Kaitlyn Hummel was stuck between two prom dresses.
The first had a high halter neckline, a black bodice and a full skirt in a blue floral print. The second was a light green princess gown with a fitted bodice covered in detailed embroidery that trailed down the skirt.
Hummel, 18, had been holding on to the second dress since her first round of try-ons. She didn’t come in looking for a dress like that. Her initial reaction was to reach for something simpler.
But the green dress caught her eye.
“That’s cool,” she said.
Beth Bowling, her boyfriend’s mother who came with her, agreed. “I think that is so pretty.”
Hummel considered it.
“You never know,” said Tori Reeves, a volunteer serving as Hummel’s personal shopper. “I’m telling ya, it can surprise you.”
After some more encouragement, Hummel took the dress (and a few others) to a dressing room. The dress was a delightful surprise once she tried it on, a small smile on her face. It elicited oohs and ahhs from Reeves and Hummel.
It took a bit of time, but eventually, the green dress came out on top for Hummel. She will wear it to Wadsworth High School’s prom on May 10.
Hummel was one of several hundred high school girls who converged on the Jean Hower Taber Student Union at the University of Akron on Saturday. The third-floor ballroom was now a prom shopping destination, with racks of more than 2,000 dresses and tables of shoes, purses and jewelry — all provided to the girls for free.
The nonprofit Altrusa International of Akron hosts Princess Night Project, which is now in its 24th year. The goal of the event is to make prom more accessible. The numbers are varied, but the consensus says prom can cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand. By providing dresses and accessories, Princess Night Project alleviates some of the financial burden for the time-honored high school ritual.
Event co-chair Linda Rittenour said Princess Night Project started when an Altrusa member noticed prom dresses at a dry cleaners. When she asked why the dresses were at the cleaners in the winter, she was told that the girls never picked up their gowns.
“And she went back to the club and said, ‘I have this great idea. Why don’t we see if we can’t gather some dresses together and start our event?’” Rittenour said.
There are no requirements to attend. The only questions Altrusa asks each attendee is where they go to school and how they heard about the event.
“People are very thankful, which is really nice. I think it’s fun just shopping with people to find their prom dress,” Reeves said. “And it’s nice that they don’t ask any questions. It’s just, ‘Come on in and try to find your dress.’”
Nami Miller, 17, originally came in looking for a blue or green dress to wear to Stow-Munroe Falls High School’s prom, but she couldn’t find one in her size. Her dad, J.R. Miller, suggested she try on a few others. She ended up selecting one of her dad’s recommendations: a sparkly, canary yellow number with an added bonus: “It has pockets,” she said. “They’re, like, big pockets. I can put my whole cell phone in there. I won’t need a clutch.”
J.R. has a bit of a knack for dress shopping. Nami’s mom, Dawn Miller, called her husband “super dad.”
“When we went to go pick out my wedding dress, he went. I didn’t take anybody else,” Dawn said.
The mood at the event was light-hearted and fun, as girls — some with parents or family members, others with friends and teachers — browsed the racks of dresses that spanned half the ballroom. Volunteers assisted with everything from personal shopping to wrapping the dresses in plastic garment bags on the way out. The entire process allowed each girl to focus on finding a dress she loved — without worrying about price tags.
“Just knowing that we’ve made prom accessible for any girl, because this should be a milestone in their life,” Rittenour said. “We want them to be able to take part.”
