Simply Elegant by Cheri, SE to its regulars, opened in Lincoln in July 2018. The first store measured 1,200 square feet, and Cheri was the only employee. The About page lists what that meant: every appointment, every shipment, every email, phone call and social media post was hers. Within three months she hired a second person.
The shop later outgrew that space and bought the building it uses now, on Woodlawn Road just off Interstates 55 and 155. It started at 6,500 square feet. A 1,500-square-foot addition came after COVID, and another 1,500 square feet went on in 2023, for 9,500 in all. The staff around Cheri has grown into what the store calls the SE family.
1,200
Square feet in the first store, July 2018
6,500
Square feet when SE bought its current building
9,500
Square feet after the 2023 addition
A prom wing with 1,600 gowns
Prom has its own wing. The homepage counts more than 1,600 designer prom gowns there, plus more than 800 homecoming gowns, in sizes 0 to 28, along with what it calls countless accessories. It names Jovani, Sherri Hill, Ashley Lauren, Ellie Wilde, Faviana and Portia & Scarlett as headline designers, and new styles keep arriving through the year.
The online prom collection has an In Store filter, which shows the styles on hand rather than whole designer lines. It returns hundreds of prom styles, and Jovani leads with about one in every four. Sherri Hill comes next, then Ashley Lauren, Morilee, Ellie Wilde and Portia & Scarlett, with smaller runs from Sydney's Closet, Faviana, Sophia Thomas and Ava Presley. A separate Sherri Hill page describes an established selection of her gowns in a range of colors, silhouettes and sizes.
Homecoming is the fall business. The homecoming page promises more than 800 dresses in the store, from Jovani, Sherri Hill, Ashley Lauren, Faviana, Portia & Scarlett and others, and the same In Store filter shows hundreds of homecoming styles on hand.
Homecoming
Jovani, Sherri Hill, Ashley Lauren and more
Tuxedos
Rental and sales
Accessories
What the homepage calls countless pieces
Runway viewing, chandeliers and a school registry
The store sells the room as much as the racks. The homepage describes spacious fitting rooms, large windows, gleaming chandeliers and runway-style viewing areas, built, it says, for amazing photos and reels. Trained stylists work the floor. The prom pages also promise school dress registration, so say which school and dance the gown is for when you buy.
Cheri does the buying herself. The About page says she attends runway shows, meets designers and hand-selects every gown in the store, then explains why that isn't the point for her.
For Cheri, shopping for your wedding attire or your prom dress is an experience of its own.
The same page says a dress appointment can leave a shopper feeling uncertain, alone and overwhelmed, or it can promote mental health and give her a chance to be seen and celebrated for who she is. The store aims for the second. It also makes room for groups, from one shopper to a crew of 10.
Booking a visit off I-55
The FAQ highly recommends an appointment so an experienced stylist can help you, and it says there is no charge to make or cancel one. Appointments run 90 minutes. Book online or by phone. The FAQ also suggests bringing any refreshments your group would like, and the shop keeps ice and glasses on hand.
Watch the calendar, because the week is unusual. SE is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. It opens Monday and Thursday from 11 to 6, Friday from 10 to 5, Saturday from 10 to 4 and Sunday from 1 to 5.
The homepage also bills SE as an official sponsor of Miss Illinois, and it ranks the shop first in selection and service among Central Illinois bridal boutiques, by its own measure. Weddings are the other side of the house, with more than 800 gowns in sizes 0 to 32, and the store rents and sells tuxedos too.
Lincoln sits midway between Springfield and Bloomington on I-55, and Lincoln Community High School is the town's own. For other prom stores in central Illinois and across the state, our Illinois prom shop listings cover the rest.
SE prom questions
Which designer has the most prom gowns at SE?
Jovani, with about a quarter of the prom styles tagged as in the store, followed by Sherri Hill and Ashley Lauren.
Does SE charge to book a prom appointment?
No. The FAQ says making or canceling an appointment is free.
Is the store open midweek?
Not on Tuesday or Wednesday, when it is closed. Thursday reopens at 11.
Do plus-size prom shoppers have options?
Yes. Prom and homecoming gowns run to size 28, and Sydney's Closet is among the labels tagged as in the store.