Razzle Dazzle

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April 2022 View more

NAPERVILLE
Bri’Zan Couture
Thanks to their extensive inventory and custom design service, the staff at this special-occasion boutique located north of downtown Naperville can dress you up for just about any celebration. In addition to weddings and school dances, they also outfit customers for pageants, galas, quinceañeras, first communions, bat mitzvahs, and more. Two-hour appointment time slots for brides ensure you’ll have plenty of time to find your dream dress. brizancouture.com
Good to know: Brides seeking an elegant, happily-ever-after vibe will dig the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings collection, a line of gowns inspired by iconic princess characters ranging from Cinderella to Tianna.

BATAVIA
Special Occasions on the Avenue
Owner Mary Marconi-Popiel stocks a small, hand-picked selection of formal gowns for prom and homecoming, as well as fun frocks for graduation, cocktail parties, and travel. “We will keep bringing you dresses until you have the dress that makes you happy,” she says. Her shop has been in business since the late ’90s in a historic downtown Batavia building that once housed a dry goods shop. specialoccasionsontheavenue.com
Good to know: Marconi-Popiel tracks prom and homecoming orders so that she never sells the same dress in the same color to more than one student at each local school.

GENEVA
Elegant Evenings
by the Crystal Bride
When the storefront next door to bridal boutique the Crystal Bride became available in 2015, owner Nancy McElvenny decided to expand and open this sibling shop specializing in evening gowns, with an emphasis on mothers of the bride and groom. They carry more than 400 dress styles in a wide range of sizes, and some can be ordered in petites or customized. “We can raise necklines in some cases, or add a sleeve for them,” McElvenny says. crystalbride.com
Good to know: The shop also has sample jackets in store from SuitShop (formerly the Groomsman Suit), a woman-owned online business specializing in suits and tuxedos with both masculine and feminine styling.