About Us

Our History and Consultants
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Elegance first opened December 2006, and we have since expanded and are located at Arrowwood Resort in Okoboji, IA. Our enthusiastic and professional consultants will gladly assist you in finding the gown you have always dreamed of! We can also help you find the perfect accessories to complete an outfit or find something to wear in our casual wear boutique clothing. Our comfortable, at home atmosphere will make your gown and accessory shopping stress free.

Meet Our Consultants

Sarah Ruhs

Sarah Ruhs

Owner and Consultant

Sarah and her husband, Mike, opened Elegance in December 2006 and have been going strong since. Their daughter, Savannah, was born in the summer of 2014 and loves to come to work with her mom when she gets the chance. In  2017 their second daughter, Sierra was born. In 2022, they welcomed a third daughter, Sophia!

Sarah loves every part of the bridal and prom business! She really enjoys the excitement of going to market and shopping the new styles and trends year after year. One area of specialization is the tuxedo department. She loves helping the brides and grooms or the prom guys decide on their tuxedos for their big day. Since December of 2006, Sarah has expanded the business next to the Arrowwood Resort and has increased the boutique clothing department to include something casual to something more elegant. Sarah loves this job because she has gotten to know and help so many great people in the community and has made some awesome friends in the business! In her spare time, you can find Sarah spending her time with her family and gaining knowledge on the latest trends in the business.

Courtney Vonnahme

Courtney Vonnahme

Store Manager

Courtney, the store manager and a bridal consultant of Elegance, specializes in helping clients finding the perfect attire for a special occasion, whether it’s proms, weddings, red carpet events, or just everyday attire. Courtney grew up in Okoboji and enjoys cooking, golfing, and going on long walks with her dog. Spending time with her family is very important to her. One thing she loves about her job is accessorizing people and being creative to get customers outside of their comfort zone to try something on they didn’t think they would like. She has several favorite memories during her time at Elegance, but one she will never forget was around the time she first started. She was helping a young lady, who said she never wore dresses, find a dress for prom; once the young lady found her dress she broke out into tears saying she had never felt beautiful until she tried that dress on. Courtney then realized this job isn’t just about helping people try on beautiful clothing, but it’s about helping someone feel better about themselves when they walk out the door than when they walked in.

Shannon Michelson

Shannon Michelson

Assistant Manager

Shannon joined the Elegance team in October 2017, shortly after being a bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding, which was purchased from Elegance! We’ve gotten to know Shannon & her family well over the years as she has gotten all of her prom dresses, as well as her sister’s wedding party attire from Elegance. Shannon’s favorite thing about working at Elegance is working with prom girls and brides! She loves helping each girl and bride find a dress to make them feel beautiful! Shannon also is our pro steamer! When Shannon isn’t at Elegance you may find her spending time with her family, or golfing.

Kaitlin Leathers

Kaitlin Leathers

Bridal Consultant

Kaitlin has been working at Elegance since August 2022, and has no problem jumping in & helping customers with anything they may need. She enjoys getting to know customers and their special upcoming events. Her favorite things to do at Elegance is creating our email blasts, getting to know brides, & posing for social media! When Kaitlin isn’t at Elegance you will find her spending time with her daughter, Sofia and golfing and date nights with her husband. She also loves going & supporting local events in the Iowa Great Lakes especially events that are filled with painting and crafts!

Jeannie James

Jeannie James

Sales Consultant

Jeannie has been working at Elegance since 2019! We first met Jeannie and her family when her grandson got married and they purchased their apparel at Elegance! Since that we have been lucky enough to get to know Jeannie and her family as her granddaughter, Sunny, did an internship at Elegance! Jeannie is always the “life of the party” and we are so lucky to get to work with her! She loves helping prom girls find their dream dress and is an expert at helping “moms” find their perfect look!

Linda Conlon

Linda Conlon

In-House Seamstress

Linda started the summer of 2021 at Elegance keeping up on in store repairs and tuxedo alterations. Linda has over 50 years experience in sewing garments and doing alterations. Linda works on anything, and everything in the store from tuxedo and suit alterations to beading repairs on bridal and prom gowns! Linda’s favorite part about working at Elegance is the atmosphere, and the people she works with. When Linda isn’t at Elegance you can find her spending time with her family! She has 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren! She also enjoys walking and reading.

Lora Johnson

Lora Johnson

Sales Consultant

Lora has been a part of Elegance from the very start!  As Sarah’s mom, she has had the opportunity to go to the different markets with Sarah, work with a large variety of customers for different occasions, and model in Elegance style shows. Lora and her husband, Steve are the proud parents of 2 children, and 3 grandchildren. When she isn’t chasing her granddaughters around, you can find her helping on the family farm or spending time with family.

Jackie Tlam

Jackie Tlam

Sales Consultant

Jackie started with Elegance December 2022! When Jackie is at Elegance you will find her helping prom girls & mother’s of the bride or groom! Jackie loved helping her niece & daughters with prom dresses so starting at Elegance she knew she would love helping prom girls!  When Jackie isn’t at Elegance you will find her baking, shopping, or traveling