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High Schoolers Spend Big On 'Promposals'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Prom marks the end of the year for high schoolers, and prom season is in full swing. A new survey found on average students plan to spend more than $900 on the big day.

That's actually down a bit from last year, but the survey also found the average cost of just asking a date to prom -- often called a "promposal" -- is $324.

Preparation starts well before the May semi-formal dance. Karina Kearn of Mestads Prom Shop sees students shop for their dresses as early as December. Most dresses cost from $200 to $1,000.

Meanwhile, many high school boys are pulling out all the stops and using elaborate ways to secure their dates.

Senior Jake Smedsrud surprised his date, junior Ally Rogers, with signs on the golf course she was playing over the weekend.

"I held a sign that said, 'Yes.' I didn't give her a 'no' option," Smedsrud said.

"I had no idea when I was walking up to the hole," Rogers said. "But then I saw the signs and was like, 'Oh man.'"

While some spend hundreds, for the students the "promposal" is more about creativity. The sentiment WCCO-TV heard is that money isn't as big a deal as the thought that goes into it.

Smedsrud said once the promposal is finished, the girls often take care of the rest of the prom planning.

Some students also told us that the person who gets asked in an elaborate way often tries to respond in an equally elaborate way.

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