With more formal fashions, corsage arrangements and stretch limo styles to choose from than ever before, the modern teenager has lots of decisions to make come prom time.

Waiting until the last minute is by far the worst of them.

“The sooner, the better,” said Cynthia Bissonnette, manager of Needleman’s Bridal and Formal in South Burlington. “It’s never too early to start looking around and seeing what the different options are.”

Waiting too long to pick out a dress, for example, could leave a young lady having to choose from yesterday’s fashions rather than the cutting edge of style. Bissonnette said that the majority of the 2011 dress styles fly off the racks as prom time nears; as of the first week of March, the St. Albans branch of Needleman’s had already seen 50 prom dresses go out the door.

“We start to run out, certainly,” Bissonnette said. “And girls also need to think about alterations. If you want your dress to fit to a ‘T,’ it usually takes about two months for alterations.”

Guys should also get a jump-start, Bissonnette said, if they hope to reserve the right tuxedo accessory colors to match their dates’ dresses.

Hair appointments are equally sought-after. At most area salons, the prime time slots – a few hours before prom, but not long enough that hairstyles go flat – are gobbled up well in advance of the big date.

An area where time can be even more precious is transportation. Mike Rooney, president of Ethan Allen Coachworks in Williston, said that there are only “eight or nine” stretch limousines available in the area, to service a far greater number of high schools.

“The demand definitely outweighs the supply,” Rooney said. “If kids want to make sure they get a car, they should give themselves a couple of months (before the prom).”

If everything else for prom ends up being a scheduling nightmare, teens will at least have a little extra time to stop and smell the flowers. Carl Houghton of Maplehurst Florist in Essex Junction said that even though “a lot of high-schoolers wait until the 11th hour,” the shop can accommodate even the most desperate prom date – as long as there is some flexibility.

“We’ve learned how to gear up for it, so we have plenty of flowers on hand,” Houghton said. “You might not get your first color choice and end up settling, but you’ll get something.”

Houghton said “gals are usually right on it” when it comes to flowers, while “guys tend to be a little less attentive.” He does have one piece of advice for his male customers:

If you know the color of your date’s dress, that’s always helpful,” he said.