Roxanne Schatz taught school for 18 years before she opened Amelishan Bridal in 1995. The first shop measured 2,000 square feet. After its latest expansion and renovation the building covers 13,500, and the family describes it as the largest privately owned bridal salon in the Milwaukee area. Bridal is in the name and on most of the floor, and prom gets its own appointments and its own designers.
The store sits on WI-175 in Hubertus, the unincorporated community inside the village of Richfield, in what Amelishan calls the Holy Hill area. For families across southeastern Wisconsin, Amelishan gives these drive times.
Rough drive to the salon, per Amelishan
Mayfair Road (41/45)
20 min
Downtown Milwaukee
30 min
Fond du Lac
30 min
The prom designers, sizes 0 to 26
The store carries these prom designers: Morilee Prom, Ellie Wilde, Dave and Johnny, Colette by Mon Cheri, Faviana, Alisha Hill, Sherri Hill and Mac Duggal Prom. The store says it has hundreds of prom dresses in sizes 0 to 26, and more than 1,000 social occasion dresses across the building, a figure that takes in prom along with other formal events.
Every prom visit is booked. Here is how a visit works, pickups included.
Every trip
Gets its own booking, even to collect a finished order, so someone is ready for you.
Personal consultant
Comes with each appointment and pulls styles with you.
Friends and siblings
Each book their own slot, so each gets a consultant.
Moving a time
Just give 24 hours of notice.
Length
The store budgets about an hour for a social occasion appointment.
The store explains how to shop with a friend.
Please only one appointment per person. If you would like to shop with a friend/sibling, please make one appointment for each person.
Two friends who want to shop together can reserve back-to-back times.
Tuxes, timing and life after the purchase
The date's suit can come from the same building.
The date's suit
Suits and tuxedos, rented and sold
Styling appointment
About an hour
Most pieces are ordered new for the buyer, and all special-order sales are final, for social occasion apparel as well as bridal. Delivery dates are estimates that can move by four to six weeks, so the store recommends buying social occasion dresses at least six months before the event, which also means no rush fee.
Once the dress is paid for, your stylist provides a vetted list of seamstresses in Milwaukee and the surrounding area, since alterations happen outside the shop.
Schools near Hubertus
Nearby schools include Hartford Union High School, Slinger High School, Germantown High School and Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland.
Sottero and Midgley gowns, VIP suites and mothers' dresses in sizes 4 through 26
Bridal remains the heart of the business, with more than 600 wedding gowns on the racks by the store's count, and Amelishan says it has one of Wisconsin's largest selections of bridal gowns. The store lists Allure Bridals with Allure Romance, Allure Couture and Allure Madison James; Maggie Sottero, Rebecca Ingram and Sottero and Midgley; Morilee with Voyage, Amy and Eve, Blu and Julietta; and Calla Blanche, L'amour and La Perle. Brides can also book a VIP suite. The Luxury VIP Suite is a private, closed-door suite for the bride and 6 guests. The Premier VIP Suite has room for a party of up to 10 guests and must be booked at least 1 week in advance. Shannon and Elizabeth, the family's second generation, joined about ten years in, and the store's mission is serving prom girls along with brides, bridesmaids, mothers and grooms.
The mothers department is separate, and Mother of the Bride and Groom appointments are required. Each one reserves a room and time with a stylist. Amelishan says it carries hundreds of mothers' dresses in-store, in sizes 4 through 26, and most run about $300 to $900. The store names Cameron Blake, Montage, MLNY and Daymor, and its mothers' list adds MGNY by Morilee, Jovani and House of Wu Celebrations. A mother may bring one guest to help her shop. A guest who also wants a dress needs her own appointment.
Prom at Amelishan, three answers
Can two friends shop prom together in Hubertus?
Yes, with one appointment each. Book two adjoining times and you will each have your own consultant.
Which prom designers hang at Amelishan?
The store carries Morilee Prom, Ellie Wilde, Dave and Johnny, Colette by Mon Cheri, Faviana, Alisha Hill, Sherri Hill and Mac Duggal Prom. Styles rotate by season.
Where do I get a prom dress altered?
Amelishan does not provide alterations in house. Your stylist gives you a list of trusted Milwaukee-area seamstresses after you buy.