It's that time of year when limousines appear in your neighborhood and young couples dressed like royalty are whisked away to a grand ball.

It's prom season.

	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Lauren Eonto, of Dormont, models her prom dress Thursday in her home. Click photo for larger image.

Over the next several weeks, teens from across the South suburbs will carry out the rituals of prom, some spending between $500-$1,000 per couple for a night they hope will be memorable for years to come.

"We want to remember it. We want it to be perfect," said Lauren Eonta, 17, a senior at Keystone Oaks High School. "You want to have the perfect dress, nails, hair and date. I think that's why we spend so much."

The rituals vary from district to district. Some sponsor pre-prom promenades, others hold official school-sponsored after proms, while others allow students to schedule their own late night activities to cap off the prom experience.

Preparation for the big night starts months before, when dates are arranged, dresses are selected and tanning sessions are scheduled. For some girls, the perfect prom look includes a deep exotic tan and that means weeks of tanning sessions beforehand.

Then, there's choosing the right dress and allowing enough time for alterations and customizing.

Then comes finding jewelry and shoes to match.

There's also scheduling the limo and doing it early enough to get the preferred style and color and organizing a large enough group to cover the costs.

In the McKeesport Area and West Jefferson Hills districts, prom festivities start with a promenade at the high schools.

From there, McKeesport students drive to the 10th Ward docks and walk down the hill to the river to board a boat from the Gateway Clipper fleet that takes them to Station Square.

"After we get on board, we turn around and face people and wave and everybody is taking pictures," said Katie Metz, 17, a junior who is attending her third prom this year. The McKeesport prom is open to seniors and their dates.

At Station Square, the teens board the larger Majestic, on which they will dance and party until around 2:30 a.m. When the prom is over, the school district sends buses to pick them up and bring them back to the docks where their cars are parked.

In West Jefferson, the promenade is followed by trips to scenic settings such as Mount Washington for photos. Then it's off to the Omni William Penn, where the prom will be held.

The dance will be followed by an after prom at Dave & Busters at the Waterfront, where there will be "more fun and silliness," said Ashley Rocco, 17, a senior who is attending her first prom this year. In West Jefferson, the prom is open to juniors and seniors and their dates.

The end of the after prom isn't the end of the fun. Ashley said most students will go somewhere for breakfast and then likely head to Kennywood the next day after a few hours of sleep.

In Keystone Oaks, students start off prom night by gathering at friends houses for group photos before many head out to dinner in a restaurant. Then it's off to the prom, which will be held at the club level of Heinz Field until about 1 a.m. They return to gatherings at people's homes since there is no formal after prom, said Lauren, who is attending her second prom this year.

Arranging transportation for the big night can get tricky. For Keystone Oaks and West Jefferson prom-goers, limos appear to be the favorite choice. This year, Lauren is hoping her group gets a white limo. Last year her group organized late and were stuck with a less desirable, but less expensive, black limo.

Her date, Scott Strain, 17, a senior, said he's found limos rates that range from $300-$600 and that last year, he was able to arrange a limo ride for just $100, but it included a single pick-up and drop-off point.

Jeff Bloom, 17 and a junior who will attend the West Jefferson prom with Ashley, said their limo, which will seat 10 people, will cost each person $75.

Various arrangements are made for picking up the tab, the teens said. In some cases the boy pays it, in others, the girls. And in some groups, each person pays their share.

"Usually the boy pays. But if you are not officially dating, and if you are just going with a friend, then you split it," Ashley said.

In McKeesport, since the drive is only to the high school and the docks, some students opt to rent cars for the night rather than limos. Cory and Katie plan to rent either a Cadillac or a Chrysler 300 for about $80, Cory said.

But before paying for transportation, couples first have to purchase their prom tickets, which are pricey. A look at a few: Keystone Oaks, $125 per couple; McKeesport, $150 per couple; and West Jefferson, including the after prom, $160. Schools offer both group and individual fund-raising efforts to bring the costs down.

Cory Winters, a senior who's taking Katie to the McKeesport prom, said he was able to do enough fund raising to cover the entire cost of the prom tickets. Again, the protocol on who pays for the tickets seems to vary by the couple.

But the biggest statement of the night is about fashion and looking good. And for the girls that can mean big bucks.

The boys said they expected to pay between $80-$100 to rent shoes and a tux with a vest to match their dates' dresses. They expect flowers to cost about $35.

But for the girls, it's a different story.

Since this year's prom is her third, Katie was best able to estimate her expenses. Her dress is a hot pink halter top that cost $341 with alterations. She purchased it from a bridal store in Greensburg.

"It's bright pink with silver beads scattered on it and it's slim fitting all the way down," Katie said.

She estimated the rest of her expenses as: $35-$40 for hair; $10 for jewels to put in her hair; $30 for shoes; $10-$15 for a purse; $30 for nails; and $20 for a spray-on tan.

But sometimes the expenses run higher. "My freshman year I spent $80 on my necklace and earrings," Katie said.

She expects to pay half of the cost of the car. But she expects Cory to pay for his tux, flowers and to provide the prom tickets.

"Boys get off easy. Girls spend a lot of money. Everybody wants to look the best," Katie said.

For Lauren, this year's dress is fancier than last year's because this time she was asked several months in advance and because this is her senior year.

"Last year I just went to Macy's. But this year, I'm trying to get into the whole prom dress shopping thing," Eonta said.

Last year Lauren went with the "poofy" look for her dress. "It was so poofy it was nice to get it off at the end of the night," she said. From that she learned that this year she wanted a more comfortable, straight dress. Ultimately, she chose a beaded and jeweled turquoise A-line dress that cost $248.

She has a hair appointment for the day, she's not sure how much it will cost, and plans to get her nails done for about $30. She doesn't know how much she will spent for accessories and she's not sure about a tan.

She's fair-skinned and doesn't tan too well. She might go for a spray-on tan but she's also hoping to get some natural color while she plays tennis. Lauren was a member of the Keystone Oaks tennis team and will play tennis for Clarion University.

"A lot of girls at our school go tanning. But I don't mind being white and pasty," Lauren said.

Ashley's dress cost $369 and she described it as red and strapless and "kind of poofy at the bottom." She might also get a spray-on tan, which will cost another $20-$30.

She's not sure about accessories.

Most of the teens said they had jobs and have been saving up for months to cover the costs of prom. And, they said, they believe the money will be well-spent.

Scott said he's been saving money since Christmas to cover his prom costs. "It's definitely worth it. It's really a nice night."

According to Ashley: "Prom it's just the one time in your high school career when you can get dressed up and have fun with all of your friends. When you are a senior, it's kind of like your last hurrah and a really good time."