A store on East Tennessee Street keeps a prom registry, and for Shoals families hunting a dress nobody else at the dance will wear, that one feature can decide where the search starts. Cherry Tree Lane has been doing formalwear in Florence since 2010, when owner Kathryn Robinson started the shop with a plain goal: give every person who walks in the space to feel beautiful, confident, supported and loved. In the store's words, it is a full service prom, pageant and bridal retailer, and one of the most elite bridal and formal retailers in North Alabama, with over 5,000 square feet of retail space.
That square footage earns its keep in March. Prom shopping is rarely a solo trip around here. It is a daughter, a mom, a grandmother, a best friend with opinions and sometimes a little sister who wants to try things on too. A floor that size can hold the whole group without anyone standing in a doorway.
The prom racks, label by label
The formal side of the store is organized by occasion first: prom, plus size prom, homecoming, pageant, short and cocktail dresses, and evening gowns. Nine labels make up the prom lineup, including Sherri Hill, Jovani, ASHLEYlauren, Ava Presley, Ellie Wilde, Johnathan Kayne, Portia & Scarlett Couture, Tarik Ediz and Kate Parker. The pageant collections the store lists are Jovani Pageant and Jovani Red Carpet.
That is a serious bench. Sherri Hill and Jovani cover the big, beaded, everybody-turns-around end of the room. Ellie Wilde and Ava Presley lean younger and lighter. Johnathan Kayne and Tarik Ediz are the names pageant girls already know, and Portia & Scarlett sits right on the line between prom and stage. Homecoming gets its own racks too, with Ava Presley and Jovani short styles, so the same girl who buys a long gown in spring can come back in September.
Sizing is where Cherry Tree Lane makes a point of being different. Plus size prom has its own category, stocked with Sydney's Closet. The shop describes its racks as size inclusive, with street size and plus size gowns, and the store puts the reason simply: every one of the #CTLgirls deserves to feel beautiful. Seeing a dress in her actual size on an actual hanger changes the whole afternoon.
Prom sizes on the formal side
000 to 28
- 000
- 00
- 0
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
Sizes 000 through 28, street size and plus size.
How the registry works, plus layaway and sales rules
For prom, the feature that sets the shop apart is its dress registry. When a girl buys her prom gown here, the store logs it against her school so another student from that school does not walk out with the same dress in the same color.
PROM DRESSES WILL BE REGISTERED BY COLOR PER SCHOOL! Technically, your dress could go to the same prom in a DIFFERENT COLOR.
That note comes straight from the store, and the line after it points out that the same dress looks different on every girl depending on color, shape and how it is styled. Still, if your daughter wants to be the only one in emerald at the Florence High School prom, the registry is a good reason to buy here. The same logic covers Lauderdale County schools such as Brooks High School in Killen, Central and Wilson, and the Colbert County side of the river, where Muscle Shoals High School and Deshler in Tuscumbia hold their proms on a similar spring calendar.
Layaway is free in store on prom, pageant, mothers' and bridal gowns. For prom and pageant dresses it works in two steps, both within a month.
Day of purchase
Put 50% down
Within 30 days
Pay the dress off
Paid in full
Good to know: special occasion purchases are final sale, so bring the decision-makers to the fitting room. The store adds a detail about stock: its in-stock dresses are the store's own floor samples, kept in protective zipper bags, and the staff handle all the zipping. That is part of why the gowns on the rack still look new in April.
Tuxedos on site
Jim's Formal Wear
Terms
Rental only
Appointment
Not needed to set up a rental
Order by
Two to four weeks before the event
For a prom couple, the order window means the coat and vest can be matched to the dress the same week she buys it, which beats a scramble the Monday before the dance.
Bridal is the one part of the store that requires an appointment. Mothers are encouraged to book as well, though it is not required. The mother-of-the-bride collections the store lists are Cameron Blake, MGNY by Morilee, Montage by Mon Cheri and Jovani Evenings. For prom, the online booking page is there for anyone who wants a set time on a busy Saturday.
Three things Shoals families ask Cherry Tree Lane
Could a classmate end up in my exact dress?
Not in your color. The store logs each prom gown by color for each school, which keeps another student from the same school from buying that style in that shade.
Can I put a prom dress on layaway?
Yes. Layaway is free with 50% down on the day of purchase, and prom and pageant gowns must be paid in full within 30 days.
What sizes does Cherry Tree Lane carry for prom?
Sizes 000 through 28 on the formal side, plus a dedicated plus size prom section stocked with Sydney's Closet.