Sixty percent off Jovani is not a phrase you expect to see on a Main Street storefront in Rock County, but it is the headline on First Comes Love's prom page. The boutique posts a sample of past-season gowns online at that markdown. A Jovani 09114 listed at $672 shows up at $268.80. A Jovani 24031 drops from $912.50 to $365. JVN by Jovani, Colors Dress, Glow by Colors and Annylee styles get the same treatment.
That is only the clearance side.
In the boutique
The current season
- The newest Colors and Jovani arrivals, never posted online
- Seen on the racks in person, then fit checked before purchase
On the website
The past-season sample
- Shoppers are asked to come in and try the gowns on
- Nothing for prom is sold through the website
A shop that started with a needle and thread
First Comes Love opened in 2022, founded by bridal alterationist Mary Brown, who had studied design in London. When the Rock County Star Herald reported on the boutique that first year, it described the shop serving area brides, mothers, grandmothers, bridesmaids, friends and prom girls, with customization and alterations as part of the offer. In 2024 Katia Soto took over. She had built a career in the diamond industry before coming home to work with The Sewing Basket, and in the shop's telling, taking the helm was a return to her first love, sewing.
Today Soto runs the shop as owner and studio principal, Candida Soto leads alterations, and Courtney Richters is the senior stylist and sales lead. That alterations lead matters for prom, because the boutique handles prom fitting and alterations in house. The prom page explains why every gown has to be bought in person.
Every prom dress is purchased in boutique so our team can offer precise fit checks, alteration guidance, and a truly personalized experience from first zip to final twirl
In other words, the fitting is part of the sale. You try the gown on, the team checks the fit, and the alterations plan starts before you leave the building.
Reading the sale racks
The online sample changes as gowns sell, but recent listings show how the 60% markdown plays out across the price range:
- Colors Dress 2794, from $175 down to $70
- Annylee SP7608, from $250 down to $100
- Colors Dress 3290, from $518 down to $207.20
- JVN by Jovani JVN09635, from $355 down to $177.50
- Jovani 1012, from $775 down to $310
The Colors edit runs from sleek satin to full sparkling ball gowns, and the shop notes those styles are ready for immediate in-store fitting. The Jovani pieces lean toward heavy beadwork and red-carpet shapes. Across both collections the posted sale prices run from $70 to $365, and each one gets a fit check in the boutique before it goes home. Jovani is the prom label the boutique features most, and Dave and Johnny, which it lists among its designers for budget-friendly styles, rounds out the formal side.
Ambassadors from three nearby high schools
For 2026, First Comes Love named a team of prom ambassadors, students who share their favorite looks on social media. The team came from Luverne High School, Hills-Beaver Creek and Adrian, which maps the boutique's reach better than any radius would. The ambassadors post their picks from the first unboxing of new Jovani gowns through the final styling reveals, and each one carries a referral code that shoppers can bring in, so the first looks of the season reach students through classmates they already know. Pipestone Area and Edgerton students live in the same corner of southwest Minnesota, where I-90 crosses US 75 at Luverne and Sioux Falls is about half an hour west.
The shop is in Suite 2 on East Main Street in the downtown blocks, so a fitting can fold into an afternoon downtown. Bridal is still the larger share of the business, with Randy Fenoli first on its designer list, which means prom appointments share the floor with brides. Book online through the shop's appointment scheduler to hold a time with a stylist.
Before you book at First Comes Love
Can I order a First Comes Love prom gown online?
No. The website shows a sample of the sale stock, but every prom dress is purchased in the boutique after an in-person try-on and fit check.
Are this season's new Jovani gowns on the website?
No. The newest Colors and Jovani arrivals stay exclusive to the boutique, so the online listings show only the 60% off past-season sample. To see the current collection, book a time and browse the racks on East Main.
Who handles alterations on a prom gown from the Luverne boutique?
The in-house alterations team, led by Candida Soto, so fitting and hemming are planned at the same place you buy the dress.