Prom is the one department at this Plaistow salon that runs without a booking. The store asks brides and wedding parties to schedule ahead and steers them away from unbooked weekend visits, then adds a separate line for students: prom dress shopping does not require an appointment. Formerly 125 Bridal Boutique, the shop now trades as 125 Bridal & Tux, and the menswear half of that name matters as much to a prom couple as the gowns do.
The address is Plaistow Road, which is Route 125 itself, a few minutes from the Haverhill line. That location explains the customer list the store describes, with years of experience serving formalwear shoppers from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Every garment is sold tax-free, a point the store makes directly, and it is a real consideration for families crossing from the Merrimack Valley towns in Massachusetts.
A prom department built from two stores
The prom department grew out of a consolidation. According to the store, the business brought together all the designers previously featured at a former sister store on the Seacoast and moved them into the single Plaistow location. The store also warns that during key times of the year the prom department can be busy, so a weekday visit leaves more room to try things on.
The designer list is long. Sherri Hill leads it, with styles that have run from about $398 to $1,398 and couture pieces well above that. The store names its core prom labels, and the list adds more.
Core prom labels
Also on the designer list
- Jessica Angel
- Ashley Lauren
- Clarisse
- Morilee
- Ladivine by Cinderella Divine
- Amelia Couture
- Chandalier
- Colors Dress
- House of Wu
- JVN
- Kate Parker
- Lovesome
The shop is upfront that availability changes and recommends contacting it to confirm a specific style before visiting.
What a prom couple should know before the visit
Appointment for prom?
Not required. Appointments are for bridal, mothers and tux parties, and the salon charges no appointment fee.
Sales tax?
None. The store is New Hampshire-based and its garments are tax-free.
Alterations?
Not done in-house. The store keeps a seamstress and tailor list, available by calling for its password.
The tuxedo side carries real weight. The store claims the largest selection of suits and tuxedos in the region and says the shop is the preferred rental provider for wedding venues including The Union Bluff, Flag Hill Winery, Granite Rose and Atkinson Country Club.
Menswear showroom
Suit and tux rentals
Labels
Smart Formal Wear, Sarno and Michael Kors
Deposit
Due at selection
For prom, that means a date can be measured in the same building where the gown was chosen, and the colors can be matched in person rather than from a phone photo. The owner, Jay, comes up by name again and again in customer testimonials, usually for going out of his way on fit and service.
The schools along Route 125
Timberlane Regional High School, which serves Plaistow, Atkinson, Danville and Sandown, is the hometown school. Pinkerton Academy in Derry, Salem High, Windham High and Sanborn Regional in Kingston are all within reach on the roads that feed Route 125, and on the Massachusetts side Haverhill High and Pentucket Regional sit just across the state line. For families anywhere in southeastern New Hampshire, the tax-free register and the no-appointment prom policy are the two facts that shape the trip.
The store's own summary of its prom department is confident, and it is the store's claim to make.
125 Bridal & Tux is proud to offer one of the largest prom inventories in the region, all in tax-free New Hampshire.
Plaistow prom shopping, answered
Can a prom date be fitted for a tux at the same shop?
Yes. Suit and tux rentals start at $179, and the menswear showroom carries Smart Formal Wear, Sarno and Michael Kors.