Prom is expensive, that much is obvious. Getting tickets before prices increase is undoubtedly beneficial for those are attending. But that begs the question: who pays for the tickets, or anything associated with Prom for that matter?

Traditionally, the guy asks the girl and pays for the ticket. However, now girls ask guys to Prom as well. Therefore, the girl should pay for the ticket. It is simply the polite and courteous thing to do to buy your date’s ticket, if you are the one who asks. But what about going in a group of friends? Well, why would you make one person pay for the entire group’s ticket? Instead, each person should pay for their own in this situation.

The financial situation varies from individual to individual. As senior Nick Van Norman said, who pays depends on the type of people because some people may be more suited to carry more of the financial responsibility than others. For example, if two people are going to Prom together with one being someone from a working class family and the other being from a more wealthy family, then the member of the more wealthy family should pick up more of the financial responsibility. However, this does not excuse the person from the working class family from contributing.

In regards to your clothing, on the other hand, don’t force your date to pay for it. If you want to buy an expensive dress or tux for the occasion, that is on you to do so. Think about it this way, when you take someone to a date at a restaurant, you are not paying for what the other person wears. The same rule applies for Prom clothing.

Junior Naomi Stokes agreed, saying, “If you’re just going as a group of friends then you should pay for your own ticket, and you should buy your own clothes.”

Corsages and boutonnière, of course, are different. Guys should pay for the corsage they are giving, and girls should pay for the boutonnière. Any item that is a gift is the job of the giver to pay for. No one tells someone “happy birthday” while giving a gift then follows it up with “by the way, you owe me $15.”

Other Prom items, like transportation and dinner, should be the responsibility of both parties to pay. If the guy paid for the ticket, the girl should pay for dinner with the splitting of the transportation cost among both parties. The opposite applies if the girl payed for the ticket. With friends, the transportation cost should be split while each individual pays for their portion of the meal.