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 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
- Green Bay floor space
- Over 12,000 square feet
- Prom stock at the start of the season
- Over 1,000 gowns from 25 designers
- Dressing rooms
- 17, and all of them can be in use on a Saturday
- 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
That last row deserves 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, listed on the contact page, while Appleton fittings go through that store's main number.
The About page 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. The prom collection for the season names Sherri Hill, Jovani, Alyce Paris, Amarra, Faviana, Primavera and Mori Lee, along with Colors and House of Wu. The special occasion section adds Dave & Johnny and Adrianna Papell, plus MGNY by Mori Lee at the Green Bay store only. Listed prom styles from Amarra, for example, run roughly $500 to $650 on the site.
Shopping smart at Elaine's
The website shows every style each designer makes, and the FAQ is candid that only about 30 to 40 percent of that collection is physically in the stores at any time. The Green Bay and Appleton stores also carry different inventory, so a dress that is on one floor may not be on the other. If a specific style number is on your list, call the Green Bay store before you come. The good news is that Elaine's can order any dress shown on its site; outside of wedding gowns, those orders are paid in full before the store places them.
Saturday is the crowded day. The FAQ describes Saturdays when every dressing room is taken and suggests a weekday visit for a calmer, more personal experience. During the heart of the season the Green Bay store also opens on Sundays, from January through the end of May, which gives weekend shoppers a second option.
Elaine's 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. The website doubles as an online shop, with a wish list feature, so you can save favorites by style number before the trip and show them to a stylist on the floor.
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. Bridal, bridesmaid and mothers' dresses fill much of the building in other months, but in prom season the gowns from the designers above command the floor.
Prom at Elaine's in Ashwaubenon
Does the Appleton store carry homecoming dresses too?
No. Elaine's says its 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. The alterations page says you can store your dress there free of charge while you wait for your appointment and keep it there up until the event date.