now what? Prom season has come and gone and left girls with a dress that will be shoved to the back of a closet and possibly never see the light of day again. Instead of voluntarily keeping a dust bunny, take the time to make one last prom-related decision to keep, sell or donate your dress.

When thinking about the long run and looking back on old memories, keeping your dress as a memento is the way to go. Being able to look back at old pictures of prom and have the dress to pull out again is a cherishing moment to look forward to in the future. Another bonus to keeping the dress doesn’t have to mean never wearing it again, wear it to another dance or even a fancy wedding to get some use out of that expensive dress.

For the girls who could care less about keeping the dress, might as well make some money off of it and sell it to a friend, family member, or put it up for sale on a buying and selling apps such as eBay, Poshmark, Depop, Mercari, and others.

“I decided to sell my dress because there is always someone in need and I have no use for my prom dresses anymore,” said senior Jordan Harrison

Another option, if your feeling generous, is to donate your dress to a local organization. Blessed Dress KC, a ministry in the heart of Kansas City off Oak Street, collects used prom dresses for their free dress drive every March and gifts them to girls who could use the benefit. The ministry was created to assure young women who want to go to prom that they are supported with a beautiful gown, according to Blessed Dress KC.

“I’m donating my dress because secondhand fashion is more ethical and sustainable so I want to continue that cycle,” senior MK Shevlin said. “Donated prom dresses are also more easily accessible for those who can’t pay $100 or more for a dress.”

As their service project, seniors Victoria Farrington and Ana Pendergast hosted a dress drive at local schools to collect used formal dresses to donate and volunteered at other dress drives at Woods Chapel Church in Lee’s Summit and Blessed Dress KC.

“I spent my time in the dressing rooms helping the girls with their dresses,” Farrington said. “It was really fun because I got to see everyone try on the dress and have the ‘aha moment’ when they find the right one.”