The entrance The Willingdon Community School Prom was at the four-star Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne in June 2007. Hayley and eight friends hired a stretch limo for £400 and were greeted by a photographer and dozens of parents.

Tantrums and tiaras Hayley tried on between 50 and 60 dresses until she fell in love with a £600 bright pink number. She then spent £200 on facials, waxing, eyebrow shaping, nails and a spray tan, £210 on hair extensions, and £45 on hairdressing.

Prom queen Tickets to the prom cost £40 with guests enjoying a three-course meal before dancing the night away. Hayley’s parents splashed out on a £100 tiara, £100 bracelet and £70 shoes. Hayley spent the night at a three-star hotel at a cost of £70 paid for by her mum and dad.

Dream date Hayley’s friend, 6ft 6in Chris Lovell, 17.

She says: “Proms are getting bigger and bigger. I think it’s better than getting married. At your wedding you’re automatically the centre of attention, but at your prom you have to push the boat out if you want people to look at you. It was fantastic and I’ll never forget it. It will be hard for my wedding to beat it.”

'It’s like a practice run for your wedding'

Prom girl Jenny Chung, 15, lives in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, with mum Carole, 45, dad Michael, 46, and her four brothers and one sister.

Total spend £440.

The entrance Whitby High School’s prom was at the four-star Mollington Banastre Hotel near Chester. Jenny and 10 schoolmates paid £490 between them to hire a Hummer limo. She says: “We wanted something classy. Other people came in fire engines and American police cars.”

Tantrums and tiaras The prom has been the hot topic at school for the last 18 months. Jenny started looking for her dress in October, but was disappointed when a £50 gown she’d ordered on the internet didn’t suit her. She finally found her “perfect” pale pink dress with just weeks to go. It cost £250 and her mum bought it for her.

Prom queen Jenny spent £25 on her prom ticket and finished off her look with £20 shoes and a £20 bag. She also bought a £30 post-prom outfit. Her mum bought her a necklace and a pair of earrings as a surprise.

Dream date Schoolmate Nathan Cartwright, 15. Jenny says: “A few boys asked me and I couldn’t make up my mind, but I’ve known Nathan for ages.”

She says: “You get to look like a princess and it’s like a practice run for your wedding. But there’s quite a lot of peer pressure because if you turn up in the wrong dress, you know other people will laugh at you. Proms are getting bigger – not just the number of people doing it, but also the standard of what you have to wear.

“My prom was brilliant – photographers took pictures of everyone as they arrived and there was food and a live singer. It was the best night of my life!”

'I flew 21,000 miles to find my dress'

Prom girl Justine Micallef, 17, lives in Farnborough, Hampshire, with mum Rebecca, 52, and dad Frank, 58.

Total spend £1,467

The entrance The prom was at Kings International College For Business And The Arts in July 2007. Justine says: “I wanted a car that matched my dress but I couldn’t find one, so I looked on the internet and found a brilliant vintage car from the ’20s. Four of us hired it for £400. Lots of people had limos or sports cars, but two guys turned up on a tandem!”

Tantrums and tiaras Outfits for the big event were months in the planning. Justine says: “It was competitive – some girls wouldn’t tell you the colour of their dress or where they’d bought it in case you copied them. A lot of people were bragging about how much they’d spent.”

Such was the competition that Justine’s parents paid £900 for her to fly to Australia, where her sister Donna Boyce, 35, lives, for help choosing her gown.

“I must have tried on 40 dresses in 15 shops in Sydney. I ended up going back and buying the first one I tried on. It was a £170 coral taffeta dress. I loved it because I knew the colour would be different from anyone else’s.”

Prom queen On the big day, Justine pampered herself with a £32 manicure and a £25 pedicure before spending £60 having her hair styled. She spent hours perfecting her look, accessorising her dress with an £80 tiara, £50 necklace and £30 shoes, all paid for by her mum and dad.

Dream date Justine’s friend, Supo Johnson, 17. She says: “He’s a mate – I knew I’d have a good time with him.”

She says: “I loved having the chance to dress up. There was a red carpet and when you went inside, a screen showed people arriving. There was also food and a DJ. Afterwards we got changed for the after-prom party. I wore a gold sequinned dress that cost £20 from New Look. The whole evening went by in a flash, but I loved every minute.”

Having A Ball: Prom Facts

* The word prom is thought to have come from ‘promenade’, the grand march that opened formal balls in the 19th century.

* American high school proms were first held in the ’30s and grew in popularity after the end of WW2. They evolved from debutante balls, where the teenage daughters of wealthy families were presented to society.

* Prom traditions include the appointment of a King and Queen and girls receiving pretty corsages to wear from their dates.

* The trend for having a school prom crossed the pond to the UK in the ’80s, and is now typically held to mark the end of school or exams for the senior year.

* Proms have featured heavily in films such as Carrie, where it was given a horror makeover; Mean Girls and She’s All That, where geeky girls ended up being crowned Prom Queen.

What do you think of prom-night spending? Is it an obscene waste of money? Or do you think these girls deserve a night to remember? Why do you think there’s so much peer pressure?

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION

Photography: Lancton. Hair and make-up: Sara Bowden, Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman