The word "wedding" in the name undersells what happens on Hansen Road every spring. Each prom season at Elaine's Wedding Center opens with more than 1,000 prom gowns from 25 different designers, and the Green Bay store, the larger of its two locations, holds a big share of them. The building sits in the village of Ashwaubenon, though it carries a Green Bay mailing address, which puts it inside the Ashwaubenon School District. The sister store in Appleton, on North Mall Drive, has 9,000 square feet of its own, but this one, at over 12,000 square feet, is bigger and carries a few lines the Appleton floor does not.
No appointment is needed for prom on Hansen Road. The store's appointment rule covers bridal, bridesmaid and mothers' dresses, and prom is not on that list, so a group of friends can show up after school and start pulling dresses.
Sizing up the Green Bay store
Homecoming
Off-the-rack and ready-to-order dresses at the Green Bay location only
Alterations
In-store seamstress, with free dress storage until the event
Alterations deserve a closer look. Both Elaine's stores do alterations in the building, and a dress bought here can stay at the store, free of charge, until the day of the event. For a family that does not want a long gown hanging in a closet for six weeks, that is a real convenience. Green Bay buyers book the seamstress through her own direct line, while Appleton fittings go through that store's main number.
Elaine's frames the whole operation in one line, and it fits the prom floor as well as the bridal salon.
We don't simply sell gowns, we provide an experience!
Behind that line is a lot of inventory, split between the season's prom collection and a special occasion section.
Prom collection
- Sherri Hill
- Jovani
- Alyce Paris
- Amarra
- Faviana
- Primavera
- Mori Lee
- Colors
- House of Wu
Special occasion section
- Dave & Johnny
- Adrianna Papell
- MGNY by Mori Lee, Green Bay store only
Shopping smart at Elaine's
If a specific style number is on your list, call the Green Bay store before you come.
Saturdays are lively, sometimes with all 17 dressing rooms taken, so a weekday visit makes for a calmer, more personal experience.
Elaine's says it prices its gowns at the lowest level the manufacturers allow, and it offers package deals and quantity discounts. Ask about current specials when you visit.
Prom dates from across Brown County
Ashwaubenon High School is the closest, and Green Bay Southwest, Preble and East, De Pere and West De Pere, Bay Port in Suamico, Pulaski and Notre Dame Academy round out the larger high schools around Green Bay and De Pere. For shoppers anywhere in northeast Wisconsin, the combination of a huge rack, walk-in prom browsing and an in-house seamstress makes Hansen Road an obvious place to start.
Maggie Sottero in Green Bay, Jasmine in Appleton
Maggie Sottero wedding gowns are at the Green Bay location only, alongside Madi Lane, Mori Lee Bridal and Rebecca Ingram, and the store stocks bridal samples in sizes 2 to 30. Bridesmaids choose from Christina Wu Celebration and Mori Lee, while the Jasmine bridesmaid lines, B2, Belsoie and JB, are at the Appleton store only. Saturday appointments for brides, bridesmaids and mothers carry a $25 nonrefundable booking fee because of high demand.
Prom at Elaine's in Ashwaubenon
Which Elaine's store carries homecoming dresses?
The Green Bay store. Off-the-rack and ready-to-order homecoming dresses are at the Green Bay location only.
Can I leave my prom dress at the store after alterations?
Yes. You can store your dress there free of charge while you wait for your appointment and keep it there up until the event date.