Dress, $300. Tux, $135. Manicure/pedicure, $65. Limo, $85. Dinner, $50. Corsage, $40.

Seeing your daughter or son starry-eyed — priceless.

Several area high schools already have held their proms, and many more are scheduled through May. It's the time of year when parents open their wallets and find out it's not mom and dad's prom.

A girl spends an average of $573 on the night, surveys say. Dresses alone average $231.

Junior Jessica Elwood of South Cobb High School and her boyfriend will spend about $820. Her parents will pay for her part (dress, shoes, jewelry, tickets); 12 kids will split the cost of a limo.

While dress shopping, Jordan Cochran, a Heritage High School senior from Conyers, had only one color in mind. "I want something blue with a low front and back. Plain and long for prom," she said. "My dad told me not to go over $500."

"We think we can find something at $200," said mom Stacey Cochran.

Jordan is renting a party bus ($75 per person) with a group of friends for the May 12 event. They estimate dinner at a swanky Atlanta restaurant will cost between $40 and $60.

Stacey Cochran recalls her special night in a small Georgia town in the late 1970s. She paid about $30 for her dress. "I think everything now is totally, completely outrageous. It's probably at least quadrupled in costs since the late '70s," she said.

Cochran's friend Stephanie Merkel attended her South Cobb High prom in 1987. She experienced more of the traditional trappings — limo and a dinner — but she didn't get her hair done or a manicure. Her dress cost between $100 and $150.

Catherine Barco, prom sponsor at Sequoyah High School in east Cherokee County, said she's noticed a new twist: More boys are wearing designer tuxedos.

Sequoyah's prom was held at the Fox Theatre this year for a rental fee of $11,500. Barco said 773 kids attended, plus chaperones. Students sold entertainment coupon books to raise money. The caterer of dessert and drinks cost $8,600. And a company called Track 7 provided high-end decorations, lighting, photography and a DJ for $9,000.

Students and teachers want to enjoy the prom, not hang decorations, says Track 7 owner David Samdperil. His company has been throwing proms for seven years.

"It's turned more into an event vs. a dance in the gym," he said. "They want it. The finances are there."