Teens Stumble Into A Fairytale

Prom night is a night to look your best, but it's not always easy to afford the perfect dress.

On Friday, five girls who wouldn't have been able to afford prom dresses for themselves, appeared on The Early Show to say what it's like to stumble into a fairytale -- free prom dresses.

"I just stepped out of life and into this," said Celia Gianis, 17, a Hempstead, N.Y. high school junior, said. "It's unbelievable."

It was a month before their proms, and none of the young women had dresses to wear.

"I was getting really concerned. I didn't know what I was going to wear or where to get it or how to get it," Gianis said.

But their fairy godmothers were on their way.

Seventeen magazine and DonateMyDress.org invited the girls to New York's Seventeen magazine headquarters to pick out an entire outfit for their prom night.

The girls were found through DonateMyDress.org, a site that provides gently-used and new dresses to young women for their special occasion dress needs, according to Ann Shoket, editor in chief of Seventeen.

The dresses seen on The Early Show were donated by JC Penney, ranging from $70 to $150. M.A.C. Cosmetics also provided each of the girls with her Sugar Sweet prom collection.

For many of the girls, the dresses went beyond their expectations.

"I'm really excited, especially seeing all of these dresses, these glamorous dresses," said Tarina Bradshaw, 18, of Hempstead, N.Y, "dresses I never would have dreamed of when I was little."

According to a Hearst survey, teen girls spend an average $236 on their dress, and $566 for the whole night - too much for these girls.

Bradshaw wasn't even going to go.

"I really do need a prom dress," she said.

Karen Alvarez, an 18-year-old Hempstead High School senior, said she spends money on other essentials, such as books, breakfast and her cell phone bill. Others, like Yofresi Romero, an 18-year-old high school senior, don't want to add another expense to their families' budgets.

"My mom is a single mom," Romero said, "so it's very hard for us."

But now, each of these girls has one less worry for their prom night, and their apprehension is turning to excitement.

Said Benilda Brown, 17, "I was jumping in the hallway as class was going on."