[LOVEinZTA]

I guess I was just blessed with a mother who is great with a needle and thread! She made my senior year homecoming dress (it's a big deal in Texas), my sisters prom dress, plus my sister's wedding dress and all of her bridesmaids' dresses! So naturally when I needed a chalk white dress for rituals and was on a tight budget I called her. That's really nice because you KNOW it's going to fit well! She's also made me many a skirt that I've worn to sorority events that would be rush-appropriate.

However, assuming your mother is more like me and doesn't know the difference between a surger and surgery, I see absolutely no problem with Old Navy, Ross, TJ Maxx, and cute tops and stuff from target. I always get Old Navy's perfect fit tees and pair them with dress pants. One of my best friends (who could afford to buy couture gown with the change in the seat of her car alone) gets a TON of her jewelry from Target, they have some really cute stuff if you know how to pair it. My pref dress I found on the super clearance rack at Dillard's on black friday for $40 and I got a rediculous number of compliments on it! My NUMBER ONE piece of advice though is pick reeeally comfortable shoes for the first 2 days (or two rounds, whatever) because by the time you get to the dressier nights and you HAVE to wear those adorable stilletos, your feet will hate if you've already been building up blisters on them and you won't be able to walk at all!