Ladies Society Collecting Prom Dresses for Upcoming Boutique

Girls had more than 150 gorgeous donated dresses to choose from last year.

The Manchester Ladies Society will be holding their third annual “Free Prom Dress Boutique” on March 4th and 5th, 2016. Once again, girls will be able to come browse, try-on, and leave with a dress for free but in a new location this year. The dress shop is moving to the Manchester High School and will be open after school on Friday and during the afternoon on Saturday. Although the boutique is being held in the High School, all girls living in the district going to prom, whether they attend MHS or not are welcome to come search for a dress.

All of the dresses in the shop are donated dresses and the Ladies Society is in need of dresses to restock! If you have a clean formal dress you would like to donate, bring it to the front desk of the library during regular operating hours. They are also accepting dress shoes and jewelry. Dress donations are tax deductible! Donors will receive a recipt they can save for tax purposes.

While the idea started as a recycling program to cut down on the environmental impact of purchasing a dress to wear one time, there is also a financial benefit to the idea. Formal dresses purchased new cost hundreds of dollars. Girls often end up borrowing a dress from a friend’s closet to wear to prom. The boutique works the same way, but on a larger scale with more selection.

Some of the newly donated dresses that will be available at the boutique this year will be shown at the Prom Dress Fashion Show and Afternoon Tea on February 20th at 2pm at the Manchester United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults & $5 for children, and include tea, finger sandwiches, scones and more. This event serves as the Manchester Ladies Society’s primary fundraiser. All money raised is returned to the community through projects like the Free Prom Dress Boutique. Tickets are on sale now at Frank’s Place and will be available at the door.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.