In the not-too-distant past, senior proms were held in high school gyms decorated with little else besides streamers and balloons. Today, senior prom is synonymous with extravagance and splendor.

For a senior girl, the stress and spending of senior prom starts months before the actual event. The hunt for the perfect dress begins sometime in November and consists of prowling through designer websites, squeezing into dress after dress in a poorly lit dressing room, scraping together almost 500 dollars to buy the dress once you actually find it, and feverishly hoping that someone else doesn’t buy your dream dress before you do.

A Facebook group where senior girls post pictures of their dresses means there’s no excuse for any two people having the same dress. Even if one braves the social stigma of buying someone else’s dress, she comes under fire immediately. The comment sections on these groups can be home to threats, name-calling, and general cattiness.

Next on the prom to-do list is the limo and after prom which needs to be coordinated with the group of friends you plan on hanging out with. While options like a trip to the city are still a solid choice, week-long stays in vacation houses on eastern Long Island or the Jersey Shore are becoming more prevalent. Even paradises like the Bahamas and the Caribbean are becoming premier prom destinations.

Simply asking someone to prom should be simple though, right? Not exactly. The person doing the asking, usually a boy, is expected to come with a cute and surprising way to ask a girl to prom. Some favorites include scavenger hunts and cupcakes that spell out the words “Will you go to prom with me?”

Is one night really worth this much stress and money? “I think people should get excited for prom,” said senior Rachel Pereira. “It’s like everyone’s last hurrah. But I do think that sometimes people can go a little crazy during after prom.”

Any extended after prom plans that seniors have made for this year will have to be put on hold until after graduation, which is scheduled for the day after prom. Others are not so convinced that prom justifies the attention it receives. “I don’t really see the big deal,” said senior Amanda Graziano. “I think prom will be fun but I don’t see the appeal to spending a massive amount of money on just one night.”

There is no escaping prom mania. It has infiltrated every aspect of the event and hovers over seniors during the entirety of their final year of high school.