Two sisters, a few buying trips a year, and an evening-gown wall built from labels most Laredo girls only see on their phones. That is the short version of Forever After. Sister owners Lorena and Lizandra run the shop, which was established in 2007 and sells its gowns from a storefront on Calle del Norte. Its site calls it the most trusted bridal and evening dress company in Laredo.
Owners, Lorena and Lizandra, travel a few times every year … to bring you the very latest in couture wear.
The sisters wrote that themselves for the shop's website, and for a prom shopper it sums up the pitch. The racks are stocked by people who go to market themselves, so the gowns hanging here in March are the ones they picked out months before.
The evening gown wall is where prom happens
Forever After files its prom dresses under evening gowns, or vestidos de noche, as the bilingual site puts it. If you are hunting for a prom look, that is the section to open. The labels it names there:
- Sherri Hill, the name most prom girls already know by heart
- Jovani, for glamour and serious beadwork
- Terani Couture, which leans dramatic and red-carpet
- MNM Couture, with sculpted, embellished gowns
- Tarik Ediz, for a more European, tailored evening look
- Party and evening pieces from the Spanish houses Rosa Clara and Marfil Barcelona
That is a strong lineup for a single storefront. Sherri Hill and Jovani cover the trend-driven looks that fill prom photos every spring. Tarik Ediz and MNM Couture give a senior something that looks a little more grown-up. The site also breaks its evening stock out by size, with pages running from size 0 up through size 22, so plus-size prom shoppers are part of the plan rather than an afterthought.
Both of the city's big districts are in range. Laredo ISD's high schools include Martin, Nixon and Cigarroa, and United ISD's include United, Alexander, LBJ and United South. In a city where the closest big-metro mall run is hours up I-35, a shop with this many evening labels on its own floor saves a lot of driving.
Bridal, communion dresses and Laredo's long formal calendar
Forever After is also a bridal shop, and it says so up front. Wedding gowns from Rosa Clara, Martina Liana, Essense of Australia and Eddy K fill that side, along with veils, headpieces and other accessories. Bridal visits are booked with a deposit that the shop credits toward the gown when a bride says yes the same day.
The remaining racks are pure Laredo.
First communion
Dresses from Rosa Clara and Aire Barcelona
Faux fur wraps
For the cooler months
School uniforms
For several local learning centers
Laredo's formal calendar is long, with quinceañeras, weddings and Washington's Birthday Celebration events stacked around prom, and this is a shop that dresses for more than one of them.
The site greets visitors with a simple line: "We Dress Your Dreams." It is a fitting motto for a shop built around its evening gown wall.
If you are comparing prom shops along the Texas border, put this one on the list early. The best sizes in the most popular styles tend to go first. To set up a prom visit, call or message the shop and a staff member will help.
Forever After's evening racks in three answers
Which prom designers can I find at Forever After?
The shop's evening gown section names Sherri Hill, Jovani, Terani Couture, MNM Couture and Tarik Ediz, along with evening pieces from Rosa Clara and Marfil Barcelona. Stock changes through the season, so call or message ahead if you have one style in mind.
Can I find a first communion dress at Forever After?
Yes. The shop stocks first communion dresses from Rosa Clara and Aire Barcelona.
How high do the evening gown sizes go at Forever After?
Up through size 22. The site sorts its evening gowns by size, starting at 0.