Sisters Bridal & Tux gives prom shoppers in south-central Minnesota a number to plan around: more than 800 dresses, all in one location on South Broadway. For a river town of New Ulm's size, that is a deep rack, and it sits right on Highway 15. A shopper coming in from Sleepy Eye or Springfield can work through a long list of styles in a single appointment.
The shop opens the season with a party. KEYC News Now covered its ninth annual Prom Extravaganza in January 2024, the event Sisters uses to kick off prom dress shopping each winter, which dates the tradition to about 2016. New arrivals are posted to the store's Facebook and Instagram accounts as they come in, so following those feeds is the best way to see what has landed before you book.
Booking a prom appointment at Sisters
Every prom shopper needs an appointment. The shop runs all of its services that way, and its prom page states the rule in capital letters so nobody misses it. To schedule, families call or send a message through the store's social accounts. Hours shift with the appointment book, and the shop adds Sunday openings in January and February specifically for prom shoppers, a sign of when the busy weeks fall.
How a prom visit at Sisters runs (a guide)
First
Watch the socials for the season's arrivals, which start landing in winter
Then
Reserve a prom appointment, and give your school's name
Next
Try on from the full 800-dress selection
Last
If a date needs a tux, handle that rental before leaving
That last step is part of what makes the store useful for couples. Sisters rents and sells tuxedos and suits from Jim's Formal Wear, so the gown and the tux can be sorted in the same building.
The prom designers the store names are Ellie Wilde, Dave & Johnny, Johnathan Kayne, Primavera and Colette. With eight hundred dresses on hand across those labels, there is room for a whole school group to find something different.
Small schools, and why the rule matters
New Ulm is the Brown County seat, and its prom shoppers come from schools where everyone knows everyone. New Ulm High School, New Ulm Cathedral and Minnesota Valley Lutheran all sit in town. Sleepy Eye, Springfield and Nicollet are close, and St. Peter High School plus Mankato East and Mankato West send bigger classes from the east. In the smaller in-town classes, a duplicate gown would be spotted before the grand march even started.
Sisters handles that with a dress registry: it will not sell the same dress twice to students at the same school. For families in small districts, that promise can matter as much as the price tag.
The store is part of a small family of shops. Its website groups Sisters Bridal & Tux with Infinity by Sisters and Veiled by Sisters, and the New Ulm store also covers bridal parties when prom season ends. For anyone comparing options across southern Minnesota, though, it is the prom floor on Broadway that stands out. The shop's own prom page signs off this way.
We don't sell the same dress to the same school! That's our promise to you!
New Ulm prom questions
How many prom dresses does the New Ulm store keep?
More than 800, all at the Broadway location.
Is Sisters open on Sundays for prom season?
Yes, but only in January and February, when it adds Sunday hours for prom shoppers. Appointments are still required.