As long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of having the perfect gown in my closet that I could wear to a gala or formal one day. We never wore long dresses to our high school prom and I thought maybe in college I would have this opportunity, but it never came. So when my boyfriend began to attend medical school and I learned they had such a thing as “med school prom” I took full advantage of it!

The first time I went I wore this navy blue jersey fabric gown. It has sequins and beading on the bodice, and is one shouldered to look elegant and classy. This dress really reminded of a something someone would wear to a Miss America pageant, and I shamelessly loved that concept. I adored this dress but I did pay quite a fortune for it. (I’m actually looking to sell it, so if you’re interested holla). I was quite unexperienced about what to look for in a gown and learned that maybe next time I shouldn’t pay full price for one if I’m only going to wear it one night. The quality was amazing though, however, I may not go with the jersey knit fabric again. It’s very slinky so it does show your every curve.

Outfit Details: Prom Girl Dress (really love this site & they have tons of discounts)- old, similar and similar; Earrings- Dillards- old, similar

The next time I wore a gown was to one my friend’s weddings, which was pretty conservative. I didn’t want to stand out too much, (you never want to at someone else’s wedding) so I compared my gown to what the bridesmaids gowns looked like. This time I picked a few dresses from Rent the Runway and it was the greatest experience ever! The gowns came a couple of days before the event, and went back the very next day after wearing it to UPS.  I’ll be honest and say I do get a little nervous from renting just a couple days before the event in case anything goes wrong, but they usually are pretty accommodating and will overnight ship you another dress if you didn’t like it or it didn’t fit, free of charge. Rent the Runway allows the option for you to choose two sizes for your gown of choice, your actual size you think you are, and a backup size. I recommend reading the reviews on sizing because some dresses run smaller or bigger than others. The other great thing is the reviews! I was able to see what the dress looked like on other people instead of just seeing it on a model. The price point is pretty affordable to me, usually ranging from $70-100 depending on the type of dress you get. But keep in mind these are designer dresses, and you’ll probably pay 1/5 of the price if you bought a gown full price.

Outfit Details: Rent the Runway, similar style; Earrings- Dillards, same as above

This is the gown I wore to my boyfriend’s second med school prom. I think it’s my favorite out of all the gowns I’ve worn. This one is also from Rent the Runway. I really wanted to take a risk with this one since I don’t know when I’ll go to fancy event again! I went with classic black, which is my favorite color. So it wasn’t boring, I went with a daring cutout in the middle and long slit down the front. I originally wanted to wear that gown to my friend’s wedding but knew I would stand out at such a conservative event. I really made sure to amp up the look by wearing some 5 lb earrings (jk, but it really felt like it) and barely there black sandal heels.

Outfit Details: Rent the Runway

(sorry for the snapchat pic lol, wanted to share my earrings and makeup- Outhouse Jewelry

Funny story about this one though– I was really  freaking out about it. I received my gown from Rent the Runway a couple of days before the event. I had also picked one back up gown just in case the first one didn’t work out. I get an email from RTR saying someone had damaged one of my black dresses in the first size I had wanted and they included a backup dress that they thought was similar. They said if I didn’t like the dress or didn’t fit, I could email them right away and they could send whatever gown I wanted ASAP, or get a full refund. I squeezed my body into a dress that was a size too small for me, but it was so worth it knowing that I was wearing the gown for FREE. I’ll be honest, I really hated the dress they gave me as a backup because it looked nothing like this black gown. I know hate is a strong word but it was definitely not my style. The backup dress I had originally picked didn’t fit me. So if something hadn’t worked out for me, yes this truly would have been a disaster. I will rent from RTR again but the whole thing does give me anxiety for situations like that one, so just be cautious in making sure you have a solid backup in case something happens. I just wanted to be as honest as possible about my experiences with RTR so you can decide for yourselves! Overall I really like the concept of it, renting so much cheaper than a full price gown, and they have the cutest stuff so ya’ll should definitely check it out!!

Backup Dresses and Other Dresses I Loved: Red Gown, ColorBlock Gown, Green Sequin Gown, CutOut Navy Gown, Blush Strapless Gown