C&C Bridal Prom Boutique

Prom shopping in the mountains usually means a choice between a long drive and a short rack. C&C Bridal Wear and Prom Wear Boutique is the local answer to that problem. It sits north of downtown Blue Ridge, out toward McCaysville and the Tennessee line, and it handles both halves of a prom couple. Gowns for her. Tuxedos and suits for him. Alterations for both.

The shop's stated specialty is "the hottest prom dresses and formal wear for the guys," and the floor backs that up. Jovani is the lead name on the dress side, carried for prom and special occasions. The store also lists Stella Couture, Kanili K., Adagio, Envious and Andrea Leo among its dress lines, so a shopper has more than one label to compare in a single visit. For anyone who has priced a Jovani prom gown online and wants to see one in person before committing, this is the closest place in Fannin County to do it.

Where the tailoring comes in

What makes C&C different from a standard dress shop is the sewing room. The store does in-house alterations on everything it sells, and it takes in outside work from the public too, so a dress ordered online or handed down from a cousin can come here for its hem and straps. Prom is where that pays off. Almost every gown needs some fitting, and having the alterations happen where the dress was bought cuts out a second errand in the busiest weeks of spring.

The person behind that work is the store's master tailor, Charlotte.

Charlotte our master tailor has over 25 years of custom alterations. She even make dresses when she has time.

The shop's site introduces her with those two sentences, and the second is the interesting one. A shop with a tailor who can build a dress from scratch is a shop that can rescue a fit problem other stores would send home. A Fannin County junior who has fallen for a gown that is close but not quite right has somewhere to take it.

Prom for the guys, too

The men's side is not an afterthought. C&C advertises a complete line of tuxedos for every age.

Beyond tuxedos, the shop covers four more things.

• Prom and homecoming gowns, including Jovani
• In-house alterations, open to non-shop purchases as well
• Pageant and fashion show dressing
• Dresses for Christmas, Valentine and other parties

The store also ships dresses anywhere in the country, which helps families who have moved away but still want to order from a shop they know.

Bridal is part of the business as well, with Beloved by Casablanca among its wedding lines and a full wedding-party offering, but prom season is where this shop earns its keep with local families.

Prom shoppers here come from a wide but thinly populated area. Fannin County High School is the local school, and shoppers also come up from Gilmer High School in Ellijay, over from Union County High School in Blairsville, and across the state line from Copper Basin High School in Copperhill, Tennessee. For all of them, a trip to the metro means most of a Saturday on the road. A shop in the north Georgia mountains that can sell the dress, rent the tux and do the hem in one place saves a lot of miles.

The store's motto is "We can make any day special!" For a small-town prom, where everyone at the dance knows everyone else, that personal attention is the point. Appointments are not required, per the website, so prom shoppers can stop in during regular business hours.

Fannin County shoppers want to know about shipping, hems and tuxes

Can C&C ship a prom dress?

Yes. The store ships dresses anywhere in the country, which helps families who have moved away but still want to order from a shop they know.

Can C&C alter a prom dress I bought somewhere else?

Yes. The shop does alterations for the public on clothing not purchased there, in addition to in-house alterations on its own sales.

Does the store carry tuxedos for prom?

Yes. It offers tuxedos for every age, including Michael Kors slim-fit styles, and sells suits and tuxedos starting at $99.