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Well... My only caution would be that dressy fabrics are much harder to sew and they show mistakes like crazy.

I made one for a friend both junior and senior year. Its not too bad as long as you pick something simple, since youre not super experienced.

I've been garment sewing for over 12 years and went to school for fashion design. Its certainly doable and i remember making prom dresses in high school. I would say the hardest aspect is fit and also picking a realistic design. I would stay away from patterns that require boning. Look through the pattern books in the fabric stores and find something you like, have an employee help you choose the fabric and trims. check out the direction in the pattern envelope to see just how complicated the instructions are (i would stay away from vogue they tend to be pretty complex) I also would recommend making a mock up in a cheap fabric like muslin first and deciding what you would want to change or adjust for fit before you start cutting your final fabrics. If you want more help or tips let me know.

The dress you posted looks fairly basic and easy to replicate. Rather than drape a pattern yourself if you can find a similar style in a pattern book you can just make tweaks as needed and you'll have instructions to go by. the pattern will even tell you how much fabric to buy. If you've never put a zipper in you might find it tricky I would practice that too. I like corset back because they allow for the best fit possible by tightening or loosening where needed. get a muslin that would be the same weight as your "good" fabric. If its a stiffer heavier satin go with a heavier muslin. You can get away with a nice bodice fabric and a lining for the under layer of the skirt then layers of tulle on top
to do the tulle you'll want to make a tutu style skirt you will need 3-4x the waist size for each layer and i'm thinking 3 layers in different colors like 1 fuchsia, 1 red, 1 purple
(Ex 36" hipline x 3 = 3 yards of tulle for the first layer)

Sewing is easy I'm a big believer that if you can follow directions, you can sew something. When you go to a fabric store, talk IN DEPTH to the ladies there. They will make sure you have the right needles, know how to set your sewing machine right (it makes all the difference with satin!!!) and the right thread (again, you need the right thread!)

That looks like a relatively simple dress to me! The top looks pretty easy--zippers are kind of a bia, but whatever--and the skirt will be easy, too! You can do them in two separate pieces and then put them together. OR you can make them two pieces, period.

I definitely second the note above about a practice run with muslin. Sometimes instructions aren't super clear or you have to kind of wing something and it's good to make notes on sizing/etc on a crappy fabric. I find that most fabric patterns don't run true to size for clothing, so that'll help you size it properly for your sister, too!

I wonder if you can find some kind of spray-on glitter for the poofy skirt....surely there is something out there in the world of fabrics for that effect!

@MrsBrewer: Patterns run big, in my experience.

Leave yourself a lot of time! My mom made me a homecoming dress once and I vivedly remember my date waiting downstairs while she finished up!

Being someone that size, I remember having a corset back for my prom dress to the best thing because strapless always falls down. Mine was an open corset back, and the dress was ankle length tulle. I loved it because I felt like a ballerina without being overwhelmed by tulle!