Philadelphia mother pays $27,000 for prom send-off castle

PHILADELPHIA -- By now you've seen the flurry of photos and reels on your feed of teens celebrating the high school right of passage that is prom.

But, it's also sparking debate online about the idea of prom send-offs -- are they excessive or exceptional?

Treva Harris went all out for her daughter's prom send-off.

The theme was Cinderella, and the event planner transformed a city lot on Lancaster Avenue into a castle fit for a princess, or maybe a Hollywood movie.

From the chandeliers to the furniture, it looked like Harris spared no expense. The castle alone was $27,000.

"Did you ever think it would get to this grand of a scale?" asked reporter Christie Ileto.

"I did not. I thought it was going to be a nice prom send-off. For me to be talking about the prom. I absolutely did not," said Harris.

Keep in mind, this is a city where over-the-top prom send-offs are truly a thing.

In 2018, a mom held a Black Panther-themed prom sendoff that cost $25,000.

A Philadelphia mom appeared on Tamron Hall last year for the extravaganza she threw for her daughter.

"I've seen a lot of, 'What about college education?' They'll still get everything that they need. I just feel like it's that family's prerogative to do what they want to do at that particular time, and prom send-off -- for whatever reason and I don't know how it became this -- but it's a thing now," said Harris.